TI-M president Akhbar Satar said in a statement that the charges levelled against former prime minister Najib Razak and his deputy Ahmad Zahid Hamidi were alarming.

He said from the charges, it would appear that both of them might not have been acting in the public’s interest and that they might have used their political power to shield themselves against investigation and prosecution.

As a long-term strategy, he said, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), Attorney-General’s Chambers, the police and the Auditor-General’s Department must be given full independence so that they can discharge their duties professionally and without fearing or acting in favour of any particular individual or party.

“The allocations and the appointments of the future chiefs of these institutions must be decided by the Parliament to avoid a repeat of similar corruption cases again involving senior politicians who use executive power to manipulate the judiciary and legislative branch for their own political interest.

“We must also recognise the importance of educating the citizens at large to come forward and to report any wrongdoing, and most importantly, the assurance of protection and confidentiality by the enforcement agencies must be guaranteed. “

He said the last general election showed that Malaysians could make informed choices, as they had brought down the previous government in their quest for honest politicians. They could, therefore, also show that politicians would no longer be allowed to abuse their powers.