Sunday, March 04, 2007

Bos BPR, jika sehaluan sambung khidmat, jika tidak ...

Episod "rasuah" yang sedang hangat diperkata dan yang dikaitkan dengan Ketua Pengarah, Badan Pencegah Rasuah (BPR) Datuk Zulkipli Mat Noor sebenarnya bukan perkara baru. Ia disedari sebaik sahaja (mungkin lebih tepat sebelum) Zulkipli dilantik ke jawatan itu.

Perkara ini tidak diketahui umum dan para pegawai BPR sendiri mungkin tidak mahu menghebohkannya kerana dia adalah bos mereka. Ataupun mereka akur sahaja dengan keputusan kepimpinan politik melantik beliau.

Yang pasti, isu "kebersihan" Zulkipli diketahui oleh Jabatan Perdana Menteri dan oleh Menteri yang bertanggungjawab ke atas undang-undang dan oleh Timbalan PM ketika itu (Abdullah Badawi) dan oleh PM (Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad) sendiri.

Persoalannya, jika ia diketahui kenapa Zulkipli dilantik? Hanya Perdana Menteri yang mempunyai jawapannya (dalam kes ini Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad kerana dia dilantik semasa kepimpinan Tun).

Perlu disebutkan disini bahawa Zulkipli dilantik menggantikan Datuk Ahmad Zaki Husin, seorang pegawai kanan Jabatan Peguam Negara. Zulkipli merupakan pegawai kanan polis yang pertama menjawat jawatan itu.

Saya sempat berinteraksi dengan Datuk Ahmad Zaki semasa berkhidmat di Pejabat Menteri, JPM dan mendapati bahawa beliau adalah seorang Ketua Pengarah yang tidak bertolak ansur mengenai rasuah dan sedia mengambil tindakan ke atas sesiapa sahaja, termasuk menteri kabinet, pegawai-pegawai tinggi awam, orang kenamaan dan tokoh-tokoh korporat.

Saya percaya oleh kerana beliau bersikap tegas dan menyiasat "rasuah" di kalangan orang politik, maka khidmatnya tidak disambung selepas hanya dua tahun menjadi KP BPR. Beliau ditukarkan ke Lembaga Penasihat di JPM selaku Pengerusi.

Lain pula dengan penggantinya, Zulkipli, perkhidmatannya disambung sebanyak dua kali, pertama oleh Tun Mahathir dan kali kedua oleh Abdullah Badawi. Nampaknya Zulkipli adalah seorang Ketua Pengarah yang cukup hebat sehingga khidmatnya perlu disambung sebanyak dua kali.

Bagi saya, pertukaran Ahmad Zaki adalah satu keputusan "politik" yang silap kerana beliau adalah seorang pegawai yang cekap, beramanah dan tegas dalam menjalankan tugas. Beliau membuka beberapa kertas siasatan membabitkan "kes besar" termasuk ke atas tokoh politik dan tokoh korporat terkenal. Malangnya, khidmat beliau tidak disambung dan saya tidak tahu apa dah jadi dengan beberapa kes tertentu termasuk membabitkan ahli kabinet.

Saya masih ingat antara kes besar yang disiasat dan ada yang telah dikemukakan ke mahkamah membabitkan kes penipuan Lembaga Tabung Haji, kes bekas Ketua Setiausaha Kementerian Pembangunan Luar Bandar, kes Perwaja, kes salahguna wang Penerbangan Malaysia (tak tahu apa kesudahannya), kes penipuan bon PUNB dan kes Telekom Malaysia Bhd dan Mitsui and Co.

Kes-kes besar itu disiasat dan ada yang sempat diambil tindakan semasa Ahmad Zaki menerajui BPR. Sepatutnya, kerajaan harus berbangga dengan ketegasan seorang pegawai seperti Ahmad Zaki bukan menukarkannya selepas dua tahun. Tetapi, apa boleh buat, inilah cara pentadbiran di Malaysia.

Nah, sekarang apa dah jadi? Di mana integriti? Di mana harga diri? dan di mana hadhari?

