The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak has refused to disclose the source of the RM40 million “political donation” for UMNO Sabah that was the subject of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) investigation of Sabah Chief Minister, Datuk Musa Aman, giving an unbelievably weak and unacceptable excuse.
Najib said that “All parties have a right to receive political donations” and “As long as it is through the right channels, it is not an offence”.
What Najib had completely ignored is that the RM40 million is not “above-board money” but dirty money, as it is Hong Kong-laundered UMNO funds which the Sabah businessman Michael Chia had tried to smuggle into the country in his luggage in cash in the form of $S16 million currency but got arrested at the Hong Kong International Airport on August 14, 2008 for money trafficking and laundering.
This has raised a very pertinent question, whether the MACC and the Attorney-General are empowered to enquire and prosecute the top UMNO leadership (including the UMNO President) whether for corruption or money laundering without getting the green-light from the Prime Minister?
Nobody in Malaysia is under the illusion that the MACC and Attorney-General have such powers, that is to conduct full investigations into the top UMNO leadership including the UMNO President, involving corruption and money laundering, as the Prime Minister is none other than the UMNO President himself.
In the circumstances, any independent, thorough and professional investigation involving the top UMNO leadership including the UMNO President for corruption or money-laundering cannot be undertaken under the auspices of the MACC or Attorney-General, but must be by a completely separate and independent commission.
As Najib is an interested party as UMNO President, he should establish a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) into the RM40 million Hong Kong-laundered UMNO funds and other foreign UMNO/BN laundered monies to clear UMNO/BN and Malaysia’s name.
This will also demonstrate that Najib is truly serious about fighting corruption, in particular grand corruption, involving top political and public personalities and that his high-sounding “anti-corruption” speech last week at the opening of the International Association for Anti-Corruption Authorities (IAACA) Conference in Kuala Lumpur last week will not go down in the history of international anti-corruption conferences as the most insincere and hypocritical one.