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The SUN declared a quote from the prime minister of Malaysia which urged foreign governments not to interfere in the affairs of the Malaysian democracy. It said, “Internal affairs of the nation should be determined by the people.” Implied is the notion Malaysia is a true blue democracy, with all the proper checks and balances.

My question to our prime minister is about his claim to have received US$2.6 billion from a foreign agent as a ‘donation’ and then returned it. I have asked the Inland Revenue Board (IRB) to declare whether this ‘donation’ was declared in the 2013 income tax filing by Najib Abdul Razak; the citizen and his voluntary declaration. To date the IRB has only kept quiet on this matter.

Recently, I went with my wife to help her make her 2015 filing. The deadline is April 30, 2016. I must say, even though the process is still too complicated and somewhat cumbersome for lack of clarity of instructions and weaknesses in their secure system of access; the officers who help you, except for the front reception counter; are very credible and knowledgeable.

After waiting for my number to be called for about 45 minutes, I decided to intervene and seek help to speed up my enquiry. The front desk officers could not answer simple questions; like what is the counter service quality control for waiting time? They did not know. I asked then for the customer service manager, and found the most efficient, patient, and knowledgeable lady who answered all my questions and even understood all my intentioned nuances through this column.

Is cheating and lying Malaysian culture?

It is said that the fish rots from the head. I would argue that lying and cheating in Malaysia starts from the top, too. How could a PM who personally received secret foreign donations, which then became public, and is now the subject of a parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC) enquiry, declare to foreign governments and agencies; we do not need interference by foreign parties?

If all the facts that are slowly but surely being discovered or uncovered are true; he did take foreign funds for some kind of unacceptable or illegal basis for interference within Malaysia. Even if the agenda was to promote and grow ‘Wahhabism’ in Malaysia; it is an illegitimate interference, as usually all NGOs are barred from receiving foreign funds for any such influence.

Having completed public policy work for 32 years, I am always amused about how most ordinary Malaysians, whether in public or private service, find it not problematic to tell ‘small white lies’, or cheat on their income tax (or avoid paying tax), or tell untruths that do not hurt anyone.

I remember one explicit example. A friend of a friend visited us in the US, and on their way over, they drove from New York to Washington, DC and got a ticket for speeding. He was leaving in a few days and so I asked him how he would pay the fine? He dismissed it by saying; he would not and the American police will not pursue him all the way to Malaysia. That to me is normal Malaysian culture and practice.

What is the root cause of the problem?

I have a pet Theory R which states that all created beings are ultimately responsible for all their choices; both voluntary and involuntary ones, regardless of what is their reason, explanation, or excuses for those choices. No one else forces anyone to make these choices; the actor is always responsible for the choices he makes. Responsibility cannot be dodged and passed outwards to someone else.

Each of us is a human being with a clear and unconditional freedom to live life and make choices. We are responsible and must be held fully accountable for those choices we make. If we are public officials or representatives of groups of individuals, then our accountability goes directly to their complete sense of ownership and interest in their agenda. Such is responsible accountability.

Recently, three of us, as trustees for a group of 10 El Puteras of the Royal Military College (RMC), sold a piece of property we bought about 30 years ago. Of course we made money from this investment.

Of concern to me is the fact that one lawyer acting for another deceased classmate, who was also a trustee, used the occasion of our needing formal papers and clearances to bill us rather unfairly. Lying and cheating is now legitimised through ordinary officers as Malaysian culture in legal practice, too.

Are the 1MDB and Taman Manggis issues the same?

What is the core issue in both cases? Tan Siok Choo, daughter of the late Tan Siew Sin, wrote in the SUN , ‘1MDB – a wonderland saga’ in her regular column called ‘Making Sens’, punning on ringgit and sen. Hers is a good and credible analysis which raises even more questions than giving answers.

Some friends of mine asked me if the Taman Manggis issue implicates Lim Guan Eng as chief minister. I am convinced that there was no corruption involved. But was it a one-arm’s length deal? For now, it appears to be dressed in purple or velvet silk. Responsible officials must remain cleaner than clean.

What we need in Malaysia, in all deals and transactions, is open transparent communication making all such transactions public without resorting to the Official Secrets Act (OSA) as a defence shield for ‘all questionable deals’.

The OSA was originally created in 1972, long before Dr Mahathir Mohamad was on the scene, and so let us not blame him on it either. Altogether eight amendments were made to Act 88 since 1972 and only three of them were after Dr M was PM.

The Preamble to the 1972 Act states as follows: “An Act to revise and consolidate the law relating to the protection of official secrets.” [Oct 1, 1972]

The word ‘official’ relates to any of the public services, and the word ‘official secret’ is defined as four levels of classification, Top Secret, Secret, Confidential, Restricted and must be classified so by a minister or chief minister or an approved public official. That is the gold standard. Does it apply to land deals in Australia? They must have been ‘already classified by the responsible officials’.

Therefore, while we pursue and jail MPs frivolously under the so-called OSA charges, let me warn and remind the cabinet of ministers and the inspector-general of police (IGP) that we have a legal system and the system of Rule of Law in Malaysia. Please ensure you know and understand the laws yourselves. We are all under the same set of laws.

My suspicion is that most of our current cabinet of ministers have only half-baked public advisers who have not studied the Act 88 as a law, and probably do not understand the full nuances of the law related to the original intent of the OSA. Therefore, MP Rafizi Ramli, please do not be cowed by these bullies; you only need a good lawyer and equally knowledgeable public officials who know the laws of Malaysia.