The Malaysian Insight

VOTERS should be fair to MCA as no leader from the party was charged with corruption after Barisan Nasional (BN) fell following the 14th general election, MCA president Wee Ka Siong said.

“Was there any MCA leader charged in court in 2018 (after the general election)?” Wee told The Malaysian Insight.

“Assess MCA’s performance. Were its leaders ever convicted? I think you can come up with your own answer when it’s compared with other political parties so be fair.

“When you say BN leaders are corrupt, then the guilty party has to face the music.”

“When you say BN leaders are corrupt, then the guilty party has to face the music.”

Without naming names, Wee took a dig at DAP, saying the party’s leader has been implicated in the “undersea tunnel” case in Penang.

DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng was charged with using his position as former chief minister to ask for a 10% cut of the profits from the project, and accepting RM3.3 million in kickbacks.

Lim was also charged with dishonestly misappropriating state land worth RM208 million to two companies.

The Ayer Hitam MP asked whether this is corruption.

Chinese voters may not support MCA due to its involvement with corrupt leaders, he added.

“Everyone has their own opinions. You can have 30 reasons why you do not want to support a party, and I respect that.”

Wee said the corruption charges against certain BN leaders have left the coalition in tatters, but added that they have all chosen to clear their names in court.

He said during the Pakatan Harapan (PH) administration, the then government had dropped several high-profile cases.

The PH government was hypocritical as it ignored the rule of law, which it promised to uphold when it took over federal power, he added.

“We (the current government) have not interfered in the judiciary. We respect the judicial process.”

The Kuala Lumpur High Court last month ordered Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to enter his defence on all 47 charges of corruption and misappropriation of funds from his charity foundation, Yayasan Akalbudi.

Zahid faces 27 money-laundering charges involving RM65 million, 12 counts of criminal breach of trust (CBT) involving RM31 million and eight counts of corruption involving RM21 million.

Najib Razak, another Umno leader, has already been convicted of corruption.

The High Court, on July 28, 2020, sentenced the former prime minister to 12 years’ jail and a RM210 million fine after finding him guilty of seven charges involving funds of SRC International Sdn Bhd.

The seven charges are three counts of CBT involving RM42 million, three counts of money-laundering and one count of abuse of power involving Retirement Fund’s RM4 billion loans to SRC International.

Najib filed an appeal against the ruling and sentence, which was rejected by the Court of Appeal.

Wee, who is transport minister, said leaders will come and go, but the party is here to stay.

“After so many years since the initial partnership of the coalition, the only constants are BN’s central ideology and the struggle of its political parties.

“The concept of advocating democracy and freedom, and the harmonious sharing of power among all ethnic groups originated from the coaliton.

“That is why we choose to go by the official channel and face everything calmly. The leaders respect judicial decisions and will clear the charges through the courts.” – February 3, 2022.