PM: NO COUNTRY FREE OF GRAFT
System may be same but man is different, says Dr M when asked if graft practices could have started in his first tenure
PRIME Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said all governments must accept blame if he were to take responsibility for Malaysia’s corruption scandals.
“If I have to accept the blame, then all governments have to do so, because corruption is found everywhere to some degree.
“There is no country in the world that can boast it has no corruption at all,” he said.
Dr Mahathir said this when asked if he could have set in motion the endemic corrupt practices that had tarnished Malaysia, since he was once the chairman of Barisan Nasional that ruled for more than 60 years and was part of the “system”.
He was asked the question in an interview over BBC’s HARDtalk programme, which was hosted by Zeinab Badawi.
Dr Mahathir said while the system had remained the same, “the man is different”.
“That system has had five prime ministers before him, but there were no accusations of corruption on that scale against all of them,” he said of former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
Dr Mahathir said the system could be abused and Najib had allegedly used his authority to steal money through it.
Responding to a question on several billions of ringgit that allegedly went missing during his first tenure, as claimed by Wall Street Journal’s Barry Wain in the latter’s book titled Malaysian Maverick: Mahathir Mohamad in Turbulent Times, Dr Mahathir said at that time, no one could prove he took money for himself, but acknowledged that monies did go missing.
“We did lose money as some of our people got involved in trading currency, but I could not take the blame for somebody that was corrupt. It was not me.
“They have seen my house, my lifestyle and they know I do not live lavishly like my predecessor.”
Speaking to Malaysian reporters at the end of his visit to the United Kingdom yesterday, Dr Mahathir said enforcement agencies, such as the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and police, were handling too many cases and had to set priorities.
Citing the cases of alleged misappropriation of government funds linked to Najib as a priority, he said MACC and police need not report to him.
“They act through the Attorney-General (A-G). Once they have submitted the information to the A-G, the A-G acts on it.”
Dr Mahathir said any action would have to be in accordance with the rule of law and, as such, the process would take time.
“If we go to court based just on what we have heard, we may lose (the case). We have to ensure that all relevant documentation is ready to be submitted to the court, so that the court can make a proper consideration.”
On the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) case, Dr Mahathir said so far, it did not involve the UK.
The 1MDB case had attracted interest in several countries, including the United States and Switzerland, resulting in the governments carrying out probes into the sovereign fund.
Asked whether any person of interest linked to 1MDB was living in the UK, Dr Mahathir said: “Maybe not.” He said the 1MDB case was a protracted one.
“The court will require evidence that cannot be ignored.”
On fugitive businessman Low Taek Jho, known as Jho Low, Dr Mahathir said: “We are looking for him but have not found him anywhere.”
Dr Mahathir was asked about his meeting with UK Cabinet Secretary Sir Mark Sedwill at Whitehall on Monday.
He said the Malaysian government was considering whether it could implement the UK method of the authorities appointing senior government officers, as well as curbing terrorism.