Wednesday, August 15, 2018

PUBLIC Declaration of Income/Assets/Interests - Just to MACC, and not to Rakyat, is useless?

PUBLIC declaration of assets, income and interest of members of the Cabinet(Prime Minister, Ministers, Deputy Ministers, Menteri Besars, State Exco members and their families) is something most needed to ensure that there is NO KLEPTOCRACY, corruption, abuse of powers (maybe by awarding government contracts to family members), etc ....

How many Ministers, State Exco members, are receiving MORE income than their MP and/or Minister's salaries? Are they getting additional income for being appointed as Directors of government companies - not right because this is part of their JOB.  How many have OVERSEAS bank accounts with millions of ringgit...or maybe billions? How many of our politician's or their families have interest in companies that get awarded government contracts?

PUBLIC DECLARATION allows Malaysians to monitor our leaders with power...

PUBLIC DECLARATION DETERS our leaders from wrongly channeling people's monies into their own pockets or that of their family/friend's pockets...

TRANSPARENCY ...ACCOUNTABILITY...these were assurances by the Opposition Pakatan Harapan and others, which led Malaysians to vote for them...BUT now it looks that this is still being kept 'SECRET' ....

Declaration to the Prime Minister ....or the MACC alone is not to the PUBLIC...it is still a 'SECRET'...and what is the use?

Will these people who made declaration to the MACC and made 'pledges' to the MACC be subject to HIGHER penalties in law when they are corrupt, commit kelptocracy, wrongly divert money, contracts or advantage to themselves, their family and/or cronies? 

WHEN THERE IS NO TRANSPARENT PUBLIC DECLARATION OF INCOME, ASSETS AND INTERESTS OF MINISTERS AND POLITICIANS, WHAT HAPPENS WHEN PEOPLE IN MALAYSIA ALLEGE SUCH POSSIBILITIES...

The fact that Najib's accounts had billions was highlighted not by MACC, Bank Negara or any government body/agency....it was highlighted by someone ...and there were all kinds of threats/actions against the one who highlighted and brought this fact to our attention...

Recently, someone highlighted that Azmin, a Minister, had millions in overseas accounts - What happened? Azmin threatened possible legal action....and then, the said BLOG was 'blocked'....Now, if there is no transparent disclosure of assets, then all will we have is allegeations - true or false? When there should have been some 'investigations' to determine if there was any basis for some criminal prosecution...it did not happen, did it? Did MACC look into this allegation? 

Now, if a Minister or a PM has too much money in their account ...more than their disclosed source of legitimate income, the presumption of corruption or kleptocracy can happen...

Money - large sums in overseas accounts - why? Was it to avoid tax payments? Was it to hide 'ill-gotten' gains - was it money 'stolen' from the people?

Recently, also it was disclosed that Mahathir's son had an interest in a company that got a government contract? We also remember Cowgate? 

When there is an allegation against a Minister or a 'people's representative', it must immediately be investigated...by the relevant authority  - The threatening with legal action or the commencement of legal action...or the 'blocking' of Blogs/Websites should not happen...

What is being alleged are suspicion of possible crimes - and we should not DETER people from raising suspicions...things they heard, etc ... People must be free to raise such concerns...

* Well, it would have been good if Azmin came out and said 'I have NO overseas bank accounts."...and maybe, in all my 5 bank accounts, I only have about RM1million - not hundreds of millions - and that money is all from his income as MP, ADUN and Menteri Besar...and from legitimate income, all of which have been declared to the Income Tax Department as required...I have paid all taxes...and not avoided paying any taxes...'. But, did Azmin do that?*** Azmin monies revelation could have been 'FAKE' - maybe to discredit him ...but, we need to really call for FULL OPEN DECLARATION OF ASSETS, INCOME, INTERESTS IN COMPANIES OF MPs and their close family...

MACC - Did MACC give UMNO-BN candidates the OK - they are free from corruption? Or was it just a PLEDGE?

Members of Cabinet, PH leaders must declare assets within 30 days of corruption-free pledge



IPOH (Aug 7): All Cabinet members and top Pakatan Harapan (PH) leaders must submit their asset declaration information within 30 days of taking the corruption-free pledge (IBR).

Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Deputy Chief Commissioner (Prevention) Datuk Shamshun Baharin Mohd Jamil said the newly-formed Special Cabinet Committee on Anti-
Corruption had required a copy of the asset declaration information to be sent to the commission.

"In the past, the (copy of) asset declaration at the Federal-level was only given to the Prime Minister and at the state level, to the Menteri Besar or Chief Minister.

"Now, a copy must be given to the MACC, which will then be uploaded to MACC’s portal," he said.

