I DO not normally give myself over to histrionics but what is happening in Cameron Highlands is nothing short of what is referred to in anti-corruption circles as “state capture”.
In this example, it is the handiwork of influential members of the administrative elite in a cosy partnership with powerful, almost always, titled gangsters controlling illegal logging and the highly lucrative farming for export business. Illegal land clearing for farming, whether privately owned, or worse, government land, can apparently be carried out with impunity under the protection of the authorities.
According to the New Straits Times of Nov 11, the Pahang State Secretary Datuk Seri Muhamad Sufian Ismail had admitted, a little too late I fear, that the Pahang government, of which he is the professional head, “did not do enough to nab those responsible for illegal land clearing in Cameron Highlands”.
I commend him for his honesty as it is untypical of a senior civil servant in Malaysia to admit dereliction of duty. To bring this unhappy episode to an honourable closure, he should do the even more honourable thing by resigning. On his own admission, he had let the service and the people down. Leadership is about taking responsibility, and that really sums up duty in the public interest.
The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission must share in the failure of preventing the massive illegal logging and land clearing. With all the resources at their disposal, did they not know what was going on in Pahang?
I am reminded of a certain proverb which seems a perfect fit for our law enforcement agencies: “There are none so blind as those who will not see”.
I suppose this typifies the Malaysian “close one eye” attitude towards corrupt practices in public life. We deserve to live with the effects of corruption because we, as a society, do not feel sufficiently outraged to confront this debilitating social disease decisively.
It is our fight, too important and critical, to be left to the politicians and their ilk to take ownership.
It is not much use running around like the proverbial headless chicken after the event.
The same criticism applies to the Immigration Department. Its officers must have known about the presence of large numbers of illegal workers.
Why have they allowed the situation to develop to such a state that it has gone out of control? When on the rare occasion they do us a favour by mounting an operation against illegal foreign workers, it is, judging by the rate of success, a total waste of taxpayers’ money. Why can’t these enforcement operations be carried out on a sustained basis?
We need a Royal Commission of Inquiry, not so much into the Cameron Highlands disaster, but also into the state of corruption in our country.
Corruption has become systemic, and no time is like the present to deal with this dangerous national disease.
Tunku Abdul Aziz, Kuala Lumpur