
[ENGLISH VERSION BELOW] Gabungan Pilihan Raya Bersih dan Adil (BERSIH) dan pertubuhan masyarakat sivil (CSO) serta NGO menggesa Perdana Menteri Anwar Ibrahim dan Peguam Negara Ahmad Terrirudin untuk membiarkan badan kehakiman memproses kes-kes ahli politik yang didakwa dengan korupsi tanpa peguam negara menggunakan kuasa budi bicara beliau di bawah Perkara 145(3) Perlembagaan Persekutuan untuk menghentikan sebarang perbicaraan mahkamah.
Pelepasan tanpa pembebasan untuk Timbalan PM Zahid Hamidi bersabit kes Yayasan Akalbudi pada 4 September adalah contoh kuasa budi bicara peguam negara, yang juga merupakan pendakwa raya, di bawah undang-undang semasa. Selain daripada kes Zahid, terdapat beberapa lagi kes korupsi pada masa lalu yang melibatkan ahli politik atau individu yang berkaitan dengan mereka yang dilepaskan tanpa dibebaskan atau dibebaskan sepenuhnya.
Perkara ini biasa terjadi selepas pertukaran kerajaan dan mesej yang sedang dihantar adalah ketakbersalahan seseorang adalah bergantung kepada kuasa yang dimilikinya. Hal ini tidak boleh dibiarkan berterusan. Peguam negara tidak sepatutnya memegang jawatan pendakwa raya, dan reformasi untuk memisahkan pedakwa raya daripada peguam negara perlu dilaksanakan agar jawatan pendakwa raya benar-benar bebas daripada campur tangan politik.
Memandangkan peguam negara adalah lantikan PM dan mempunyai kuasa yang luas untuk menarik semula kes jenayah seperti dalam kes perlepasan tanpa pembebasan Zahid, kami dan rakyat Malaysia sangat khuatir perjalanan tiga lagi kes Najib Razak bersabit 1MDB dan cukai pendapatan, serta kes RM7.1 juta oleh isteri beliau, Rosmah Mansor, berkaitan penggubahan wang haram dan pengelakan cukai. Adakah bekas PM dan isterinya akan dibebaskan sedemikian rupa daripada pendakwaan korupsi mereka dan adakah dalam kes Najib, akan membuka jalan kepada pengampunan beliau dalam kes SRC?
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Sekiranya Najib dan Rosmah boleh dibebaskan, seolah-olah mereka adalah mangsa pendakwaan terpilih selepas jenayah skandal 1MDB yang menyebabkan kewangan negara hampir roboh, Malaysia akan muncul semula sebagai ekonomi paria tanpa kedaulatan undang-undang dan boleh menyebabkan pelabur asing lari. Tujuh misi sasaran dalam kerangka “ekonomi Madani” hanya akan jadi angan-angan kosong.
Ratusan ribu rakyat Malaysia telah turun ke jalan untuk berhimpun secara aman semasa Bersih 4 dan 5 pada 2015 dan 2016 mendesak reformasi institusi dan akauntabiliti selepas pendedahan skandal 1MBD. Hal ini telah menyumbang kepada kejatuhan kerajaan Barisan Nasional di dalam pilihan raya umum 2018, yang membatalkan impuniti terpilih kepada Najib, Zahid dan lain-lainnya.
Rakyat Malaysia daripada semua belahan politik berterusan menolak korupsi pada pilihan raya umum 2022 memandangkan kedua-dua gabungan utama yang berkempen atas platform antikorupsi, iaitu Pakatan Harapan dan Perikatan Nasional, memenangi 68% daripada jumlah undi popular. Anwar Ibrahim dan PH berhutang kuasa dengan amarah rakyat terhadap korupsi.
Rakyat Malaysia mengharapkan iltizam politik yang kuat daripada Anwar untuk melawan korupsi yang sistemik dan mempertahankan kedaulatan undang-undang, yang harus dilihat melalui perbicaraan Najib, Zahid dan lain-lain secara adil dan tanpa gangguan.
