MACC - Performing "Up" To Expectations!!

Haris Ibrahim has dropped a bombshell in the "envelope journalism" case in the recent KT bye-election. Just to recap, here's the skinny on the issue:

Several journalists who were in using the STATE Information Department’s Media Centre to cover the election were approached by a person who asked them to fill in a form. Each journalist was then given an envelope containing RM300. Several journalists returned the money and subsequently two journalists lodged reports with the KT police.

Couple of days later, the MACC declares that there will be no investigation on the issue with the reasons given as:
1) the reporters could not identify the giver.
2) most of the reporters did not vote so there was no motive for giving the money
The MACC also defended UMNO/BN and said that the opposition was lying.

Now here's Haris' bombshell:

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Funny, cos I was right behind both Shaua Fui and Wei See as they lodged their reports and I could have sworn that they named the officer who handed over the cash-filled envelope to each of them.

Here’s Wei See’s report.

See the name Jagjit Singh in the report?

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Now, the culprit has been identified. Obviously, he has a face to go with the name. How difficult is it to get this guy?

THE WHY THE HECK IS THERE STILL NO INVESTIGATION?!

Besides, the Information Ministry's denials of involvement rings hollow as this guy MUST have had permission to be at the media centre as it is normally a restricted area. So he's an AUTHORISED PERSONNEL, and he's giving out money. WHY? Well, that's a question that the MACC is obviously not interested to find out.

What else do you need, MACC? A video? Maybe not since Lingam and gang are still free as birds! Signed confession? Well, Mr P.I. Bala's case shows us the effectiveness of that!

Of course, we've always known all along what the MACC's REAL job is - to DEFEND the corrupted, right?! And they'll outright LIE to everyone to do it.

Really now! Abdullah's much-vaunted new and improved weapon to battle corruption - modelled after Hong Kong's ICAC konon? What an insult to them!

You want to take a leaf from Hong Kong's much feared ICAC? Here's how they REALLY did it:

1) Set up a completely new anti-corruption body.
2) Let it be answerable only to the highest authority in the land (in HK then, it was the Governor. In Malaysia's case it should be the YDP Agong).
3) Bring in a completely NEW DG who has no ties to the current regime. Give him absolute autonomy to initiate investigations and prosecute in court.
4) Staff it with all brand new officers, to be commissioned after a stringent recruitment and training process.
5) Through all this, resist, resist, resist any attempts to interfere with or influence the body.

They did all this at the height of official corruption in Hong Kong. In fact, the ICAC was the RESPONSE to HK's runaway corruption. None of the BN's lame "improve image" or "correct the public's perception" nonsense! It was all about ACTION AND RESULTS!

That's why the Hong Kong law enforcement agencies, judiciary and civil service are among the most respected in the world.

MACC? Methinks that the acronym should be given a new meaning - Malaysian @$$holes in Collusion with the Corrupted!

I Learned A New Phrase Today "Envelope Journalism"

Came across this interesting piece of news...

Malaysiakini reports:

Journalists given money

In another development, RM300 cash was distributed to more than a dozen journalists at the state information department’s media centre in Kuala Terengganu.

Journalists were asked to list their names, the organisation they worked for and telephone numbers on a blank piece of paper by a media centre staff before being given a white envelope containing six RM50 notes.

Four Malaysiakini journalists wrote their details on the paper without knowing about the money.

The four later returned the envelopes with a total of RM1,200 to the media centre staff. Several other journalists have done the same.

The media centre staff could not answer when quizzed about the source of the money.

At 6pm, two journalists from Chinese-language online news Merdeka Review lodged a police report on the matter at the Terengganu police headquarters.

Information Ministry denies role

Meanwhile, according to a Bernama report later in the day, the Information Ministry denied making any payment to journalists covering the by-election.

Information Minister’s press secretary Hisham Abdul Hamid said the ministry had never directed any of its officers to do such a thing.

“This has never been the practice of the Information Ministry,” he told Bernama.

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Doubtful as to its truth? How about this one from BERNAMA...

Info Ministry Denies Paying Journalists Covering By-election

KUALA TERENGGANU, Jan 16 (Bernama) -- The Information Ministry today denied making any payment to journalists covering the Kuala Terengganu parliamentary by-election, polling for which is tomorrow.

The press secretary to the Information Minister, Hisham Abdul Hamid, said the ministry had never directed any of its officers to do such a thing.

"This has never been the practice of the Information Ministry," he told Bernama here.

The Mandarin version of the Malaysiakini portal today reported that an Information Ministry officer had given envelopes containing money to journalists covering the by-election.

Meanwhile, two journalists of Merdekaview.com lodged a police report over an allegation that they had received a white envelope containing money from an officer serving at the media centre set up for the by-election.

The report was made at 7.13pm at the Kuala Terengganu district police headquarters.

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If even the govt-controlled news agency, there MUST be some truth in that, right?

Now...let's see what the much-vaunted MACC are we gonna do about it...