PERSATUAN PATRIOT KEBANGSAAN : THE AZAM BAKI CONTROVERSY

PERSATUAN PATRIOT KEBANGSAAN (PPK) (NATIONAL PATRIOT ASSOCIATION) (ROS PPM-005-14-22052017)

PRESS STATEMENT Thursday, 13 January 2022

Why didn’t the Prime Minister make his move early to quell the Azam Baki controversy?

We wish to refer to FMT dated 12 January in which the MACC Commissioner Azam Baki was reported to have said that only the Agong could ask him to resign over the controversy relating to the acquisition of questionable number of shares held by him in a number of public listed companies, which he claimed belongs to his brother.

As a senior public servant appointed by the Agong, he should have known that to be bestowed the appointment as the MACC Commissioner comes with certain responsibilities that has to be honoured, and to show himself to be a person bearing the highest dignity, integrity, and that he is willing to undertake duties only to serve the nation loyally for King and country. Azam accepted the appointment under oath to serve the nation’s interest first. He must set aside any personal interest that he may have, and to avoid implicating himself with matters that will be in conflict with his avowed responsibilities and duties.

The question of one is innocent unless and until proven guilty has no more merit in this case as Azam himself did admit that the alleged shares belong to his brother who used Azam’s personal account. Even here he has broken the law which does not allow a third party to use one’s personal account to dabble in shares.

Therefore to now invoke the name of Agong to seemingly parachute himself from the controversy connotes a lack of maturity in his understanding of and reverence for the royal assent to his appointment. In no uncertain terms it borders on rudeness and shows disrespect to the revered office of His Majesty the King.

And by this very rude disposition towards the Palace, Azam has deemed his appointment untenable. Hence the only recourse is for Azam to resign. Any further attempt to stubbornly hold on to his appointment only makes a mockery of the Agong and implicates the high office of the MACC.

Patriot would like to remind Azam Baki that his actions and media statements as well as the subsequent statement by Abu Zahar to absolve him of his wrongdoing do not meet the eyes of the general public. The public sentiment registered in news media and going overdrive on social media clearly shows that there is an acute distrust in MACC. Azam’s case coming hot on the heels of the recent case of the RM 25 million which was in safe keeping at MACC and was reported stolen by a senior MACC official has compounded MACC with a paralyzing trust deficit.

Patriot therefore strongly believes that Ismail Sabri should have taken the right and immediate action in ensuring that Azam Baki either resigned voluntarily or went on garden leave in order to empower investigations to proceed unhindered.

The PM must be cognizant of the non-negotiable fact that an institution like this graft busting body, MACC, is not like any other Commission. As the ultimate power over our nation’s battle against corruption, it investigates irrespective of who the individual or organization is.

But when even MACC is implicated or alleged – and now stained by a stolen RM25 million in its safe keeping followed by the Commission’s Captain himself having admitted that the millions of ringgit of shares held under his name were the operatives of his brother, the PM’s lack of decisive action and immediacy has added to the damages upon the nation’s good name and leading to the showing of disrespect towards the Palace.

Patriot upholds patriotism to the letter. We believe that patriotism is the very cornerstone for building a resilient, progressive and successful nation. It is the duty and prerogative of the serving Prime Minister to ensure that patriotism is not trampled upon by those in office. Hence not calling for Azam’s resignation or at the least in ensuring that the implicated captain goes on legitimate leave in order to empower impartial investigations that are vital to redeem the good name of the anti-corruption Institution, rescue the falling public trust deficit in MACC and to safeguard the sanctity of the Constitutional Monarchy, is an attack on patriotism too.

Brigadier General Dato’ Mohd Arshad Raji (Rtd) President PERSATUAN PATRIOT KEBANGSAAN CONTACT : +60173588361