He was speaking to reporters after the IBR oath-taking ceremony for Perak state assemblymen and heads of statutory bodies led by Perak Menteri Besar Ahmad Faizal Azumu at the Perak Darul Ridzuan Building here, today. - Edge Markets, 7/8/2018

Blog claiming Azmin has millions overseas suspended

Predeep Nambiar
 | June 26, 2018
The minister's aide says the blog post is an attempt to undermine him before the PKR polls in August.
Economic Affairs Minister Mohamed Azmin Ali has been accused of having millions of ringgit in overseas bank accounts.

GEORGE TOWN: Blog operator WordPress has suspended the blog which published an allegation that Economic Affairs Minister Mohamed Azmin Ali has millions stashed in overseas bank accounts.

A visit to the “Toyol of Selangor” blog shows a message saying it has been “archived or suspended” for violating its terms of service. No details were given on why it was suspended.

The blog had listed the numbers of the accounts purportedly owned by Azmin in overseas banks. Azmin has denied the claim, calling it an attempt to tarnish his reputation.

Azmin’s political secretary Muhammad Hilman Idham meanwhile said the allegation was a smear campaign against the PKR deputy president ahead of the party polls in August.
A screenshot of the ‘Toyol of Selangor’ blog this morning.

Hilman, who is Selangor state assemblyman for Gombak Setia, urged the public to take the claim with a pinch of salt, adding that the blog post was “made up”.

“This is not the first time a false accusation has been hurled against Azmin. We urge the people not to be fooled by such allegations of no credibility.

“We do not want to entertain gutter politics by certain quarters. At the same time, the so-called allegations in the blog are disputable,” he told FMT.

In the June 18 blog post, the anonymous blogger alleged that Azmin and his wife Shamsidar Taharin had hundreds of millions of ringgit in several bank accounts overseas.

Azmin however said he had nothing to hide, having declared his assets since 2008, and urged those with information to go to the authorities to have him investigated. - FMT, 26/6/2018


Gobind Singh wants report on contract given to company headed by Mahathir's son
 
KUALA LUMPUR (Bernama): Communications and Multimedia Minister Gobind Singh Deo said today he has asked Telekom Malaysia to submit a report on the awarding of a contract to a company of which Tan Sri Mokhzani Tun Mahathir is the chairman.

“I have requested a report from TM. When I get that report, I will issue a statement. I asked (for the report) today. I ordered for the report to be sent to me on this matter,” he said to reporters at the Parliament lobby.

The media had reported that Opcom Holdings had secured a contract worth RM11.16 million from TM several days after the 14th General Election on May 9.

Mokhzani is the chairman of Opcom.

The contract is for the period from July 2, 2018, to Dec 31, 2019 and is for the installation and restoration of the Unifi service. — Bernama - Star, 1/8/2018

1 comment:

Hakimi Abdul Jabar said...

If I may digress,

CAN POLITICIANS & MERE MEMBERS OF POLITICAL PARTIES BE CHARGED FOR CORRUPTION/CORRUPT PRACTICES UNDER ACT 694 (THE MACC ACT) IN RELATION TO THE DISPOSAL OF 1MDB & SRC INTERNATIONAL MONIES & FUNDS etc.? WHY HASN'T THE ATTORNEY GENERAL CHARGED THESE POLITICANS & FORMER POLITICIANS FOR CORRUPTION?

First & foremost, Malaysia has no statute of limitations for criminal offences and thus, for its prosecution.

Secondly, as lucidly reported and remain largely unrebutted allegations by the Sarawak Report & Claire Rewcastle-Brown, politicians who are and were office bearers and/or mere members of political parties have been the recipients of 1MDB monies and funds.

Pursuant to the Interpretation Section of Act 694, section 3 of the said Act defines that “officer of a public body” means any person who is a member, an officer, an employee or a servant of a public body.

The same section stipulates that “public body” includes—
(e) any society registered under subsection 7(1) of the
Societies Act 1966 [Act 335].

Political parties categorically fall under the definition of section 2 of Act 335 and are duly registered under subsection 7(1) of the same.

Malaysia need more brave informers in the likes of CSOs such as Suaram & C4 Centre & individuals like Clare Rewcastle-Brown, Khairuddin Abu Hassan & Matthias Chang will furnish the essential information to the MACC under section 65 (1) of Act 694 and will receive the requisite Statutory Protection of informers and information leading to the criminal prosecution and successful convictions of politicians & even mere members of political parties who were 1MDB laundered monies recipients/beneficiaries etc. under ss. 16 and/or 21 of the same Act.

Thus, MY QUERY remains :
Why aren't politicians who are and were office bearers and/or mere members of political parties who have been the recipients of 1MDB monies and funds etc. charged for corruption under Act 694?


http://www.ros.gov.my/index.php/en/maklumat-korporat/pengenalan-jabatan

http://www.sarawakreport.org/