Sekiranya peguam negara baharu Ahmad Terrirudin bertindak untuk menarik semua pertuduhan terhadap Najib dan Rosmah dalam perbicaraan yang sedang berlangsung, Anwar Ibrahim dan “kerajaan Madani” perlu bertanggungjawab kerana membenarkan kuasa besar peguam negara disalahguna untuk melepaskan kleptokrat di bawah pemerhatian PM. Garis merah ini tidak boleh dilangkah Anwar yang boleh menyebabkan Malaysia dilanda malapetaka ekonomi.
Justeru, kami, pertubuhan masyarakat sivil yang bertandatangan di bawah, menggesa perdana menteri dan peguam negara memberikan komitmen mereka secara terbuka untuk:
- Moratorium terhadap sebarang permohonan oleh peguam negara bagi perlepasan tanpa pembebasan atau pembebasan untuk semua kes berprofil tinggi melibatkan ahli politik atau individu yang rapat dengan mereka, terutamanya tetapi tidak terhad kepada kes Najib dan Rosmah, sehingga peranan peguam negara dan pendakwa raya dipisahkan
- Mempercepatkan dan mengisytiharkan penghujung tahun 2024 sebagai garis masa pemisahan peguam negara dan pendakwa raya yang telah diumumkan oleh menteri undang-undang Azalina Othman Said pada 18 September. Reformasi ini adalah penting untuk melindungi integriti institusi undang-undang daripada pengaruh politik dan untuk mempertahankan kedaulatan undang-undang
- Untuk membuka atau mendakwa semula kes pembebasan tanpa pembebasan ahli politik yang dituduh dengan korupsi, terutamanya tetapi tidak terhad kepada kes Yayasan Akalbudi Zahid. Mahkamah perlu dibiarkan untuk menentukan kebersalahan atau ketakbersalahan mereka yang dituduh berdasarkan bukti-bukti yang dibentangkan
- Tidak menarik semula atau menggugat semua rayuan dengan membiarkan peluang rayuan luput seperti dalam kes penggubahan laporan 1MDB oleh Najib dan Arul Kanda Kandasamy. Rayuan terhadap kes sistem visa luar negara Zahid yang membawa 40 pertuduhan rasuah tidak boleh dihentikan atau dibuang atas alasan teknikal
Tuntutan kami dan harapan rakyat Malaysia adalah mudah – kami mahukan kedaulatan undang-undang, kerana hal ini penting bagi menstabilkan politik yang akan membolehkan “kerajaan perpaduan” Anwar Ibrahim untuk menghabiskan penggalnya.
Paling mustahak, kami mahukan kerajaan bersih yang akan membasmi korupsi sistemik di negara kita agar tidak ada parti politik atau ahli politik yang berani menumpuk harta secara salah guna kuasa. Kepentingan dan kelicikan politik untuk memberikan impuniti terpilih kepada Najib dan Rosmah akan memberi kesan ekonomi dan politik yang teruk.
Dengan menghancurkan kedaulatan undang-undang, membebaskan Najib dan Rosmah akan membawa keruntuhan segera kerajaan Madani dan merobohkan harapan Malaysia untuk mencapai status negara berpendapatan tinggi. Jutaan rakyat Malaysia yang mengharapkan perubahan secara aman, kestabilan dan kemakmuran akan jatuh ke lembah kekecewaan.
Perdana menteri, kami mengharapkan jaminan yang tidak berbelah bagi bahawa api reformasi masih marak selepas 25 tahun dan akan terus mekar berbanding tajribah politik yang sia-sia.
Justeru, Bersih akan melancarkan petisyen atas talian mengajak rakyat Malaysia untuk mendesak PM untuk bertindak terhadap empat tuntutan ini bagi mempertahankan kedaulatan undang-undang dan kestabilan politik. Kami mengajak rakyat untuk menandatangan petisyen ini dan menyebarkannya agar ahli politik yang didakwa dengan kes rasuah perlu dibicarakan dengan adil dan menyelesaikan perbicaraan tersebut.
