Can we now trust MACC?

The Opposition must not abandon its role as watchdog over MACC just because it is politically expedient to do so.

COMMENT

What a surprising turn of events. The Opposition and the MACC are on the same page, something few of us would have predicted even a week ago. The two have traditionally been enemies, with the tension between them peaking six years ago over the death of Teoh Beng Hock, aide to Selangor exco member Ean Yong Hian Wah.

Teoh died at the MACC office in Shah Alam, where he was being interrogated in connection with charges of corruption involving his boss. There followed years of controversy amid court hearings and an inquiry by a royal commission in search of the truth behind his death. Suspicious circumstances surrounding the death inspired a crusade against MACC that was led by the Opposition and Teoh’s family. To cut a long story short, the Malaysian public eventually found some solace in a Court of Appeal verdict that “a person or persons” were responsible for Beng Hock’s death.

This would not be the last or only time that the MACC and the Opposition would lock horns. In fact, just at the end of July DAP put the MACC on blast for allegedly attempting to cover up wrongdoing in the purchase of a Melbourne property by Mara.

Now, after the MACC itself has been raided over the ongoing investigation on 1MDB, the Opposition parties seem to have set aside their complaints to show support for the beleaguered watchdog after its Special Operations chief, Bahri Mohamad Zin, swore to find the alleged masterminds who ordered the arrest of his officers. Bahri’s speech was perhaps the tipping point in the Opposition’s decision to side with MACC, since he spoke of the masterminds as people with political powers.

Regardless of the current situation, our opposition parties must not ignore the MACC’s past behaviour. It has to remain as a point of consideration for opposition forces looking for allies. Not everyone in the MACC may have good intentions. As a watchdog of the commission, the Opposition cannot sacrifice the principles it claims to hold for the sake of political expediency. There shouldn’t be a rush for political leverage without first verifying that the MACC is going to pull out all the stops in investigating 1MDB.

Nonetheless, the raid on 1MDB does hint that someone in there is truly concerned with the pursuit of the truth, and securing an alliance early on could be key in uncovering the mystery that is 1MDB.

But what was Gobind Singh thinking when he called on the MACC to show the same zeal it used with Teoh Beng Hock in questioning the Prime Minister. He should be careful what he wishes for. While we want the answers now, Gobind would do well to remember that the same zeal is probably why Beng Hock does not stand among us today. The MACC must adhere to the law in this; we cannot justify sinking to the same level of the monsters we hunt for the sake of taking them down.

To reassure the rakyat, the MACC must wield the law like a weapon. The rakyat must see that the law still works, and that it is effective in fighting corruption. If it wants to prove its sincerity and its worth, then it must act without fear or favour, with the full force of the law. Meanwhile, the Opposition must exercise caution in dealing with the MACC until it proves that it can be trusted.