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Pak Tuan Syed Imran,

Came to know Ahmad Zaki Husin personally when he was Perlis State Legal Advisor in the late 1980s. I was then a reporter in Kangar. Such a fine man and an examplary public servant whom I thought one day will be of better use to the government (even for the federal government) than just an ex-officio in the state assembly. His good attributes reminded me of him and it was such a waste that he his good work was cut down by the higher-ups far away from from the tiny-one-traffic-light-state-capital of this northern-most state.

There was a time when he was working on a rather "big case" in Perlis involving a state executive councillor who was a partner-in-crime of sort with a then deputy minister who both represented the parliament and the state respectively in the same Umno division. The case revolved around the questionable methods of allocating funds as well as what known today as insider trading, i.e. a piece of land earmarked for development and to be approved by the state exco has already been bought by the member of parliament many months before. It was not for just one case but there were three exactly and evidently this act of obscene and blatant breach of trust and dishonesty as well as corrupt practices were too big and too cumbersome to just be swept under the carpet. The state executive councillor had at one time served as the deputy minister's senior private secretary. Many years later, both of them helped out a small and budding restauranter who later grew into what is today as a famous nasi kandar joint situated near Hotel Nikko, Kuala Lumpur. I was told they both have strong interest in this company. The reciprocal favour started when the deputy minister was in charge of the issuance of foreign labors, a ministry which was dubbed as "a goldmine" then and perhaps still is today.

Anyway, back to Ahmad Zaki and while he was building a case against these "honorable" members of parliament and state assembly, he was told to go slow and was perhaps even persuaded to drop the case by the higher-ups in Kuala Lumpur while the top dog in the state who was obviously opposed to the duo, had wanted him to pursue. I left Perlis later not knowing the outcome of the case which was at one time became the talk of town. The only information I got later when I bumped into Ahmad Zaki who already been transfered to Kuala Lumpur (after serving in the same capacity in Penang) years later was that the case was classified as "NFA". It means no further action.

Pak Tuan, we need more of Ahmad Zakis but sadly they just don't come by everyday.

However, if we were to drive the roads around KL especially the outskirts, we cannot missed this famous road and building construction company's trademark of "Ahmad Zaki Resources Berhad, otherwise very well known as AZRB" who is a giant in the making. Unfortunately they both are not connected in anyway, maybe by coincidence of the similarity of the name. And AZRB is headquartered along Jalan Gombak (almost next to Federal Territory Puteri UMNO Headquarters) just after you passed by the Setapak Police Station when you are driving towards Gombak.

zaki tok tam
anakbukit, alor setar, kedah

Unknown said...

You are right, they are differen Ahmad Zaki. The Datuk Ahmad Zaki of the Legal Profession Service is one damn good officer. It is indeed too bad that he was "denied" to pursue what he was assigned to do so.

When he was ACA Director-General, morale of the staff were high. The ACA was much respected and cases were investigated without fear or favour but when it went to the prosecution stage, their hands were tied, political pressures (by the administration) has the final say.

Another good and no-nonsence legal service officer that was a victim of "political drama" was former Attorney-General Datuk Ainom (first lady AG) who was succeeded by the present AG Gany Patail. The reason given to the media for her "resignation" was "health". I can tell you that it was not the real reason.

Anonymous said...

Kadang2 orang bermasalah menjadi aset pemimpin jahat sebab segala kejahatannya di pegang buat menjadi hamba modern.

Nah, sekarang apa dah jadi?
Di mana integriti?
Di mana harga diri?
di mana hadhari?
Dr M dan Pak Lah kena jawab...

Anonymous said...

Pak Tuan Syed Imran,

Pretty sad that the country is dominated by the pribumi, and the cultrits are mainly the pribumi too.

Given the present government nculture running and vadministering the country, it will not take long for non-pribumi runs the Prime Minister and Finance Minister posts.

Maybe in 2020 year, it will happen. By then - Thumbs Up! to the pribumi for shooting at their own foot.

Another sad reality the nation has to encounter!

Unknown said...

