- Farah Salim
MACC is being used as political weapon, claims Guan Eng
4 March 2022
By Farah Salim
KUALA LUMPUR: DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) is being used as a political weapon after it classified the investigation into Bersatu president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin as "no further action" (NFA).
Muhyiddin who is also the former prime minister in an unconfirmed audio recording in 2020 allegedly told his party’s Supreme Leadership Council that he planned to attract Umno MPs by offering positions in the Cabinet and government-linked companies (GLCs) to join the party.
“The MACC's decision that there is no criminal element in the audio clip proves that the MACC has allowed themselves to become a political weapon in favour of government leaders over opposition leaders," he said in a statement.
In a written reply to Teo Nie Ching (PH-Kulai) on Wednesday, Law Minister Datuk Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said the MACC had completed its investigation into Muhyiddin and found "no element of wrongdoing" under MACC Act.
He said the investigation into Pasir Salak MP Datuk Tajuddin Abdul Rahman "found no evidence of abuse of power and corruption", with the case classified as NFA.
Tajuddin was arrested by the MACC on May 28 last year, two days after he was fired as chairman of Prasarana. He was later released on bail.
Earlier, it was reported that his detention was linked to the MACC's investigation into the appointment of his son-in-law at Prasarana.
"This may be the first time in the history of a Member of Parliament who was arrested by the MACC and later released without being charged in court," said Guan Eng.
He claimed that the MACC was "increasingly disappointing in terms of lack of consistency and commitment" in fighting corruption and this would result in the country's position in Transparency International's (TI) annual Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) deteriorating further.
Last January, TI-Malaysia said the country's ranking dropped five places to 62 out of 100 countries in TI's annual CPI.
The anti-corruption watchdog said the ranking was the lowest for Malaysia since its methodology was reviewed in 2012.
