Azam S Blotted Past Does Not Warrant An Extension

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“I know Azam Baki is watching this! I hope that when Pakatan Harapan wins when we look for you, you don't blame your brother again.”
-PKR deputy president Rafizi Ramli.
These were not precisely PKR deputy president Rafizi Ramli’s famous last words on the then beleaguered MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki.
Indeed, they were spoken at an election rally before the 15th general election and echoed the sentiments.
Before that, the Pakatan Harapan secretarial council, consisting of PKR’s Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, Amanah’s Hatta Ramli, DAP’s Anthony Loke, and Upko’s Nelson Anggang, urged then-prime minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob to order Azam to take a leave of absence until a full investigation was completed into his proxy stock trading scandal.
Even Perikatan Nasional component parties joined the chorus, calling for decisive action against Azam over the shares.
Revisiting Azam’s past
In October 2021, activist Lalitha Kunaratnam wrote an article citing publicly accessible records to show stock trading activities purportedly of Azam and his brother, Nasir Baki.
She questioned whether these had been declared required under Section 10 of the Public Officers Regulation (Conduct and Discipline) 1993.
More importantly, Azam breached the rules for civil servants listed in Service Circular Number 3/2002 which prevents a public servant from owning more than RM100,000 shares in any company.
Two months later, academic Edmund Terrence Gomez resigned as a MACC Consultation and Corruption Prevention Panel member, citing inaction over the allegations surrounding Azam.
Gomez said his three emails to panel chairperson Borhan Dollah and MACC Anti-Corruption Advisory Board chairperson Abu Zahar Ujang failed to elicit any response.
Instead of addressing the issues, the board convened a hearing to listen to Azam’s explanation.
Edmund Terrence GomezAt a press conference, board chairperson Zahar defended Azam by repeating Azam’s claim. Immediately, six other board members - Ismail Omar, Azman Ujang, Akhbar Satar, Hamzah Kassim, David Chua, and Agus Yusoff said Zahar’s statement did not reflect the board's decision.
Azam devised a story akin to the “the dog ate my homework” anecdote. He told the board that his brother used his trading account to acquire shares in two companies in 2015.
We were to learn later from the Securities Commission that Azam told a tale, a fib, a lie — an untruth that his brother used his trading account to acquire shares.
In a statement, the SC said independent evidence gathered at the inquiry into Azam’s trading account shows that Azam is the named account holder and had control of the said trading account.
“(And) Azam operated the account that he had opened, in that he had given instructions to buy, sell and transfer securities from the said account,” it explained.
Despite calls for Azam to step down, Ismail Sabri said the SC’s decision on Azam’s trading account should be accepted by all parties.
“Don’t ask that he (Azam) be investigated and, after being investigated, the decision has been made and we are still not satisfied,” he said.
Former prime minister Ismail Sabri YaakobIn an immediate response, I wrote: “Under normal circumstances, it would warrant a formal investigation but the prime minister waded into the controversy stating that all parties should respect the views of the SC.
“The SC has made a decision and it says there is no case against him (Azam), so we accept the SC’s decision,” Ismail Sabri said.
“It was and still remains a hilarious response from the nation’s chief executive on a matter involving the integrity of its top graft buster …”
Anwar arrived but…
Against such a backdrop, it all changed when Anwar Ibrahim became prime minister in 2022. The wrongdoings had been erased, the mistakes forgotten, and it was time for the often-misused phrase to “unite to save the nation.”
Azam became the darling of the prime minister’s anti-corruption drive. When retirement was due in 2023, it was renewed and again last year.
Forward to the present: These days, Azam walks with a spring in his steps, pretending to either forget or ignore the past events that led to his censure, if not by his peers, then the taxpayers.
Azam said he is prepared to continue leading the agency but will respect the government’s decision.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim with MACC chief commisioner Azam Baki“I am still young,” he said, adding later, “Now, I have more energy,” The Malay Mail Online quoted him as saying.
Perhaps, Azam is conditioning himself to get a third extension to his contract, which ends when he turns 62 on May 12.
However, self-praise is no praise. Looking back, he made the headlines for the wrong reasons - for his share trading activity - only to be exonerated by Ismail Sabri.
Isn’t it ironic that Ismail Sabri is now being investigated in relation to RM177 million seized at an apartment rented by own of his former aides?
After Anwar extended his contract in 2023, I wrote: “While the PM is shooting himself hoarse on corruption and the need to have people with integrity heading government departments, shouldn’t he compel a closure to this episode?
“Now that his service is expected to be extended, shouldn’t he come clean and tell Malaysians the truth about those shares and how he came to acquire them?”
“To put it crudely, he was caught with his pants down for having lied to and misled the public previously by claiming ‘my brother did it’. Azam offered a preposterous and ludicrous explanation for his reported ownership of shares in public-listed companies. But he did not do himself any favour by claiming, ‘I did no wrong’.”
After he was extended, I noted: “While the PM is shooting himself hoarse on corruption and the need to have people with integrity heading government departments, shouldn’t he compel a closure to this episode?
“Now that his service is expected to be extended, shouldn’t he come clean and tell Malaysians the truth about those shares and how he came to acquire them?
“Surely the PM cannot have a head of anti-corruption whose name has been soiled by his own actions and inaction.”
Tainted hands
It does not matter if Azam is young or energetic. A man with tainted hands should have no business in government affairs, especially the MACC.
The issue has been hanging around Azam’s head like the Sword of Damocles for over three years. He has made no effort to clear his name and tell the truth to remove the burden hanging around his neck.
It is time for a new man to take the helm. How can we have a head of anti-corruption whose actions and inaction have soiled his name?
What about Saifuddin and Loke, whose party members, including MPs, were involved in the “Tangkap Azam” rally?
When they were in the opposition, even a slight oversight by the government was followed by loud voices.
So, have they lost their voices or conveniently chosen to forget their roles now that they are on the other (right) side? - Mkini
R NADESWARAN is a veteran journalist who tries to live up to the ethos of civil rights leader John Lewis: “When you see something that is not right, not fair, not just, you have to speak up. You have to say something; you have to do something.” Comments: [email protected]
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT

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