YOURSAY | ‘Suing the whistleblower is definitely a gross act of intimidation.’

Azam Baki demands apology, RM10m damages from whistleblower

Salvage Malaysia: MACC encouraged whistleblowers to report cases so that it can investigate if there are grounds of corruption. But now, when it comes to the agency’s own chief, it wants to sue a whistleblower for RM10 million.

Do you know what are the values the MACC stands for? I’m sorry but I think MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki has gone off the deep end.

Assuming that Azam can really prove that he is innocent, he should say that notwithstanding the alleged slander thrown at him by the whistleblower, he would still encourage whistleblowers to report cases to MACC for investigations. And that he would boldly confront this dark episode by laying out all documentary evidence that the money came from his brother in the purchase of shares under his name, etc.

If you have done that, I will salute you, Azam, because you would have protected the sanctity of MACC. However, you are now behaving just like some of those arrested by MACC for corruption - using intimidation. You should not stoop to such levels.

Dr Raman Letchumanan: Isn't it funny - this whistleblower may get witness protection by MACC officials against the MACC head.

The PM should realise Azam is becoming a liability and may tarnish whatever credibility his Keluarga Malaysia government has. Act fast and do damage control. Don't react like he did in the Selangor floods.

To the whistleblower, Lalitha Kunaratnam, I salute you for exposing this story of Azam purchasing a huge number of shares in his name. In fact, when I first read this news when it was published in October, I knew it was a big scoop like no other. I also suspected no other media would dare carry this story then.

It remained hidden until political economy professor Edmund Terence Gomez broke it with his resignation from the MACC advisory panel.

Actually, what you exposed is all in the public domain, especially the records in the Companies Commission. You didn't make any accusations or inference, just stated the facts.

The online news portal that reported this story got DDOS attacked (cyberattack) and shut down. I am sure you must have also come under heavy pressure and threat to withdraw the story and apologise.

Yet, you seemed to hold on. You are a brave woman. All right-thinking Malaysians will be on your side. We will support you in whatever way we can. It is extremely rare to find such a brave person nowadays. You are doing national service, even though the authorities may not like it for obvious reasons.

Azam is in panic mode and feels threatened. Otherwise, how could the head of MACC issue such a demand to a relatively unknown person?

He claimed he is innocent and above board. So why the need for this legal action?

Citizen: How is it defamatory of someone to publish the name of the owner(s) of shares in a company? What is so defamatory if someone says that Mahathirudan or Muslah bin Futhah or Chee Chon Fun is the owner of shares?

It reminds me of a time when a senator lodged a police report against the late lawmaker Karpal Singh for having used his parliamentary letterhead for himself.

Azam, you are better off citing your brother for identity theft. Now you have put the Securities Commission (SC) in a quandary as they are wondering how many shares in various companies are held in the name of others.

RR: In a situation like this with a serious allegation against none other than the chief of the MACC, he should not have taken the liberty to sue the whistleblower in such haste. Instead, he should wait for the matter to be resolved through a proper judicious process.

To demand RM10 million in damages from the whistleblower is too far-fetched. The intimidation does not augur well for an institution like MACC fighting corruption in our country.

Pensieve: By publicly naming the whistleblower in this civil suit, hasn't the MACC chief contravened the MACC's own Whistleblower Protection Act 2010?

The Act also promises that no civil or criminal suit can be lodged against whistleblowers. It will now make more sense for the whistleblower to sue the enforcement agency for having been publicly exposed and denied the promised protection.

Just A Malaysian: Our government is turning into one big joke. The chief of the anti-corruption agency is not making effort to clear his name and instead sues the whistleblower.

Whistleblowers are key to the fight against corruption. Azam is not exactly setting the right atmosphere for fighting corruption.

Federal Bakery: People are appointed to head departments and agencies who have no understanding of the functions of those agencies or their stewardship of the values they are to protect.

The MACC Act 2009 advises companies to institute whistleblower provisions in their organisations to encourage reports of corruption and to protect those revealing corrupt practices from retaliatory actions. And here, you - the very people prescribing those rules - are violating them.

Threatening legal action against a whistleblower violates MACC’s espoused values.

Mazilamani: We have yet to hear anything from the government, telling Azam enough is enough.

Malaysians are only interested to know how he came to acquire such huge lots of shares. Just answer that. And why did he exceed the RM100,000 value in shares that can be acquired, as imposed on civil servants?

Anybody and everybody must be exposed if there is any inkling of corrupt practice. What more if the person happens to be the MACC chief. Suing Lalitha is definitely a gross act of intimidation.

Something is very seriously wrong with our country that places so much importance on religious values when the person called to answer charges for questionable acquisition of shares happen to be the head of MACC.

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