An international anti-corruption conference featuring Datuk Seri Najib Razak to be held in Putrajaya in September should be cancelled as Malaysia is under scrutiny over a debt-ridden state investment firm and allegations of embezzlement involving the prime minister, DAP said today.
DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang said Malaysia could not be considered an example in fighting corruption and that going ahead with the conference would shame Malaysians further. The event, “Ending Impunity: People. Integrity. Action” is the 16th biennial International Anti-Corruption Conference (IACC) jointly hosted by Putrajaya, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and Transparency International Malaysia.
Najib is to speak at the event which is expected to draw 800 to 2,000 participants from around the world, according to online information about the event. But Lim said Malaysians were already “ashamed” about the state of corruption and impunity in the country, and asked what kind of example Malaysia would be holding up to the world by proceeding with the conference amid ongoing controversies involving 1MDB and now, claims that Najib had billions of ringgit channelled into his personal accounts. “The IACC International Anti-Corruption Conference in Putrajaya on September 2 should be scrapped altogether, as if Malaysians are not ashamed enough about rampant corruption and rampant impunity in the country. “What type of an example of ‘Ending Impunity: People. Integrity. Action’ can Malaysia present to the world and some 800 international participants who will attend and be engaged in plenary debates and workshops on ending impunity for corruption?” he said in a statement today. “Or is Malaysia to present a live example as to how difficult or even impossible it is in a country like ours to end impunity for corruption, unless there is a total change of government?” On the conference website, the event is described as “the world’s premier global forum” for governments, civil society and the private sector to tackle corruption. But Lim said that instead of showcasing best practices in fighting corruption and ending impunity, Malaysia was “doing the exact opposite like having a task force or an anti-corruption investigation that answers or reports to the accused”. He said the special task force now probing The Wall Street Journal’s July 2 report on US$700 million channelled to Najib’s personal accounts violated the principles of natural justice. This was because the task force members – Bank Negara governor Tan Sri Zeti Akhtar Aziz, Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar, MACC head Tan Sri Abu Kassim Mohamed and Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail – were all subordinate and answerable to Najib as the prime minister and also finance minister. “The investigation into the WSJ report should be conducted by independent Malaysians of impeccable character who are not subordinate or answerable to Najib, armed with wide-ranging terms of reference,” Lim said. The DAP veteran also hit out at Cabinet members for allowing Najib to decide on the investigations, and reiterated his call for the prime minister to go on leave immediately until the probe was completed. “There should be an emergency meeting of the Cabinet within the next 48 hours to put these things right, appointing credible investigators and the widest scope of investigations, so that Malaysians can stand tall in the world when we talk about ending impunity in corruption instead of bowing their heads in shame as of now,” Lim said. – July 9, 2015. – See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/cancel-anti-graft-conference-malaysians-already-ashamed-enough-says-dap#sthash.CPeGbU7V.dpuf