1. Kenyataan Menteri Komunikasi dan Mutimedia DS Salleh Keruak adalah amat mengecewakan umum. Menuntut supaya satu siasatan segera dan mendalam dibuat olih pihak Polis tentang kebocoran Laporan Ketua Audit Negara (AG) tentang 1-MDB, yang didedahkan Sarawak Report (SR) beberapa hari lalu, menyerlahkan sifat sebuah kerajaan yang terpisah dari rakyatnya dan sangat angkuh.

2. Sementara tumpuan rakyat mahukan campurtangan Majlis Raja-Raja bagi membolihkan Laporan AG itu didiklasifikasikan dari status dokumen Akta Rahsia Rasmi (OSA, 1972), supaya membolihkan pelbagai ‘pendedahan celaka’ (damning expose’) dari SR itu disahtentukan (verification), tumpuan tuntutan Salleh Keruak ternyata tersasar.

3. Menteri tersebut mungkin perlu diperingatkan bahawa OSA, antara lain, bertujuan untuk mengelakkan perlakuan jenayah dan bukan untuk melindungi jenayah. OSA bukan Akta atau Undang-undang untuk pertahankan atau menyimpan rahsia pihak yang salah khasnya bagi pemegang jawatan awam, samada untuk melindungi menteri hatta perdana menteri sendiri.

4. Persoalan yang dituntut rakyat ialah apakah perihal strategik atau keselamatan negara yang akan terjejas lalu perlu diletakkan Laporan AG tentang 1-MDB itu sebagai dokumen OSA?

5. Kalaulah Laporan Jawatankuasa Kira-Kira Awam Negara (PAC) tentang 1MDB yang dibentangkan di Parlimen lalu, sudah cukup sarat dengan pelbagai salah-laku, urusniaga kontroversi, pelanggaran pelbagai peraturan dan ketidakpatuhan tadbir-urus (governance), maka perihal pendedahan lebih detail tentang Laporan AG itu seperti didedahkan SR kini, pastinya lebih panas dan menjahanamkan (damning).

6. Maka apakah yang sebenar-benarnya dihebohkan dan digusarkan Salleh Keruak itu? Bukankah beliau sepatutnya turut menuntut pengurusan 1MDB untuk bertangungjawab tentang kehilangan dana sebanyak US$6.7bilion (RM26bilion) itu? Apakah maksud Salleh mempertikaikan tentang kedaulatan, integriti atau maruah wibawa negara yang terjejas akibat pendedahan Laporan SR itu?

7. Bukankah negara telah hilang wibawa dan maruah rakyat tercalar di kacamata masyarakat antarabangsa, sejak ‘skandal rompakan 1-MDB terdahsyat kurun ini’ atau “1-MDB: The Heist of the Century” mula-mula diberi tumpuan dan jolokan oleh media Barat seumpama “The New York Time” seawal Februari 2015 ?

8. Tidak ada jalan dan cara lebih baik untuk membaikpulih integriti dan kedaulatan negara di kacamata dunia, kecuali dengan menambahbaik fungsi institusi-institusi kritikal semak-imbang negara seperti SPRM, Parlimen, Judisiari-Peguam Negara dan badan-badan penguatkuasa seperti PDRM, BNM dan SPR.

9. Bagaimanakah mahu dibaikpulih integriti dan tahap kepercayaan kepada negara apabila tidak kurang dari 7 jurisdiksi atau undang-undang negara asing termasuk Switzerland, Singapore, the US, Hong Kong and the United Kingdom, sedang melakukan siasatan forensik terhadap pelbagai kegiatan jenayah kewangan termasuk pengubahan wang haram (money-laundering) dan pengsonglapan (embezzlement) 1-MDB?

10. Tegasnya, beberapa individu pengurusan tertinggi syarikat kewangan antarabangsa telah dipecat dan ada yang ditahan pihak berkuasa. Sebuah perbankan Swiss di Singapura, BSI Bank sedang berdepan rayuan ketika dikenakan tindakan penalti US$100 juta (RM400 juta) oleh pihak penguasa kewangan Switzerland (Finma) kerana terlibat dengan pelanggaran ‘akta anti-penggubahan wang haram’ dalam urusniaga bersabit 1-MDB.

11. Lalu rakyat menuntut diperjelaskan;

Apakah aspek keselamatan dan integriti negara yang mahu diselamatkan Salleh Keruak?

Atau lebih tepat lagi;

Siapakah yang mahu diselamatkan Salleh Keruak?

Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad
Pengarah Strategi,
Parti Amanah Negara
10 Julai 2016.

What national security is Salleh talking about?

July 9, 2016 (FMT)

Why is the minister so frantic about the leaked documents when he should be equally concerned and outraged by the colossal amount of public funds allegedly embezzled by top executives at 1MDB?

COMMENT

By Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad

1. The statement made by Communications and Multimedia Minister Salleh Said Keruak couldn’t come at a worse time. Pressing for an urgent and expeditious investigation by the Police, on the leaked Auditor-General’s report, smacks of a government that is aloof, oblivious and arrogant.

2. Coming close on the heel of the clarion call by the rakyat for the Rulers’ Conference to declassify the AG’s report, as to ascertain the authenticity and accuracy of Sarawak Report’s damning expose a few days ago, Salleh’s outburst is entirely misplaced, nay atrocious.

3. The minister does not require reminding that the Official Secret Act 1972 is supposed to help prevent crime and not to cover it up, much less justify the unjustifiable and defend the indefensible, on any abuse of power by any public office-bearers including ministers acting to protect themselves or even to protect a Prime Minister.

4. Arguably, one could ask; what critical strategic or national security risk is at stake in the issue of 1MDB? It has now come to be known to the entire nation, nay the entire world, after the presentation of the PAC Report to the Parliament, of investigation carried out by the Auditor-General’s Department of the many dubious, controversial breaches and some outrightly non-compliant transactions by 1MDB, ever since the first issuance of the Islamic Medium Term Note (IMTN) back in September 2009.

5. So why is the minister so frantic about the leaked document? Shouldn’t he be equally concerned and outraged by the colossal amount of public funds that has been embezzled by unscrupulous top executives of the 1MDB? What providence on integrity and sovereignty of the nation is he talking about?

6. The nation has indeed lost much of its goodwill and integrity in the eyes of the global community. The surest way to regain it back is to ensure that the critical institutions of the nation are again made vibrant and functional.

7. What do we expect of the perception among the international community, when at least seven jurisdictions including Switzerland, Singapore, the US, Hong Kong and the United Kingdom, are conducting forensic investigations into the MOF’s wholly-owned strategic fund, 1MDB.

8. Legal actions against top individuals in some financial companies globally, allegedly complicit to money-laundering and embezzlement activities, are already instituted.

9. Specifically, private Swiss bank BSI (Singapore) is now struggling to appeal against a 95 million Swiss franc (US$100 million) penalty issued by Switzerland’s financial regulator (Finma) over the lender’s ties to 1Malaysia Development Bhd and for breaking anti-money laundering rules which “severely harmed the reputation of the bank and its employees”.

9. So what is Salleh Keruak’s ultimate objectives after all? Which national security is he securing?

Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad is the Strategy Director of Parti Amanah Negara

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