MACC slammed for ‘dancing to UMNO’s tune’
(Harakah Daily) – Kelantan has slammed the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission for being UMNO’s spokesman, over a statement on the recent conclusion by the Commission that the state government was free of corruption.
Yesterday, it was reported that MACC’s Kelantan branch announced the PAS-led government to be free of corruption.
This involved allegations by UMNO that there were corrupt practices involving state officials in the Ladang Rakyat and Bazar Tok Guru issues.
“There is no element of corruption in the Bazar Tok Guru issue and we reject the allegation that we did not any work on the case. If there had been corruption and abuse of power, we will go in, but to date nothing (substantive) is found,” Kelantan MACC director Nasaruddin Mohd Noor told Malay daily Sinar Harian.
L-R: Sutinah and Nasaruddin of MACC
“On the issue of Ladang Rakyat, there has yet to be any report lodged on it, but we have carried out investigation based on media reports and monitoring is still in progress,” he added.
However, a senior MACC officer in Putrajaya countered Nasaruddin’s statement, arguing that Kelantan was not free of corruption “because there was no report made”.
Sutinah Sultan, MACC’s deputy commissioner, said as there was no report made, Kelantan Menteri Besar Tuan Guru Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat did not have right to declare his administration was clean.
The statement was immediately publicised by pro-UMNO media, with a special slot on television.
‘Cheap publicity’
Kelantan deputy Menteri Besar Ahmad Yakob (right) blasted the MACC for being “childish”.
“The statement by them is so childish. It shows that the officer is dancing UMNO’s tune. It is nothing more than a cheap publicity stunt,” he said.
Ahmad Yakob said questioned why Sutinah jumped to dispute MACC Kelantan’s conclusion.