The first two finance ministers were Chinese and they performed very well. Excellent. They managed the coffers strictly and they did not entertained hanky-panky at all.

Let us speak as Malaysians, please.

It is of no use if a son of the soil is appointed to a top post or given a big contract or project but he could not deliver or perform as expected.

Look at MAS as a good example. The airline nearly went kaput when it was privatised to a bumi crony of some one. Look at AirAsia - the envy of regional airlines including Singapore Airlines. Datuk Tony Fernandes is not a bumi but he is one hell of a Malaysian. We should be proud of him. So, let us speak as Malaysians.

Anonymous said...

Pak Tuan Syed Imran,

I was a bad reporter when writing my comment about Ahmad Zaki Husin and Ahmad Zaki Resources Berhad DID NOT even have the respect for you, a former editor (but journalist forever) to remind you that yours truly is also Zaki. Alamak, and sorry lah Pak Tuan. Well, thats what i am known in Anakbukit. A basic and simple 5-take story on zaki by zaki, relating to another zaki in this case. Pardon me, Mr News Editor!

Anyway, what i want to add is that it has been the norm of our leaders, irrespective of their position (be they politics, public or private) to dable in polimics and rhetorics rather than doing what is the most basic and honorable -- resign or at least take leave and doing it publicly to show that you are what you are -- not involved, ready to be investigated, welcomed investigation, no hidden skeleton in the closet to be afraid of and none whatsoever.

Taking leave of office does not mean you are guilty but by dwelling in rhetorics like "I am innocent...I welcome investigation and what not" does not make you looked clean in the first place. It sounds very fishy and most of the fishy stories in Malaysia were later found out to be a good catch, if you know what I mean lah. Its like what my kampung elders used to say "...toksah la dok tegak benang basah Ki ooi...hang buat lagu mana pon dia nanti herot". Ini relation to this, i would rather two outstanding names -- one in civil service and the other in executive to take leave of office and doing it professionally and publicly.

Take leave and let them check (harder word will be ransacked inside out and upside down) to look for clues, traces, signs or even evidences attributes of which will render either you are guilty or not. By doing so, you look very professional and upon investigation and confirmation that you are really clean, then only you could and should walk proud and say "Hey Brother..I am clean, these guys have cleared me and i am back in office which has been cleaned." This is a good practice of high-standing, honorable and respected as well as good-mannerism politicians or even public servant. And by so doing, you will gain more respect because there will no one to cast aspersions or doubt on you.

Sadly, this is alien to our country. And i dont have to wonder why lah...

zaki tok tam
anakbukit, alor setar, kedah

p.s. people want to know who is zaki tok tam...actually a kampung boy from Alor Setar (used to take a ride in UTC bus to Tanjung) who grew up to face all odds and can now proudly say that: "Been there, done that Bro...so please dont @&** with me!". Not all kampung boys are dungus, or like my kampung folks said DAOH! (which is actually an acronym coined by Anakbukitans like my elders for Dia Anak Orang Hulu). Maybe I am out of my kampung, but my kampungness is still in me lah so much so that i regularly refuse to say: "mamak kasi kuah dall" but i will always say: "hang boh Kuah Parpu tu...". And I will never call a Bangla, Indian Muslim or Melayu waiter/waitress "Boss" unlike some so-called city folks lah. Its always in my thick Kedah slang and its not my business(means you better find out because Kedah is a universal language in Malaysia) if you do not understand it. I am also among those who do not call curry "KARI" like most people, but "GULAI". Please do not underestimate the power of gulai for among the best and must-visit food outlets in Alor Setar is the Kedai Nasi Lemak Ali now located in Seberang Perak just after the bridge. Arwah Pak Ali was the owner and his son Dato' Siddque is one of the top 2 men in Wisma Putra!

So, Pak Tuan, never leave hom without a taste of gulai and I mean our real northern flavor lah. Please send my warm regards to TomPah...

Unknown said...

You complete my day. Time to masuk tidork. Tomorrow is another day. The next lunch - nasi with gulai and ikan rendang plus sambal belacan.