Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Condoning money politics in UMNO
“Dalam UMNO kita bagi orang makan. Itu adat bila nak bertanding.” says UMNO Supreme Council member Nazri Azis who coincidentally is also the de-facto Law Minister of Malaysia in an interview with The Star’s Malay-language website. When it comes to UMNO, It’s all about a free lunch isn’t it? Nazri is nakedly condoning money politics if we go by his statement as cited by The Star. In this interview, Nazri categorically stated that the Anti Corruption Agency (ACA) has no powers to take action against any UMNO member accused of bribery and money politics. He was quoted as saying UMNO members need only answer to the party’s disciplinary committee and that they enjoy immunity from anti-corruption laws of the country.
Nazri was further quoted as saying that questionable action, if any, committed by party members have nothing to do with the public interest, and in a perverse twist, ends this statement by claiming the definition of bribery in the context of UMNO is at odds with the laws of Malaysia. What is he implying? That UMNO is above the rule of law and beyond the ambit of decency? Any notion of decency has already been grotesquely warped by supporters of a Selangor UMNO “self-made warlord” blessed with enough money to build an illegal palace, when they publicly declared their admiration and support for their hero Zakaria Deros who is merely standing up for “maruah Melayu” by his vulgar display of wealth. Is “maruah Melayu” also only worth RM200 as claimed by former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad when he was bulldozed out of the way in his attempt to win a seat in the Kubang Pasu UMNO divisional elections?
Nazri’s statements, from no less the acting Law Minister himself and a staunch UMNO man, reveals a shocking nonchalant attitude towards the sanctity of law. The law is the only instrument that determines the success and failure of nations. History is replete with enough examples for a sane person not to conclude otherwise. Malaysia will be in danger of being on the road towards failed state-status if we as a nation do not wake up from this stupor. If Nazri is trying to fool anyone by saying that UMNO is UMNO and the government of Malaysia is a different coloured beast, he is spinning out of any realm of reality. Everybody familiar with Malaysia, knows the opposite is true and no rose-watered comments from the mouths of people purportedly looking after the nation’s interests will change that in this day and era.
So by his logic, we should leave UMNO members alone as they find creative ways to enrich themselves, as such acts do not interfere in the running of the government. Wrong. UMNO IS the government, and the act of graft in any language or circumstance, is a deep stain on the government. And this stain is getting harder to remove and it gets further entrenched and synonymous with government, what with the likes of Zakaria Deros being a symbol of what UMNO has become. More than ever, Malaysia needs a credible, strong Opposition, to help stem the deterioration that has already started eating away at the foundations of our nationhood. ¶ 11:39 PM
Nazri was further quoted as saying that questionable action, if any, committed by party members have nothing to do with the public interest, and in a perverse twist, ends this statement by claiming the definition of bribery in the context of UMNO is at odds with the laws of Malaysia. What is he implying? That UMNO is above the rule of law and beyond the ambit of decency? Any notion of decency has already been grotesquely warped by supporters of a Selangor UMNO “self-made warlord” blessed with enough money to build an illegal palace, when they publicly declared their admiration and support for their hero Zakaria Deros who is merely standing up for “maruah Melayu” by his vulgar display of wealth. Is “maruah Melayu” also only worth RM200 as claimed by former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad when he was bulldozed out of the way in his attempt to win a seat in the Kubang Pasu UMNO divisional elections?
Nazri’s statements, from no less the acting Law Minister himself and a staunch UMNO man, reveals a shocking nonchalant attitude towards the sanctity of law. The law is the only instrument that determines the success and failure of nations. History is replete with enough examples for a sane person not to conclude otherwise. Malaysia will be in danger of being on the road towards failed state-status if we as a nation do not wake up from this stupor. If Nazri is trying to fool anyone by saying that UMNO is UMNO and the government of Malaysia is a different coloured beast, he is spinning out of any realm of reality. Everybody familiar with Malaysia, knows the opposite is true and no rose-watered comments from the mouths of people purportedly looking after the nation’s interests will change that in this day and era.
So by his logic, we should leave UMNO members alone as they find creative ways to enrich themselves, as such acts do not interfere in the running of the government. Wrong. UMNO IS the government, and the act of graft in any language or circumstance, is a deep stain on the government. And this stain is getting harder to remove and it gets further entrenched and synonymous with government, what with the likes of Zakaria Deros being a symbol of what UMNO has become. More than ever, Malaysia needs a credible, strong Opposition, to help stem the deterioration that has already started eating away at the foundations of our nationhood. ¶ 11:39 PM
