Shock over MACC pledge refusal
We have better way of dealing with graft, claims S’gor govt
KUALA LUMPUR: The Selangor government’s refusal to adopt the anti-corruption pledge spearheaded by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has left its chief commissioner speechless.
“Selangor says it doesn’t want to sign. I read about that in the newspaper, so I don’t know whether it is really the stand of the state government.
“My comment is, I am speechless. Let the rakyat evaluate, that is all,” Datuk Dzulkifli Ahmad said when asked to comment on the matter.
Selangor is the only state government that has yet to adopt the pledge, and a Bahasa Malaysia daily quoted Selangor executive councillor Datuk Iskandar Abdul Samad as saying that the state government had its own method to deal with corruption.
“Therefore, we do not need the IBR (Ikrar Bebas Rashad) because our approach is better than such a pledge,” Iskandar was quoted as saying.
Dzulkifli commented on the issue at a media conference yesterday after witnessing an anti-corruption pledge signing by senior management and vendors of the International Islamic University of Malaysia (IIUM) at a ceremony held at its campus here.
Also present were IIUM president Tan Sri Dr Rais Yatim and the university’s Rector Prof Datuk Seri Zaleha Kamaruddin.
On another matter, Dzulkifli was asked to comment on Padang Serai MP N. Surendran’s claim that MACC’s practice of making arrested persons wear lock-up uniforms was in breach of the principle that a person is innocent until proven guilty.
Surendran was reported by an online news portal as saying the practice was a breach of Article 5 of the Federal Constitution.
“If any provision under the law is unconstitutional, take it up in court and challenge it. That is what the court is there for,” Dzulkifli said in response.
The MACC chief was also asked why former Felda chairman Tan Sri Mohd Isa Abdul Samad was not handcuffed when brought to court for remand.
He explained it was the prerogative of the MACC officer involved to determine whether or not a person who has been arrested should be handcuffed when brought to court for a remand order.
“I believe my officer in this case, who exercised his prerogative, has a valid reason in that situation,” he said.
He added that Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng was never handcuffed and never asked to wear the orange lock-up T-shirt when he was arrested.
Earlier in his speech, before the signing and oath-taking ceremony by the university’s staff and vendors, Dzulkifli said it was important for all universities to have effective and efficient controls on their procurement process.
“This is to ensure that any loopholes which can lead to corruption are closed off.
“Transparency is also important in carrying out each step of the procurement process, and it allows a wide variety of stakeholders to scrutinise vendors and contractors,” said Dzulkifli.