YOURSAY | ‘Malaysia deserves MACC chief who has no integrity issues.’

COMMENT | Integrity issues put Azam’s extension in the shade

Apanama is back: Pakatan Harapan leaders had previously levelled allegations that the MACC was being used to force them to support former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin. Harapan leaders at that time were crying political persecution.

Now, after Anwar Ibrahim has become prime minister, MACC is suddenly an independent agency. Magic?

So how can the prime minister now say that the MACC is an independent body when it was his comrades in the past who had accused it of being a political tool?

Anwar was wrong not to change the chief commissioner when he came to power, especially when so many unresolved controversies surrounded the commission.

Amongst the controversies is MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki’s alleged share ownership.

Anwar should have immediately put Azam on leave and conducted an in-depth investigation into all the controversies surrounding the MACC as well as appointed a new commissioner via a parliamentary process.

Anwar has the power to do so. This can be done immediately and is a low-hanging fruit.

Then we can look at the long-term reforms such as placing MACC under Parliament, security of tenure for the chief commissioner and other related reforms.

By carrying out these proposed steps, the public could start trusting the MACC once again. We need to build back this trust.

Working on reforming this commission is of utmost importance if we want to accelerate the fight against corruption in this country. The current fight against corruption is at a snail's pace and in a piecemeal manner.

Moreover, the perception against MACC is still similar to the time when Harapan was in opposition. Political prosecution or political persecution.

BlueShark1548: With this background, Anwar should consider carefully whether Azam's term should be extended.

We deserve an MACC chief who has no integrity issues. In addition, the latest allegation from Kuwait suggested that our authorities were uncooperative with Kuwait's prosecution of Low Taek Jho, better known as Jho Low, for money laundering of a Malaysian fund.

MS: Anwar, like all politicians, is self-serving. Nothing he does is without calculating political dividends first, how it serves him and his longevity.

'Reformasi', integrity, transparency and all that is directed at the millions of gullible Malaysians perpetually waiting for a clean, no-nonsense leader to lead them out of the hole the country is in.

Viewed in that light, this thing about Azam, his "integrity", an independent MACC and parliamentary scrutiny of appointees is just so much hot air. It is as always, politics as usual.

Anon25: I think Azam has delivered some good work. Former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak has been convicted and there are other charges he is still facing. Najib’s wife Rosmah Mansor has also been convicted.

There are other prominent cases also which have been completed and others in the courts.

About Azam's shares. The total amount of what it is worth is no big deal. Other government officers have more.

What happened with the purchase of these shares may have some logical explanation. But given his job, that may not be easy to explain publicly. But the prime minister would know.

If Anwar has decided to extend his service, should we not trust Anwar? I think we should. I do.

Focusapp: Does the moral of the story suggest that it takes a crook to catch a crook?

The agency must be entirely replaced and report to Parliament supervisory committee. Perception of anti-corruption is crucial in the fight against corruption.

It's fair to say that from a public perception view, the agency's independence and performance are left much wanting.

Just take a look at the corrupt agency officers who hit the news from time to time, not to mention the shares scandal that belongs to the chief's brother.

So much noise has been made that corruption cannot be tolerated but shouldn't the agency be the best place to start? Lots of empty talk by politicians.

Reformasi whose foot? My foot?

WhiteLlama4337: Indeed. It’s another example of Anwar's inability to provide ethical leadership. The petulant child Anwar does what he pleases despite earlier promises to reform the country.

From trying to appoint his daughter Nurul Izzah as a special adviser, to keeping quiet against racist narratives and now deciding to keep a questionable MACC chief.

Well done Anwar for proving that former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad had moulded you well to be as unethical as he was.

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