FEB 15 — The alleged 30 per cent “rebate” issue in Kedah has finally given Barisan Nasional an opportunity to attack Pakatan Rakyat.

However, a crisis might also turn into a turning point if it is handled well. In other words, if the state government is able to settle it nicely, it can help repair the damaged image. Otherwise, if they present only a scapegoat and leave the issue unsettled, it would set another bad record for the state government.

The Kedah Pakatan Rakyat should have learned a lesson from the exposure of BN’s weaknesses in crisis management, through the way it handles the National Feedlot Centre (NFC) scandal.

A personal assistant to Kedah state executive councillor Tan Chow Kang @ Tan Joo Long held a press conference on February 13 to strongly deny the allegations that he had asked for 30 per cent of “rebate money” from allocations given to Chinese associations in Kedah. However, Tan confirmed a few hours later that he has suspended the personal assistant from work, following an order from PKR vice-president Tian Chua.

Remli has been appointed as Tan’s personal assistant after the 2008 general election. In addition to allocations for Sidam, Remli also handled allocations for Bakar Arang, a constitutuncy adopted by Tan after its elected representative Tan Wei Shu quit the party. The total allocation of the two constituencies for last year was RM480,000, and 30 per cent should then be RM144,000.

Since Remli has firmly denied the allegations, the state government should then form a small group to transparently investigate the allegations and find out the involved officials, middlemen and contractors.

If the allegations are found to be true and the finding is supported by sufficient evidence, they should then lodge a report to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC). In addition to serving as a warning to others, it can also create a clean atmosphere for the state administration.

If the state government and Pakatan Rakyat can handle it without bias and introduce a more robust funding system, it can then gain a good reputation. It can also prove that Pakatan Rakyat respects the spirit of the rule of law, is able to act appropriately for righteousness and can do better than BN.

Excessive tolerance and the attitude of meddling over all these years have made law violations, including corruption, a culture.

For example, the 2006 misappropriation of public funds for urgent school repair projects in two Chinese primary schools in Muar District, where a RM 30,000 project allocation was found to have been spent for only RM3000 worth of work done, has changed the funding approach, whereby funds are directly deposited into the school board’s accounts. However, no one knows whether fund misappropriation has been curbed or not. Instead, almost everyone knows that government projects have many problems.

The pursuit of those responsible for the NFC scandal has also been relaxed. Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz thinks that it is not necessary for Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil to resign, but merely to compensate the government RM250 million. Could the responsibility for misappropriation of loans be shaken off just by making a compensation?

Meanwhile, the police wonder how foreign streetwalkers keep returning after being sent back to their original countries. Therefore, the police have demanded strict entry and exit controls. It reminds us of the release of eight immigration officials allegedly involved in human trafficking activities, after being detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA) in August last year. If they were charged in court, the culprits behind the scene could be found and the Immigration department could be rectified.

Pakatan Rakyat has been critical before this and it is now the time for it to demonstrate a good example. If it screws things up, it would then be the pot calling the kettle black! — mysinchew.com

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication. The Malaysian Insider does not endorse the view unless specified.