Rafizi Wants Macc To Probe Farhash Cautions Pm On Denials Perception

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Amid a burgeoning coal mining scandal linked to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s former aide Farhash Wafa Salvador Rizal Mubarak, PKR lawmaker Rafizi Ramli has called on MACC to open an investigation paper.
He also pressed Anwar to approach the allegations against Farhash with the gravity they warrant.
“Controversy after controversy involving Farhash must be addressed swiftly, and blanket denials will no longer be accepted by the public.
“The information revealed thus far is sufficient for MACC to open an investigation paper on Farhash, just as they have done with other figures accused of sudden unexplained wealth.
ADS“Only with such consistency will the public gain greater confidence in the government’s anti-corruption efforts,” he added in a statement.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s former aide Farhash Wafa Salvador Rizal MubarakRafizi noted that this is not the first time Farhash has been linked to controversial business dealings, adding that his wealth and influence are frequent topics of conversation, from ordinary citizens to businesspeople interacting with the government and corporate sectors.
“Since Anwar became prime minister, Farhash has suddenly emerged as a prolific businessperson with interests in numerous companies. Some of these companies have reportedly secured large procurement contracts from the government.
“The actual value of government procurement contracts awarded to companies linked to Farhash is not publicly known,” he added.
Rafizi said when this issue was previously raised, Anwar simply issued a denial, explaining that Farhash’s business dealings have nothing to do with him as he is no longer his political aide.
“At that time, I chose to give the benefit of the doubt, even though I was well aware of Farhash’s influence within PKR and parts of the government.
“The latest allegation involving the mineral exploration licence and Farhash will not fade away easily. The exposé thus far includes documents and audio recordings. I believe even more information will surface in time.
“I also believe this won’t be the last accusation involving Farhash. From time to time, new controversies about him continue to emerge,” he added.
Anti-corruption push
Rafizi also referred to Anwar’s recent speech, where the prime minister expressed puzzlement over why his anti-corruption efforts seem to be met with indifference by certain quarters, particularly the opposition.
“I do not doubt his sincerity in wanting to combat corruption. A significant portion of PKR's campaign, which I have personally been involved in since 2010, revolved around exposing the country’s major scandals. He gave us his full support in uncovering these national scandals.
“One of the contributing factors to PKR and Pakatan Harapan’s victory in GE14 (2018) and GE15 (2022), leading to his success in forming a unity government and being appointed prime minister, was the public’s demand for corruption to be tackled aggressively,” he added.
ADSRafizi stressed that while the opposition is naturally inclined to reject government initiatives, there must also be self-reflection as to why segments of the public remain unconvinced by the administration’s anti-corruption push.
“The effects of this scepticism are visible from several angles.
“First of all, Malaysia's position in the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) has remained stagnant. Malaysia scored 50 points for both 2023 and 2024, placing the country 57th out of 180 nations.
“While this is an improvement over 2021 and 2022, the score of 50 and ranking of 57 are not far off from the 2015 results - at the height of the 1MDB scandal - when Malaysia also scored 50 points and ranked 54th.
“This is echoed by recent survey data I shared a few months ago, which shows growing public concern over corruption. This is happening even as the administration of Anwar continues to introduce various process improvements, and despite his consistent stance in rejecting corruption,” he added.
Public perception
Therefore, Rafizi said he felt compelled to share his views, even if they may draw criticism from certain quarters.
“If the prime minister is puzzled as to why public response does not match the scale of the efforts underway, it suggests that there may be other factors undermining these efforts in the eyes of the public.
“CPI rankings are based on public perception. Perception is shaped by several key factors.
“Particularly, the effectiveness of the reforms in eradicating corruption at its root, and whether this is felt by the people in their daily dealings, and the public’s view on the consistency of the government's anti-corruption stance - so that corruption is tackled fairly and the government is seen as truly clean,” he added.
Rafizi acknowledged that while administrative reforms take time to dismantle entrenched cultures and root out corruption, it is “extremely dangerous” if Anwar’s administration is perceived as inconsistent or selective,
This is especially if major cases involving unity government leaders or individuals close to the prime minister are not addressed firmly, he said. - Mkini

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