[UPDATED] In past, no action taken against graft because leaders gave no orders: Anwar

SHAH ALAM – The lack of action by past governments against cases of corruption is due to an absence of instruction by those in power, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today.

He said this differs from the approach taken by his government today, when he explicitly ordered enforcement agencies to leave no stone unturned in matters concerning graft.

However, he stressed that he has never directed authorities to probe into specific individuals and that enforcement and judiciary bodies must be independent from political interference.

“Some people questioned, why not before (action against corruption)? This is because leaders in the past had never given such instructions. The current leader, on the other hand, has ordered for all these bodies to act independently and transparently.

“Whoever ‘sakau’ (siphons), arrest them,” he said in his winding-up speech at PKR’s special congress here today.

“However, prosecution is done by the attorney-general. I don’t know which cases have a strong basis to be charged. And as for the sentencing, this is the duty of the judiciary. I won’t know the decision of the judges (beforehand).”

Recently, several Perikatan Nasional leaders, including coalition chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, have been slapped with various corruption charges over alleged wrongdoing committed during their time in federal power.

Opposition leaders and supporters have described these moves as political persecution aimed at tarnishing PN’s name ahead of the upcoming state elections.

Commenting further on the actions taken against those suspected of graft, Anwar, who is Pakatan Harapan chairman, expressed his bemusement at why some quarters continue to vehemently defend those involved.

“There is even a leader of an Islamist party defending, claiming the government is cruel. How? Do you even know about this case, what are the charges?” he said in reference to PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang.

“You are defending a party that siphoned RM200 million of public funds. What kind of Islam is this? I don’t understand.”

‘Ensuring open tender my proudest achievement’

Later in his speech, Anwar said his proudest achievement of his unity government is the requirement that all projects undergo a transparent open tender process.

He added that this would not have happened under previous governments.

“If you ask me what I’m proud about this unity government, it’s that we monitor our works and contracts in ministries, and ensure that everything abides by a clean tender process so that no siphoning of funds can happen.

“Can you imagine this happening in past administrations? To me, this is a huge success. We want to ensure no funds can be stolen.”

Despite this, Anwar noted that those in the opposition continue to accuse the government of committing betrayal and making false allegations.

However, he reiterated that he would never resort to such actions, as he had gone through similar betrayal in the past, ostensibly in reference to the legal persecution he endured in the past.

“I have gone through a difficult time, and I use this as a lesson and reminder to ensure there is no cruelty (by my government) against any leaders, including the opposition.

“But don’t look for excuses as though the opposition leaders cannot be charged at all.” – The Vibes, March 18, 2023