Get it done and over with
IT'S ironic to say the least. While it has been the practice of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to release information to the media on its activities including investigations, this burden seems to have fallen on the shoulders of the agency that is being investigated. Hence, it came as a surprise when the office of the tourism minister sent out statements to the media on the MACC's visit to its offices and the on-going investigations into the affairs of agencies under its purview. Although this newspaper was not on the list of recipients, the contents of the statement which were published elsewhere are telling indeed.
However, the minister's voluntary statement which included a call for the inquiry to be "conducted fairly without bias or assumptions" should be treated with some seriousness in that this can be read as an accusation that the MACC's actions may have been prejudiced by other factors. While the theory of innocent until proven guilty should always prevail, the minister went one step further by stating that "while no offence has occurred, the ministry and Tourism Malaysia will extend its cooperation…".
These two strong statements when read in totality give the impression there is fear that since there has been no wrong-doing, the investigations should not be sullied by other factors.
It would be wrong to accuse the MACC of going on a witch-hunt or looking for a needle in a haystack. This would be a fallacy because the MACC is in possession of information, including documents and independent audit reports, which have outlined the wrongdoings by certain parties in one or two agencies under the ministry's purview. Furthermore, the detention of a political aide to the minister and three others have fuelled speculation that all is not well in the ministry.
The onus is now on the MACC. The minister's statement seems to cast aspersions on the investigations. The commission will do its job without fear or favour, but it must close its files on an urgent basis and bring the wrongdoers to book so as to silence the doubting Thomases. Prolonging the issue will only lead to further and unnecessary speculation.
