The director of the Centre to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4), Ahmad Farouk Musa said this was because the case had no direct link to DAP or any of its members.
The assemblywoman’s father, Keat Seong, has been accused of receiving bribes to help people obtain low-cost housing units in Penang. Yesterday, Penang DAP Chairman Chow Kon Yeow stated that Penang DAP would not be investigating Siew Khim over the controversy.
Speaking to FMT, Farouk said there was no “moral imperative” for DAP to launch an internal investigation.
He noted that Keat Seong had no direct association with DAP.
“If DAP decides to investigate, then it should be on whether he had used his influence over his daughter,” he said. “But to me, it is not morally imperative for DAP to launch an investigation unless, of course, there seems to be misuse of power by the state representative.”
Siew Khim has admitted that her 68-year-old father was one of those implicated in a secretly-taped video exposed by Penang Gerakan. It shows a man talking with a broker and a house buyer about settlement terms after a failed home purchase.
She has rejected allegations that her father solicited bribes from those seeking low-cost housing units, stating he had no power to influence the state government’s decisions on who should be given houses.
Farouk said if there should be any evidence of corruption, then it was under the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission’s (MACC) purview to carry out investigations.
MACC has already initiated investigations.
Meanwhile, MCA spokesman Ti Lian Ker told FMT that DAP leaders should not “whitewash” perceived corrupt practices, especially since it has been aggressively advocating zero corruption.
“Why is DAP so lenient with its own?” he said. “Its leaders should not simply dismiss any perceived corrupted practices without an investigation or query. This shows hypocrisy of the highest order.”
Ti said that when there were allegations of corrupt practices by BN leaders or their family members, the opposition demanded immediate action.
“When it involves their party leaders, however, there’s no call for a query, investigation or hearing.”