October 26, 2012
Phang on Musagate
by Hafiz Yatim (10-25-12) @http://www.malaysiakini.com
Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and his government will be setting an unusual precedent if there is no transparency coming forth on the RM40 million channelled to Sabah UMNO.
Such a pitfall, if not sanely tackled, will be perceived as the Prime Minister condoning such acts, says former Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Adviser Robert Phang.
“It means that if a person is caught (channelling) the funds, it would be deemed a political contribution, and if he is not caught, then it would be considered as ‘sendirian berhad’ (your own),” Phang said, mockingly.
“This will put a damper on the government’s fight against corruption and bring the Government Transformation Programme to naught if this is not done transparently. It will set a bad precedent and will be dangerous for BN to allow this.”
During the International Association of Anti-Corruption Authorities (IAACA) conference, the issue of political contributions was raised and the panel agreed that it can be considered as corruption if it was not done in a transparent manner.
Yesterday, former UMNO supreme council member and present Independent MP Lajim Ukin said he never knew Sabah UMNO had so much money.
Phang (right), who is also Social Just Care chairperson, then trained his 
sights on the Prime Minister’s advisers and Attorney-General Abdul Gani Patail, who also hails from Sabah, for possibly ill-advising Najib Abdul Razak.
He said they must surely be advising Najib in dealing with the RM40 million political donation issue, and felt that Prime Minister had been grossly ill-advised in the whole affair.
Phang called on Najib to seriously look at the adverse effects of the situation and the subtle messages it implied.
“Gani should also be advising Najib in terms of the law with regard to this… the rakyat will perceive that this is being condoned,” he said, adding this would reflect badly on BN. Phang said such nonsense should stop.
‘Somebody is not telling the truth’
Phang also said the contrasting nature in the de facto Law Minister’s explanation on which agency cleared Musa – whether it was the MACC or Hong Kong’s Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) – raised further questions.
Somebody, he believed, did not get the facts right before speaking to Parliament on the issue.
“Somebody is not telling the truth and the controversy definitely invites further sparks, as well as a need to re-look at the structure of the MACC.There is no independence in the MACC investigations as Abdul Razak Musa, (head of legal and prosecution in MACC) and Anthony Kevin Morais are representatives of the Attorney-General’s Chambers. The two not only monitor, but they advise directly and interfere in the investigations as they did when the MACC investigated me,” said Phang.
On a macro level, he said, MACC seemed all right but at the micro level, there were problems.
Phang, is fully aware of the MACC investigating procedures, still believes the MACC has not completed its probe into the RM40 million, judging from the explanation given by its deputy chief commissioner (operations) Mohd Shukri Abdull’s (left) earlier this month.
Shukri had on October 5 said the operations evaluation panel of the MACC had instructed MACC, after it reported having completed its probe, to investigate further on Musa.
“I believe in Shukri saying it (the investigations) are not completed yet. I feel sorry that the Prime Minster may be misled or has been given the wrong advice. Who is Nazri Abdul Aziz to clear Musa?” Phang asked.
Oh, NO, not this silly Phang again. Bean, please sock it to him. When is he going to realise that he is making a greater fool of himself. Forever, seeking cheap publicity. Bodoh punya orang.
Oct 5 said its not complete, two weeks later complete…What happened in the two weeks?
I give up. The bloghost should send his sidekick Bendover Singh to work him from the rear as Jaswant works him from the other end. If Silly Phang wants to be the new Deep Throat it is his constitutional right.
Former MACC Adviser, a strongman aganist corruption says that RM40 million must be investigated with transparency and it seems all linked up to say that money donated from overseas as political fund for Sabah UMNO. We must base on logic that no donors will ever allow sum of such magnitude in cash to be smuggled from Hongkong to malaysia. It was that Singapore $16 million that was held up in Hongking by ICAC for three years ago. As usual, our cocky Minister was fast enough to defend ‘LEGAL’ before invesigation was done. The people believe that SOROS would not have parted to any country of such money in cash as an philanthropist to a runner like Michael Chia. Is banking systems not available in Hongkong….famous for world’s local bank everywhere.
C’monlah Gurdashan Singh… don’t slam people just based on the simple fact you don’t like him or whatever but based on what he does. Would you have the balls to reveal your real self and stand up against MACC or UMNO or the risk being sued left right and centre or even thrown into a slammer for doing what Robert Phang is doing? If not please do not open your mouth and say things for the sake of condemning another human being and let him have his say… Just calling another human being bodoh – do you think you are that clever?
Allegations of corruptions again. Tan Sri Robert Phang is being diplomatic but responsible in his remarks. The BN government should take note of what he said. Corruption is still corruption irrespective of how it is clothed.
Najib is the main culprit. Look at the submarine case, mongolian case, mas case, currency speculation case, taib case,,.etc…he condoned all! Where is the justice? Where is the rule of law? Where is the transparency? Umno is supreme!
Gurda singh. Phang is not stupid. He talks sense. It is MACC that is not doing their job to really investigate the corrupt practice involving RM 40 million so called donation.