English version
Let the court decide on the guilt or innocence of Najib and all high-profile cases without any application for discharge by the attorney general
The Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih) and the undersigned civil society and non-profit organisations (NGOs) call on Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and the Attorney General Ahmad Terrirudin to allow the judiciary to process the cases of politicians charged with corruption without the attorney general exercising his discretionary power under Article 145(3) of the Federal Constitution to discontinue any court proceedings.
The “discharge not amounting to an acquittal” for Deputy PM Zahid Hamidi for his Yayasan Akalbudi case on 4 September is a shocking example of the discretionary power of the attorney general, who doubles up as the public prosecutor under the current law.
Apart from Zahid’s case, there have been a slew of corruption cases in the past several years involving politicians or those closely connected with them who have been granted a discharge not amounting to an acquittal or totally acquitted. These outcomes usually happened after a change of government or allegiance, and as such, it sends the message that one’s innocence is closely tied to one’s power.
This cannot go on. The attorney general should not double up as the public prosecutor, and reforms to separate the role of the public prosecutor from the attorney general must happen so that the public prosecutor’s office is an independent office that is free from political interference.
Given that the attorney general, as the PM’s appointee, has such wide-ranging power to withdraw criminal cases as demonstrated in Zahid’s discharge not amounting to an acquittal, we and the Malaysian public are extremely concerned about Najib’s three remaining cases related to 1MDB and income tax, as well as his wife Rosmah Mansor’s RM7.1m case of money laundering and tax evasion. Will the former PM and his wife be similarly released from their corruption charges, and in the case of Najib, will it pave the way for his pardon in the SRC case?
If Najib and Rosmah can walk free, as if they were victims of selective prosecution after their crimes in the 1MDB scandal brought our country to the brink of financial collapse, Malaysia would reappear as a pariah economy without the rule of law, driving global investors away. The seven mission targets in the “Madani economy” (civil economy) framework would be just a pipe dream.
Hundreds of thousands of people took to the street in peaceful protests during the Bersih 4 and 5 rallies in 2015 and 2016 respectively, demanding accountability and institutional reforms in the wake of the exposé of the 1MDB scandal. This directly contributed to the ouster of the Barisan Nasional government in the 2018 general election, which undid the selective impunity enjoyed by Najib, Rosmah, Zahid and the like.
Voters across the political spectrum continued to reject corruption in the 2022 general election as the two main coalitions that campaigned on an anti-corruption platform, Pakatan Harapan and Perikatan Nasional won 68% of the votes combined. Anwar Ibrahim and PH owe their power to the public wrath against corruption.
The public expects strong political will from Anwar to combat systemic corruption and uphold the rule of law, which must include allowing Najib, Zahid and others to undergo fair trials without interference.
If the new attorney general, Ahmad Terrirudin, was to withdraw all charges against Najib and Rosmah in their ongoing trials, Anwar and the “Madani” (Civil Malaysia) government will be held accountable for allowing the attorney general’s colossal power to be abused to let off the kleptocrats under the PM’s watch. This would be the red line that Anwar must not cross to cause political and economic catastrophe to Malaysia.
