It may not be too
extreme to regard Prime Minister’s recent plea for former leaders to return their ill-gotten wealth as nothing more than a sandiwara (opera). It is a
nice thought. But do these leaders have any sense of responsibility? If they
did, they wouldn’t have indulged in an act to impoverish their motherland.
The very idea that
they suddenly feel a rush of guilt and transfer the money back to Malaysia is
nothing but fantasy. Further, these funds have been spent on private jets or
luxury real estate.
It is just “blame
the past”. It’s much easier to shift the focus to corrupt former leaders than
to admit and implement real, meaningful reforms. It may buy political goodwill
without actually solving anything. Even fancifully if some do return the loot, Malaysia
may still squander. What assurances do we have that the returned loot would be
managed any better this time around?
If anything, it
might just disappear into the same bureaucratic black hole where public funds
go. There’s no real guarantee that the rakyat would benefit from it – and more
likely – we’d be left wondering where it all went – again.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org
PM’s call also comes
with a layer of irony. Has anybody been charged for the RM9 billion littoral
combat ship (LCS) scandal?
If we’re dead
serious about preventing future corruption, the focus needs to be on
strengthening institutions, tightening oversight and implementing policies that
close off the avenues for financial misconduct. And more importantly have
people with proven integrity in places of power.
If we truly want to
move forward, we need to focus on building a system where corruption is no
longer possible, not just hoping that former crooks will do the right thing
after years of doing the opposite. Look at Singapore, a Minister goes to jail
for merely accepting tickets to a concert!
Reference:
PMX’s good intent
for past leaders to return the loot: Only if pigs could fly, Jonathan Liew, Focus Malaysia, 8 October 2024
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