Questions over “tip-off†regarding MACC and Teoh Beng Hock
By Pak Bui
The anonymous letter written by “MACC Officers” in Officialese (mind-numbing bureaucratic language) has stirred up a swarm of questions. RPK, as usual, has done Malaysians a favour, by stimulating debate, and publishing the anonymous letter in full on the Malaysia Today website.
Could it be true?
One obvious question is: are the allegations against a senior Selangor MACC official true? We should adhere to the age-old tenet that any indicted person is innocent until proven guilty. But the Selangor MACC’s record speaks for itself.
The Selangor MACC launched a rabid attack on the PR government, “probing” allocations of funds of less than RM2,500. It appears unlikely that Umno can unseat PR’s Selangor government by fair means, because Khalid’s administration has performed well overall, as Nizar’s did in Perak.
Since Hee Yit Foong cannot be convinced to defect to Selangor, BN must seek other foul means to topple PR. The MACC’s ham-fisted investigations should be seen against a backdrop of Umno trying to smear Khalid Ibrahim’s name, trying to intimidate PR elected representatives through police raids, and trying to stir up racial hatred using the Utusan Malaysia attack-dogs.
If you can’t beat them, slow them down and harass them, seems to be the overall strategy. If Teoh Beng Hock was sacrificed as an innocent victim in these “investigations”, well, you know the old saying: you can’t make a witch-hunt without breaking a few hearts.
In contrast, the PKFZ scandal in Klang, Selangor, has cost us taxpayers at least RM12 billion, while the MACC and police sit on their hands. And the PKFZ scandal continues to beget little baby scandals, including Tiong King Sing’s allegations of stuffing Ong Tee Keat’s pockets with RM10 million.
Perhaps the visual impact of these numbers would be best appreciated by listing them down.
RM 12,000,000,000 = PKFZ
RM 1,000,000,000 = Kuala Dimensi’s reported over-billing
RM 10,000,000 = ATM Donation
RM 2,500 = Flag Allocation
Therefore, the MACC’s name has been dragged through the dirt. Umno and the MACC top brass continue to grind it into the dust with their jackboots.
So if the contents of the letter are true, it would not be in the least surprising that a senior MACC officer behaved in this repulsive manner.
Who wrote the letter?
There is an impressive amount of MACC investigation material, quoted in minute detail. The letter employs jargon and it has an insider’s feel. It is entirely conceivable it was written by an MACC officer.
It may, of course, have been written by a retired MACC officer, a policeman, or a senior member of Khir Toyo’s former administration, or an angry member of the public with some inside information.
If you can disregard for a moment whatever you think of the police or MACC, you will not deny there are some honest and upright police officers and MACC staff in the service.
Imagine yourself as such a person of integrity, trying to protect society from crime: any such civil servant (in the original sense of the term) would be seething at the state of affairs in these crippled institutions. It is not hard to imagine such a person could become an anonymous whistle-blower.
I have met one such MACC officer from Selangor, who was proud to have uncovered graft in his state, including among senior police officers and other government servants.
