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Friday, October 22, 2004

Money Politics Code

There was plenty of hot air regarding 'money politics' or what most would call corruption/bribery; before, during and immediately after the latest UMNO elections. A number of UMNO luminaries were found out for this and disciplined. Promiinent among those discovered was one Amid Mordin, who was accused by his challenger, former Malacca chief minister Rahim Tamby Chik, the Umno Kota Melaka divisional head. Amid was subsequently suspended from UMNO but he is still Malacca state executive councillor.

Once the Vice President and Supreme Council election results were out, it would have been an understatement to say that they were just surprising. Many were indeed shocked to the core by the results. Many of Pak Lah's men were said to have been left by the road side. In an immediate reaction, those who had expected to win but lost cried foul. They were quick to point out that 'money politics' was the reason for their downfall. Pak Lah as a followup could only promised that if there was 'money politics', he would leave no stone unturned and that those elected if found guilty wpuld get his big boots. But there had to be the evidence, people would have to make reports and then he would do the kicking. But it has been more than 3 weeks and the reports and evidence are still being waited.

After the elections, the Pahang MB, Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob, was one of the most vocal with blaming 'money politics' for his loss. Many had expected that he would be making reports, giving all the evidence and eventually bringing all those connected to face the disciplinary committee. But in an about turn, he has been reported as having stressed that he would not report any case of "money politics" in Umno, saying it was against his principle to do it. Now what sorts of principle is that! As to why he is standing by the great principle of his, reporters quoted him as saying ::

"I don't want to hurt the political career of my friends. If any Umno leader is caught for practising money politics, I don't want to get involved. Let the explanation come from other people, and not me."

Can anyone go with his reasons. Looks like he doesn't want to be 'the bad guy' and would like to pass the buck on. The Pahang MB can't be so naive as to expect those who had offered their votes for money to report themselves to the disciplinary committtee!

But then again there was this UMNO leader, who in the 70's, while contesting for a vice president post was offered vote enbloc if he was willing to buy them votes. Of course being the non-corrupt guy he was even then he said 'No'. And as a result he came out third in that vice presidency race then. This fact that 'money politics' was very much alive and kicking some 30 years ago in UMNO was revealed by none other than our former PM, the Tun. He had this to say in the course of the exclusive interview with the STAR, regarding corruption in UMNO ::

But usually corruption in Umno, I know, is giving money. There were people who came to me before I was elected vice-president (1975) and told me if I gave them money, they were prepared to give me a bloc vote.

I said it was all right. If I don’t win, I don’t win. That is why I very nearly lost as vice-president. I was number three, very far down.

Now it would have been great if the Tun had nipped things in the bud then and stopped 'money politics' in UMNO. We have no way to know for sure whether he did eventually expose or report those who offered him 'a bloc vote'. It looks like there were already such 'bloc vote syndicate' then! Maybe even then the Tun must have reasoned like the Pahang MB and said to himself ::

"I don't want to hurt the political career of my friends. If any Umno leader is caught for practising money politics, I don't want to get involved. Let the explanation come from other people, and not me."

So it looks like UMNO 'money politics' code is one of SILENCE :: No See, No Report, Just Silent Talk Kok. With such a code, anorganisation would still be harping on the same tune 30 years hence. This may also make us appreciate better why despite one year of Pak Lah's anti-corruption crusade, the Transparency International Corruption Perception Index (CPI) for Malaysia dropped by 0.2 points to 5.0 this year.

| ¶ 10/22/2004 11:45:00 AM

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