Why silent on corruption claims?

Does the allegation of graft involving Nazri not perturb Najib? Whatever happened to wanting to win the people’s nambikei or trust?

When it comes to “walking the talk”, for sure, ruling party Barisan Nasional is the worst example.

To keep to their word has never been the sincere effort of its leaders, as revealed by one too many incidents of embezzlements.

So it comes as a good laugh when BN chief and Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak keeps castigating the opposition Pakatan Rakyat pact, accusing it of making false promises and serving a self-vested agenda.

If such allegations were true, the Auditor-General’s Report would have found no reason to applaud Pakatan-managed states Selangor and Penang for a job well done.

The truth is, it is not Pakatan that has a hidden agenda. From the look of things, it has always been the BN politicians that have been pursuing their own “interests” especially the “ex officios”, with one such example being Nazri Aziz, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department.

Indeed, if it was not for BN’s arch rival Pakatan, the rakyat would never have known the dirty tricks BN leaders-cum-MPs-cum-state assembly representatives were up to.

The latest dirt on BN as revealed by Pakatan involves senior minister Nazri. This time around, Nazri’s son has made news for going for a ride, literally, in a RM459,000-worth Hummer SUV belonging to timber tycoon Michael Chia.

This exposé by Rafizi has raised eyebrows for in 2008, the tycoon was detained at an airport in Hong Kong with RM40 million worth of cash on him.

Chia, by the way, enjoys close ties with Sabah Chief Minister Musa Aman and the former told Hong Kong’s Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) when arrested that the money was for Musa.

Interestingly, Nazri, the de facto law minister, had told Parliament that the money was a political fund meant for Sabah Umno and the ICAC had cleared Musa of any wrongdoing.

But soon after, Nazri said that contrary to previous reports, Chia was never arrested by ICAC and that the RM40 million seized from the tycoon was wired into an account and was not on Chia as claimed by Pakatan and reported in the media.

If indeed Nazri’s son has “earned” himself a sports car and Nazri himself RM3 million from Chia, it is no surprise then that the minister is willing to make all pathetic attempts to “save” his buddy Chia.

Zero substance

Talk is cheap and maybe that is why Najib does it so well, trying to humour the rakyat, at the expense of the Pakatan alliance.

However, as they say “what goes around comes around” and so it is now with BN vis-à-vis the Nazri-Chia scandal.

PKR’s strategy director Rafizi Ramli last week produced evidence supposedly showing the “controversial” black Hummer which seems to have become Mohamed Nedim’s favourite ride these days.

Rafizi is claiming that the links between Nazri and Chia amount to conflict of interest, more so since the minister had recently issued statements concerning a probe involving Chia.

What is even more alarming is the allegation by Malaysia Today portal owner Raja Petra Kamarudin that Nazri and his son Mohamad Nedim had received RM3 million and a sports car from Chia.

In a typical politician fashion, Nazri has rubbished Raja Petra’s claim.

So many allegations facing a senior minister, and the country’s prime minister and his deputy have gone silent?
Even the ever-opinionated former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad has turned dumb on issues of corruption involving the BN politicians. Why?

Does the allegation of graft involving Nazri not perturb Najib? Whatever happened to wanting to win the people’s nambikei or trust? Easier saying than done, is it not, Mr Prime Minister?

Why the “pick and choose” attitude in deciding which issue to sensationalise and which to hide under the carpet, Najib?

Remaining corrupt

The Nazri-Chia “handshake gestures” in the form of money and sports car as claimed by Raja Petra have proved beyond reasonable doubt that BN was, is and will forever remain a corrupt entity.

Najib as the “people’s leader” prefers to be quiet on issues of corruption involving the BN politicians.

No surprise, too, why opportunist politicians like Perkasa’s Ibrahim Ali, former Kedah Kita chief Zamil Ibrahim, former PKR-turned independent politicians Zahrain Hashim (Bayan Baru MP) and Zulkifli Noordin (Kulim MP), among others, are just as silent, waiting for a cue from Najib before striking.

Would it be wrong for the rakyat to deduce then that when it comes to combating corruption, BN is all talk, no action?

But when Pakatan adviser Anwar Ibrahim got into a private jet to fly to Sabah and Sarawak on Malaysia Day as part of their campaign route, all hell broke loose, questioning the source of Anwar and his leaders’ luxurious ride.

Why is the same concern not being reflected in Nazri’s son and the Hummer? Why the double standard, BN?

Until and unless Najib honestly admits to the wrongdoings coming from Putrajaya, he is unfit to ridicule, criticise, rebuke and malign Pakatan.

By Jeswan Kaur - a freelance writer and a FMT columnist.