August 7, 2012
Arrest under BAFIA gives Rafizi Ramli national prominence, says Business Times, Singapore
Putrajaya’s move to charge Rafizi Ramli has only served to raise the PKR strategy chief’s public stature in the run-up to key national polls as it appears to run counter to the federal government’s pledge to combat corruption, a Singapore paper suggested today.
Rafizi was charged on August 1 with violating the Banking and Financial Institutions Act (BAFIA) in exposing confidential banking details related to National Feedlot Corporation Sdn Bhd (NFCorp), in a case that has put whistleblower protection laws under greater scrutiny.
“Transparency International Malaysia has urged for whistleblowers to be protected as they ‘put themselves at great risk to their livelihood and career and also to their work, family and community relationships’,” Singapore’s Business Times reported today.
The anti-graft watchdog has stressed that public perception of selective prosecution would prove damaging to Malaysia’s enforcement agencies in the fight against corruption, as well as being inconsistent with the purpose of the Whistleblower Protection Act 2010 despite Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s denial of double standards, the paper reported.
The paper highlighted the different treatment the authorities accorded Rafizi when they handcuffed him during a pre-dawn arrest at his home before taking him to court and the man whose company he had exposed for alleged corruption in a RM250 million cattle farming scandal, NFCorp chairman Datuk Seri Mohd Salleh Ismail, who was left uncuffed to walk into court.
“Already, the prosecution of Mr Rafizi has only served to raise his stature in the eyes of the public,” the paper said in its article titled “Govt may be making the wrong move in charging Rafizi” published today.
Apart from his NFCorp expose, Rafizi has gained additional prominence after he went public with confidential Treasury documents showing an allegedly less-qualified consortium led by engineering firm George Kent, which he has linked to Najib, weeks before the government announced it as the winning bid for a lucrative RM1 billion rail expansion project in the Klang Valley.
Rafizi has also accused Najib of interfering in the bidding process by 
awarding the contract to Tan Sri Tan Kay Hock (right), a close associate who owns George Kent.
The paper noted that Rafizi’s role in exposing financial mismanagement in companies linked to the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) government has raised his profile as among the young up-and-coming politicians in the opposition Pakatan Rakyat (PR) pact that could see a regime change in Malaysia for the first time since the nation gained independence 55 years ago.
“Should the 35-year-old accountant be fielded in the coming general election, he is expected to be a formidable opponent,” the paper said.
Rafizi has told The Malaysian Insider that despite the legal hurdles he will continue his revelations on alleged corruption in the government.He faces two court charges for his exposes that could land him in jail and set him back millions of ringgit and a shot at a Parliament seat.
–http://www.themalaysianinsider.com, August 6, 2012
This is a major political blunder for UMNO-BN and a significant dint on Najib’s reputation. The Prime Minister should have stayed out of the bidding process. Given his wide commercial experience and extensive business network, Tan Sri Tan Kay Hock would have chosen credible consortium partners for the project. Like everyone else, the George Kent chief deserves a chance to submit a bid for evaluation. His friendship with the Prime Minister should not disqualify him. Any views, guys? –Din Merican
All these ‘ill conceived’ prosecutions have made rock stars out of a former head of the country’s commercial crime division ( a lucrative position) and a corporate lawyer representing the rich and politically connected until his fall from Grace.
Rafizi charged for breach of the banking secrecy laws made to protect the powerful and corrupt is set to be the next rock star.
“Apart from his NFCorp expose, Rafizi has gained additional prominence after he went public with confidential Treasury documents showing an allegedly less-qualified consortium led by engineering firm George Kent, which he has linked to Najib, weeks before the government announced it as the winning bid for a lucrative RM1 billion rail expansion project in the Klang Valley.”
Shouldn’t he be charged then under the Official Secrets Act? Any legal eagles in da room?? I’m tired of hearing my own voice. The only other legal eagle is busy riding Sir Lancelot to have time to put all ten fingers to keyboard.
I believed the PM has fallen for the bait laid down by PR. He is in a no win and sticky situation now, as far as perception is concern.
What Rafizi did is definitely wrong as far as BAFIA is concern, in my opinion, he is sacrificing himself to achieve a bigger objective, and now we just have to wait and see if he will also charged under OSA also.
