GE 13: Pakatan’s Double-Standard Approach to Corruption

Pakatan Rakyat, which is headed by a man convicted of corruption while Deputy Prime Minister, is keen to let us know that they dislike corruption. "The war on corruption is at the centre of Pakatan Rakyat's struggle," their manifesto begins in its corruption section, which has the virtue of being one of the largest parts of the tract. Yet when confronted with real efforts to prosecute corruption, their response is to treat it unseriously.
The pattern is straightforward. When a Barisan Nasional politician or non-political business leader is investigated or even convicted, Pakatan claim it is a mere show. When a Pakatan politician is investigated, it is a sign that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) is a political tool that exists only to harass those noble heroes at Pakatan.
In the time since its re-organisation, the MACC's work has led to charges against and convictions of dozens of politicians and businessmen, including a former Menteri Besar and the husband of Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil. When faced with these enforcements of the law, Pakatan has responded by claiming that even convictions are merely for show.
Yet when Pakatan Rakyat leaders are even investigated, Pakatan claims that the MACC is transformed from a toothless tiger to a vicious persecutor of the inherently innocent. One year ago, Opposition blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin produced documents that suggested that the MACC's predecessor, the Anti-Corruption Agency, had overlooked corruption by PKR deputy president Azmin Ali while he was in Government.
When the MACC opened an investigation into this serious charge, PKR point man Rafizi Ramli attacked the MACC as a political tool, suggesting that Azmin is forever beyond reproach even though the allegations came from a man who lives in self-exile because of his pro-Opposition activities.
This remains true no matter the claim against Pakatan leaders. Allegations of corruption in the PAS government in Kedah, brought by Pakatan members there; allegations of shady deals with developers in Selangor and Penang, again brought by Opposition members; and a second look at the claim that Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim controlled bank accounts with up to RM3 billion in corruptly-taken funds – all of these are, of course, Umno plots.
It is apparently Pakatan's position that joining an Opposition party makes a man incapable of committing a crime. This reduces the battle against corruption to mere politics. If Pakatan truly believes that there is no more important political issue than corruption, then they should welcome MACC investigations of the powerful, regardless of their party.
Instead, they apply a double standard, a worrying sign for their alleged anti-corruption agenda should they win GE13.
Dr Chandra Muzaffar, founding member and former deputy president of PKR, attacked this mind-set earlier this year. The fight against corruption, he said, cannot be won by those who sweep aside their own failings.
As Pakatan makes its final push for Putrajaya this week, voters should ask: How can we believe you will really fight corruption when you live by a double standard?
For this, Pakatan Rakyat has no answer.