The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission’s (MACC) heretical interpretation of the Election Offences Act 1954 (the Act) on corruption is most alarming, and warrants an emphatic rebuttal. In the front page headline story of Sin Chew Daily yesterday (Feb 13), MACC’s deputy chief commissioner (Prevention) Sutinah Sutan was quoted as saying that for corruption offences committed during … Read more
Barisan Nasional’s election-orientated budget 2013 is disappointing because it concentrates on raining one-off cash on the electorate to ease their pain, while forgetting to address the ills that necessitate such profuse dosage of pain-relievers in the first place. If the people are affluent and contented, do they need to be showered with such pacifiers; or … Read more
See Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi speaking to the electorate on Myanmar’s national television. When will Barisan Nasional begin to feel a sense of shame that it has doggedly refused to allow the opposition even five minutes of TV time? Myanmar, a supposedly notorious laggard in democracy, has made us we feel like … Read more
Prime Minister Najib Razak seems to have made a U-turn in his position on the much lauded acquittal of Anwar Ibrahim on the sodomy charge. When the totally unexpected acquittal was stunningly announced on Jan 9, Najib together with senior Umno leaders were quick to bask in the compliments that poured in from around the … Read more
Umno hardliners are agitating for an appeal against Anwar Ibrahim’s sodomy acquittal as indicated by the open support of Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin on Jan 12 for the Attorney-General to appeal the case. Muhyiddin was even reported to have urged the AG to consider the request made by the father to Saiful Bukhari Azlan … Read more
The judge walked into the courtroom, read the judgment in one minute, and disappeared into his chamber. When the flabbergasted Anwar supporters recovered from their shock and realized what it all meant, they jumped in jubilation with shouts of joy, burst of tears, hugging, back-slapping, congratulations and thanks. Within minutes, the same ecstatic outburst also engulfed … Read more
The call by opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim for free and fair media coverage on the imminent polls strikes at the core of what have made Malaysian elections a mockery of democracy. A shackled and unfair media is one of the fundamental flaws because electoral democracy is a game of perception. And perception is shaped by the … Read more
Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) defended its position with regard to the National Feedlot Center scandal on two fronts: through the issue of a statement and in a press conference on Dec 16. In the statement quoted by Bernama, MACC denied that it had not taken any action. It said that it did scrutinize the complaint from … Read more
Many people may be wondering why the Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission (MACC) washed its hands off the investigation of the National Feedlot Center (NFC) scandal and passed the buck to the police. And now, chairman of MACC Abu Kassim Mohamed (left) gives us his answer. Speaking to Sin Chew Daily reporters after an international … Read more
The restlessness for change triggered by the Arab Spring, and subsequently spread to Singapore and Thailand (as shown in their recent elections), has made the recently concluded Umno General Assembly a focus of much attention. Observers were looking for clues to answer the critical question against the backdrop of an imminent election: Will Umno – … Read more