Its Penang commissioner Muhammad Fauzi Yusof said the state government was confused and muddled in not signing the “ikrar bebas rasuah” (IBR) or corruption-free pledge.
He said the state apparently assumed that its policy with the slogan “Competency, Accountability, Transparency” (CAT) adopted in 2008 was a more effective way to deter graft and abuse of power than the pledge.
“It is as if the DAP is confirming the public’s suspicion about them (on corruption), and more disappointingly the refusal is like a signal that it would not come together with others in the war against the bad and reprehensible practice,” he said
“Is this because DAP has been infected with that (corruption) disease and is too embarrassed to make a commitment (in signing the pledge)?” he added in a statement last night.
Fauzi questioned why corruption “scandals” linked to the state were being exposed and investigated if the CAT principles were already in place.
On Saturday, MACC chief commissioner Dzulkifli Ahmad had expressed disappointment with Penang’s reluctance to sign the corruption-free pledge and make a commitment to combat the country’s number one enemy.
“We cannot force Penang to sign it. So we’ll just have to wait and see. But looking at the scenario, a lot of corruption-related reports had been lodged in Penang,” Dzulkifli added.
The PAS-led Kelantan government is expected to officially commit to the IBR pledge this week.
In a statement today, Penang’s Deputy Chief Minister II P Ramasamy said the state had no faith in the MACC, claiming that the agency had done little to address the menace of corruption.
He said the MACC was not free from political interference and would continue to be so for a long time to come. “Given this, why should Penang or Selangor or Kelantan take the corruption-free pledge seriously?” he said.
Fauzi said Penang should have agreed to sign it in line with national efforts to get rid of the scourge.
He said the DAP leadership’s harping about fighting kleptocracy was only rhetoric and it was now being viewed as a pretence.
“They should learn from PAS’ Kelantan government that has long ruled the state but in an open manner and without ever being faced with graft issues,” he said.
He said the CAT policy was only an eyewash and an apparent slogan, and that the DAP government did not have any revulsion towards corruption except in using it for political capital.
“But when they themselves are implicated, they do not feel that they are in the wrong, and instead they exempt and distance themselves (from accusations of wrongdoing),” he said.