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Media statement by Ronnie Liu Tian Khiew, DAP national publicity secretary on Monday, 2004-06-07 in Petaling Jaya

Tainted politicians conferred honourable titles or appointed state positions have compromised efforts in fighting corruption

The recent conferment of SMS which carries the title of “Tun” to former MCA president and Transport Minister Ling Liong Sik, and the appointment of former UNMO Secretary General and Minister of Information Khalil Yaakob as the Governor of Melaka came as a shock to me and many other Malaysians.

I have, in the past two years, made various reports with the ACA and the police on alleged corruptions by certain political leaders. And two of them were Ling and Khalil.

Ling has yet to clear his name of several cases, including one on the Chang Min Thien Education Fund scandal. I have made the police report with the commercial crime department at the Petaling Jaya Police Headquarters before Ling stepped down from both his party and Cabinet positions in 2003.

Khalil, on the other hand, has not cleared his name on the alleged involvement with a timber scam when he was the Mentri Besar of Pahang. I have made a report with the ACA headquarters in Putrajaya some time in 2003.

It’s against the principles of justice that politicians tainted with such records (unless and until their names were cleared) should be given the highest title of the country or appointed with such an honourable state position. These recent developments have inevitably dealt a blow to the so-called war against graft launched by none other than the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmab Badawi himself.

No amount of politically-correct speeches and statements from his office would help to lend creditability to his claims and “determination” to fight corruption. Even some special interviews with CNN, CNBC or any other news channels of international fame would not help to convince Malaysians.

At the rate is going, I can’t even convince my sons that our beloved Prime Minister is actually serious about improving our corruption index from the current 37th ranking out of 137 countries , lagging behind Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan and Taiwan.

Ever wonder no one in his Cabinet now wants to claim credits for the fairly “successful” Justice Bao advertisement campaign ran during the last general election?                                                                                                                / Ronnie Liu Tian Khiew

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