By right, the George Kent chief does deserves a chance to submit a bid for evaluation and his friendship with Najib should not ideally disqualify him.
But we are not living in an ideal Malaysia, but one where shady deals are exposed all too frequently, only to be met with daring denials, foot-dragging by certain government agencies and other delays and “mysterious procedural snafus”, shall we say.
Just look at the NFC fiasco. Shahrizat testified in court yesterday that she was not aware that her husband had sub,itted a bid to operate the NFC! And while Rafizi and Zuraida are facing dire penalties, much of the RM250 million is still floating about in the hands of Shahrizat’s family.
I’d say that the maxim of “not only being clean, but to be seen to be clean” applies to dealings involving Najib if he still wants to have any hope of folks giving him any credibility given his “You help me, I help you” track record.
Which means that deals involving his friends and cronies must stand up to the closest of scrutiny.
That said, I must mention in passing that Rafizi is certianly someone who gives me hope for a better tomorrow. Capable, courageous and steadfast in the face of all the threats and taunts (I cannot forget Shahrizat’s “jambu”!) hurled at him.
You don’t ask a plumber to be a house builder. George Kent is a plumber. Do you trust a plumber to build a mass rapid transit system? Korek longkang boleh lah.
I believe Rafizi Ramli knew they would throw the books at him sooner or later. After the expose of the George Kent LRT Tender fiasco, it was only a matter of when the guy in the hot seat would blink and what a crazy move to throw the BAFIA book the day before announcement of the LRT award to George Kent! That must have been a rash move in a moment of panic and desperation… and he wants to build a nuclear power station???
orang malaya,
thats why we are called 1Malaysia Boleh
the Germans call the US as ‘Land der unbegrenzte Möglichkeiten’ ( Land of unlimited opportunities).
malaysia has REALLY unlimited opportunities but our current leaders have LIMITED brain capacities. therefore there are no opportunities for normal people.
a plumber can’t build a MRT so he’ll subcontract it to a bumi(umno crony) who is also not capable so he’ll look for a pendatang to do the job. if the pendatang does it for 500mio, the bumi company will bill the plumber 800mio and the plumber in turn gets 1billion from the taxpayer. thats how work is done in 1malaysia boleh.
George the plumber? Look at what happened to Joe the Plumber. He got pummelled.
“Just look at the NFC fiasco. Shahrizat testified in court yesterday that she was not aware that her husband had submitted a bid to operate the NFC” — KTWong(born in ’87)
This is WTF moment that our didi had repeatedly been referring to. But holy crap, holy moly, holy cow !! That did it for me. I’m gonna go get her teats with my chain saw.
You put her on the stand and she lied. Which holy book did she use? The Holy Bible? How many have tried to get a hand on the book used. Or is there one used in Malaysian courts? You just raise your hand? But you don’t know where her hand has been. Talk to Kathy she’ll tell you. She was caught putting her hand in the cookie jar and you asked her if she did??
I’d agree with didi. It is one of those WTF moments but reserved for the counsel asking the question. If it is on a collateral matter, and happens in the cross, you are left with more than just a bad taste in your mouth. You’re left with whatever answer the witness gives.
In this case the question was asked examination in chief during preliminary hearing, and prosecution apparently is laying the foundation for an impeachment during the trial proper. Well, counsel, you don’t have to lay no foundation (as we say over here). This woman lied through her teeth and in between her tits during her magistrate days so a judge could get on top of her.
Gimme a break. WTF !!
George Can’t of 1 Malaise you mean Reeper?.
No wonder the monorail wheel came off and hit an innocent bystander way back when they were building it. 3 LRT system on 3 different lines in KL. Should have been seamless but no in 1 Malaise one system has a driver, another is driverless and then you have a monorail that is packed like sardines and require conducters to tell passengers to “masuk belakang” during peak times.
“Masuk Belakang”?? That is a job for Bendover Singh. Twelve of them got massacred by a white Supremacist.
The time lag between posting and readers getting to see your posting and their responses has resulted in distortions, Dato. I think you already know that. It is like coitus interruptus.