NOT YET PM, BUT ZAHID ALREADY DEFENDING CRONYISM, NEPOTISM

It has been revealed yesterday that a company owned by Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Zahid Hamidi’s brother is currently negotiating with the Malaysian and Bangladeshi governments to provide an online system that would register and monitor 1.5 million Bangladeshi workers that the Federal Government recently announced will be brought in over the next three years.

Dato’ Abdul Hakim Hamidi’s company, Real Time Networking Sdn Bhd, is offering a package through which they would collect 60,000 takas (RM3,000) for each prospective worker who wishes to work in Malaysia. The proposed system would then act as an intermediary to link-up the databases of the various agencies, including the Immigration Department and the Manpower Department in Malaysia. More importantly, all recruitment agents would have no choice but to use the system in order to send workers to Malaysia.

According to documents sighted by news portal Malaysiakini, Real Time Networking had presented its proposal to the Malaysian Government through a letter dated 17 June 2015 to Zahid, which was then forwarded to the secretary-general of the Home Ministry, along with a handwritten note by the Home Minister.

When questioned about claims of nepotism, Hakim retorted by saying that “my brother is the minister but I am a businessman. It is a democratic country and I can do anything, other than be a drug pusher.” He then further laments that “Malaysians are very difficult. They say if my brother is a minister, I cannot do anything.”

Such a statement not only smacks of ignorance, it also makes a mockery of public accountability. The fact is that Hakim can do as much business as he wants to, so long as it does not involve any government agency or department that any of his direct family members have an interest in. As his brother is the Home Minister and the ultimate approving authority for all foreign workers in our country, there is no denying the glaring element of conflict of interest involved.

In a press release statement released yesterday evening, the Home Ministry has confirmed that Real Time Networking is among several local companies bidding for the project. The statement also clarified that Zahid Hamidi’s written note did not constitute an instruction or approval, and assured that the company’s proposal would be evaluated and considered by the ministry’s committee.

Such a nonchalant admission by the Home Ministry is shocking, to the say the least. They must take Malaysians for fools if they think that the obvious conflict of interest in this case can be simply glossed over by an assurance that they would evaluate the proposal by the Home Minister’s brother in a fair and objective manner.

In the interest of public accountability, the Home Ministry must immediately disqualify the bid by Real Time Networking. Additionally, Zahid Hamidi must come clean and clarify his role in the introduction of his brother’s company to the Home Ministry as well as the Bangladeshi authorities. If he has been found to violate ethical boundaries, then he should resign as Home Minister and Deputy Prime Minister.

Zahid Hamidi and the rest of the Federal Government would also do well to learn from the Penang State Government, which has since 2008 explicitly forbidden any family member of an elected representative from conducting any business dealings with the state.

Zairil Khir Johari

Member of Parliament for Bukit Bendera

DAP Assistant National Publicity Secretary