Can Pigs Fly?

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