Therefore, we, the undersigned civil society organisations, hereby call on the PM and the attorney general to commit publicly to the following:
- Impose a moratorium on any application by the attorney general for a discharge not amounting to an acquittal or total acquittal for all ongoing high-profile cases involving politicians or those closely connected with them, in particular, but not limited to, Najib’s and Rosmah’s cases, until the attorney general-public prosecutor separation has taken place. Non-interference in criminal justice requires such a moratorium to rule out selective impunity
- Expedite and declare the end of 2024 as the timeline for the attorney general-public prosecutor separation that has been announced by the minister responsible for law, Azalina Othman Said, on 18 September. This reform is crucial to protect the integrity of the legal institution from political influence and to uphold the rule of law
- Reopen or recharge the cases involving politicians charged with corruption and then granted a discharge not amounting to an acquittal – in particular but not limited to Zahid’s Yayasan Akalbudi case. The court must be allowed to determine the guilt or innocence of those charged based on evidence presented
- Do not withdraw or undermine all ongoing appeals by letting appeal opportunitie to lapse as in the case of the Najib-Arul Kanda Kandasamy’s 1MDB audit report tampering. The appeal in Zahid’s foreign visa system (VLC) case, which involves 40 charges of bribery, must not be terminated or thrown out conveniently on some technical grounds by the attorney general
Our request and the expectation of the public is simple – we want the rule of law, as it is necessary for political stability that would enable the “unity overnment” of Anwar Ibrahim to go full term.
Most of all, we want a clean government that deals with systemic corruption in our country so that no political parties and politicians dare to amass wealth by abusing power. Political expediency and sophistry to grant selective impunity to Najib and Rosmah would have very dire political and economic consequences.
By causing irreparable damage to the rule of law, letting off Najib and Rosmah would likely bring an early end to the Madani government and torpedo Malaysia’s hope to achieve the status of a high-income nation. Millions of people in Malaysia who harbour hope for peaceful change, stability and prosperity will be plunged into despair.
Prime minister, we would like your unequivocal assurance that the fire of reformasi is still alive after 25 years and it will triumph over political adventurism.
In view of the above, Bersih is launching an online petition calling on the people to urge the prime minister to act on the four demands to uphold the rule of law and political stability. We call on the public to help sign the petition and spread the word so that politicians charged with corruption cases must face fair and complete trials.
Statement issued by:
- Gabungan Pilihan Raya Bersih dan Adil (Bersih)
- Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia (Abim)
- Agora Society
- Aliran
- All Women’s Action Society Malaysia (Awam)
- Borneo Komrad
- Citizens Against Enforced Disappearances (Caged)
- Cahaya Society
- Demokrat UKM
- Demokrat UM
- Persatuan Kesedaran Komuniti Selangor (Empower)
- Engage
- G25 Malaysia
- Gabungan Bertindak Malaysia (GBM)
- Pergerakan Tenaga Akademik Malaysia (Gerak)
- Global Bersih
- Growing Emerging Leaders
- National Human Rights Society (Hakam)
- Institute Demokrasi dan Hal Ehwal Ekonomi (Ideas)
- Pertubuhan Ikram Malaysia
- Imagined Malaysia
- Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall
- Komuniti Muslim Universal Malaysia
- Lawyer Kamek
- LLG Cultural Development Centre
- Malaysian Action For Justice And Unity (Maju)
- Movement for Change, Sarawak (MoCS)
- Persatuan Patriot Kebangsaan
- Pertubuhan Amal Kita Kinta Perak
- Pertubuhan Suara Anak Sabah
- Pergerakan Orang Wanita. Empowerment and Revolution (Power)
- Society for Promotion of Human Rights (Proham)
- PSH
- Pusat Komas
- RasuahBusters
- Persatuan Pemangkin Daya Masyarakat (Rose)
- Sabah Human Rights Centre
- Saya Anak Bangsa Malaysia (SABM)
- Society for Equality, Respect And Trust for All Sabah (Serata)
- Sisters in Islam
- Suara Mahasiswa UMS
- Suara Siswa Universiti Malaya
- Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram)
- Teoh Beng Hock Trust for Democracy
- Tiada.Guru
- Tindak Malaysia
- University of Malaya Association of New Youth (Umany)
- Undi Sabah
- Undi18 (Persatuan Pengundi Muda)
AGENDA RAKYAT - Lima perkara utama
- Tegakkan maruah serta kualiti kehidupan rakyat
- Galakkan pembangunan saksama, lestari serta tangani krisis alam sekitar
- Raikan kerencaman dan keterangkuman
- Selamatkan demokrasi dan angkatkan keluhuran undang-undang
- Lawan rasuah dan kronisme