Phang is not a stupid fool but rather you are the stupid Singh.
Gurda..Singh, it is Phang’s right to speak his mind, if you don’t like then don’t read. One Minister is sentenced to ten months (suspended sentence) and 10,000€ fine for false declaration of a ten thousand euro donation, yesterday!
MACC has become a tool of the ruling coalition and its cronies.
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That Minister is in Europe, not Malaysia. Here, the MACC covers up for them. I am surprised you don’t see the difference. Yes, Phang has the right to speak his mind and that is why I give him space on this blog.–Din Merican
I believe that there is nothing “silly” about Phang in making noise about the issue of the RM40 million worth of “political donation or kickback” in cold hard cash. He is just pointing out what most thinking people think about the explanations given by Ajibgor and Nazri. He is like the little boy who told the emperor about the “new cloth” that the emperor was putting “on”. Perhaps he is naive to say that Ahjibgor has been ill advised by someone else. For Ajibgor knows very well what the “donation” in cash is all about. At one time the ministry helmed by Ajibgor has seen money several times more has been given to a local “consultant” as “commission” by the foreign supplier over deal of ocean going vessels. What ever the names, donation, commission, consultation fees, or “tendangan-balik”, they all smell shit. Ajibgor has to find a way out for the musang when he was caught with his hand in the candy jar. The musang is holding a big portion of their “fixed deposit” which is precarious in the coming GE13. Any wrong moves would mean the loss of the deposit. On a different note, who would want to take so much risks in transferring ( read smuggling ) such a large amount of cash jetting around crossing ocean and subjecting to risk of customary scrutiny, and possible absconding of the courier or mule, or being robbed, or being stolen, or…….., if the money is really legitimate donation that can be easily done through the normal banking procedure?
Nobody is saying Silly Phang should be denied his constitutional right to free speech. He had all the free speech he needed when he was with MACC as its advisor. But he chose to cut and make a run for the exit when push comes to shove. We are fed up with his antics. Now that he is out of MACC threatened with alleged corruption himself, he takes to the bully pulpit to preach.
This too is the free speech right of our brother Gurdashan Singh, a relatve of the bloghost, who is expressing his frustration.
Silly Phang has lost all credibility – and as a civil society advocate credibility is everything. Kudos to the bloghost for featuring Silly Phang in his columns because everytime he does that our Sikh brothers led by Bendover Singh, Gurubachan Singh, Goolbatok Singh and now Gurdashan Singh will lead from behind to expose Silly Phang for the coward he has always been. Silly Phang needs a dressing down and his silly antics will help keep his pants down to his ankles.
“Allegations of corruptions again. Tan Sri Robert Phang is being diplomatic but responsible in his remarks. The BN government should take note of what he said.” — Hussin
Yeah right. Like Cabinet Ministers led by the Prime Ministier making a bee line to the nearest police station to report themseves as being corrupt and turn themselves in.
Allegations of corruption again?? Do you think corruption will cease with a Pakatan government? Corruption is the corollary of power. Where power resides you find corruption. The fight against corruption has no end.
Corruption at the highest levels of government must be sought, identififed and exposed. As victims we must never rest until they are brought to face justice for their betrayal of public trust and made to account for all their ill-gotten gains.
And we can only do that if we work together to bring back the rule of law and put the fear of God in would be perpetrators of this heinous crime against society.
Unfortunately with Silly Phang as messenger, the message tends to get lost among all the noise he has made while exiting MACC and is making since as brick bats are thrown at him not for the ideals and principles he claims to be fighting for but for abandoning his supporters in the hour of need.
Looks like Mr Bean is shooting at the messenger and ignoring the message. I always thought he was a lawyer of some standing in NY but I guess this thread exposed people’s weaknesses….
Silly Phang had the bull by the horns when he was on MACC’s advisory panel. Instead he chose to make a run for the exit. The result? The bull had him on its horns for a full five minutes and ripped open his pants to expose to the world all he had to offer. There wasn’t much that was on offer. Now retired and without a platform he has taken to the bully pulpit.
It is too little too late for this old matador.
Don’t expect any genuine information on the RM40 million smuggled to Sabah for UMNO. Those snakes speak the same language coming out from the same den and nothing will happen that can be guaranteed of this large sum of money. Check up whether the money have been transferred to Sabah UMNO bank account that will give an indication of such act.
both the bean and gurdashan singh are just being childish and self centred. come forth and write something constructive rather than criticising all the time thinking you are high and mighty hiding behind some sillier character’s name .
Robert Phang is doing his country a service when he pointed out the wrong-doings in the country. He has every right to comment the corruption in the country and afterall he was a former member of the MACC advisory board. By his so doing, he hoped to improve the governance in the government and the better good of the nation.
It is Singh’s right to comment but not to label another person as stupid.
It takes a stupid person to call another stupid.
Fylam –
Agreed & fair comment.
Give opinions, no matter how ridiculous they seem to others but no need for labelling.