Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
| Posted: 15 Oct 2012 03:24 PM PDT
Many questions have been raised after Sabah Umno was alleged to have received RM40 million in political donations. If the Sabah Umno had received the money through a proper way, why was the money brought into the country in cash, instead of being transferred directly into the account? If it was a legitimate donation, why was the businessman carrying the large sum of money detained in Hong Kong? Lim Sue Goan, Mysinchew It will certainly be favourable to BN if the next general election can be held soon as even MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek has said that there are signs showing the return of Chinese votes, while the support rates of Malay and Indian voters are very satisfactory. In politics, however, even one day can be too long, let alone the election which might be held early next year. To maintain the advantageous position as mentioned by Chua, BN must prevent suspicious incidents before the election. Unfortunately, BN is unable to curb the occurrence of such incidents. Many questions have been raised after Sabah Umno was alleged to have received RM40 million in political donations. If the Sabah Umno had received the money through a proper way, why was the money brought into the country in cash, instead of being transferred directly into the account? If it was a legitimate donation, why was the businessman carrying the large sum of money detained in Hong Kong? To prevent money laundering, many countries, including Malaysia, impose cash limit for foreign travellers. Had the businessman obtained an approval to bring in the large sum of money into Sabah? If yes, from whom did he get the approval? Umno refused to disclose the source of the donation. That being the case, how can it accuse non-governmental organisations of receiving foreign funds? The ruling coalition has even failed to show transparency. The issue might evolve into a political issue in Sabah as it is the poorest state in the country and the issue could trigger unhappiness among the poor. According to the latest poll, Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman's approval rate has dropped by 15 per cent to 45 per cent. A further decline might become a threat to the BN regime. The government should introduce legislation to control political donations to avoid the inflow of unknown funds and corrupt practices. The control over political donations is also crucial to show the credibility of the government and political transformation. Once the perception of not being fully committed to curb corruption is deep-rooted, it will be difficult for BN to fight for votes from swing voters. BN should also be concerned about the people's perception as ill-feelings can hardly be eliminated. For example, Malacca Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam spent RM600,000 for his son's wedding and many people are not able to save such an amount of money even if they worked very hard until the day they retire. The Automated Enforcement System (AES) also lacks transparency, causing its good points to be neglected. People are more interested in knowing the background of the two contracted companies and what kind of benefits they can get. Could it be RM700 million as claimed by the alternative coalition? Some people have questioned the technology of the AES and whether the system has made things difficult for motorists. For example, the fine limit for speeding is RM300, which must be paid within two months without discount. According to the Road Transport Act 1987, a discount at different rates should be given to people based on the traffic rules they have violated. Does this mean that the AES has violated the law? Some people have also raise a question over the accuracy of the AES since it has not been appraised by any authoritative independent groups or experts. Motorists who receive AES summonses can only appeal to the courts. It is unreasonable, including for those whose vehicle registration numbers have been faked. It takes time to settle in courts and motorists will have to take leave to do so. Have the officials involved tried to put themselves in the public's shoes? There is nothing as a sure win before the election is held and the situation could change at any time. Therefore, BN still needs to be cautious.
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