CORRUPTION AT HIGH PLACES

Am I surprise that Hasbie Sattar, Political Secretary to Minister in PM Department, Nor Mohamed Yacob is being detained and grilled for having RM2 million cash in his possession, when the MACC raided an apartment where he was staying in Butterworth? My answer is NO, and I am not at all surprise. Hasbie is just unlucky that he is caught with the money, where many others like him are brilliant enough to have their ill-gotten wealth stashed in some inconspicuous places. I just wonder how many suit cases would one need to keep RM2 million, and throughout my entire life, I have yet to see that amount of hard cash. How fortunate Hasbie Sattar is; by just being a mediocre Political Secretary.

Being a Political Secretary, he is nothing more than just a ‘gate-keeper’ or a ‘toll-collector with little more than the power to influence, rather than the power to approve projects that comes under the purview of his minister. But yet the power to influence is sufficient enough to make him earn his fortune. One can now hazard a guess as to how much is a person worth, if he has the power to approve projects? Certainly, it is nothing less than what the gate-keeper gets. I am not implying that all ministers with the power to approve projects are corrupt, but this is the perception that people has when aides to ministers and politicians are found to be corrupt, and Hasbie Sattar has proven himself to be one.

The question that many will ask now is whether the minister is himself involved, or whether he has any knowledge on the activities of his Political Secretary? People ought to be forgiven if the perception is one that says that the minister is involved. I do not know how the minister will response to the dastardly act of his aide. Will he deny any knowledge, or will he accept certain responsibility and resign in grace? The latter is certainly the option that people would like to see, but from pass experiences, that option is the least that Malaysians will expect.

Now, the MACC has freed Khir Toyo of all allegations of corruption into the purchase of his palatial home. Toyo can now sleep in peace and enjoy the fruits of his labour. However, nothing is mentioned about Azalina Othman, the ex-minister of tourism? Is her case being thrown out too? There goes the high profile case where nothing seemed to stick when it involves people of high places. People in high places certainly have lots of ‘alibi’ to absolve them of any blame.

And I now begin to have doubts too, if I were to report an allegation of corrupt practice by some senior military officers. Someone has said to me that it is not worth being a whistle blower, because it is the whistle blower that will be grilled, not the alleged person being reported.

I seek the guidance of the Almighty to guide me to do the needful in my crusade against corruption.

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION