’Perhaps minister helped uncover past shenanigans?’

Volunteer to go on leave of absence, Sivakumar

Cogito Ergo Sum: In principle, the writer is right. But it seems that this scandal and scam did not start with the current minister.

It goes way back. It stretches amongst multiple ministries, including the Home Ministry under which the Immigration Department falls. Perhaps this minister helped uncover past shenanigans?

Sivakumar was the speaker of the Perak state legislative assembly during the Perak crisis. He was physically removed from his speaker’s chair and came across as a no-nonsense person.

Until MACC charges him, Sivakumar must be given the benefit of the doubt.

We also must remember that the various investigative bodies in the past have been “weaponised” to enforce the executive’s will on politicians in the past.

Max Fury: For all we know, Sivakumar is innocent. When one works in a ministry where everyone has a chance to make dirty money and some are involved, with syndicates there will be a lot of resistance from those involved when the top tries to fight corruption.

They may try to plug the clean ones to get them removed. If the top guy goes on leave, we are playing right into their hands.

When the cat’s away the mice begin to play and that’s exactly what they want. Documents that can be used as evidence may vanish.

FellowMalaysian: I am flabbergasted why Sivakumar has been asked to go on leave when no one has been charged and least of all, the minister himself.

Should the aides or his private secretary be subsequently charged, MACC must still corral some positive illegal or suspicious dealings linked to Sivakumar before he can be charged.

So far, none of these events has taken place, and asking Sivakumar to take leave is like putting the cart before the horse.

Further, MACC is actively doing its job and it doesn’t appear as though its authority or clout has been scuttled by some higher orders.

Let them continue doing their work until and unless the minister is charged. Suggesting that he take a hike sounds ridiculously inane.

Man on the Silver Mountain: Skimmed through this article, the issue is whether Human Resources Minister V Sivakumar should resign, take a leave of absence or cling to the post until found guilty.

That stance seems to be in general, which means to say it depends on the individuality of each case.

For Sivakumar to stay on would be no problem for many people because it is just following the said stance.

However, for DAP, their standard seems to be higher than that, which in this case, the natural thing to do for Sivakumar, since he is from DAP, is to at least take leave, so that his active presence as a minister in the Human Resources Ministry will not be a conflict of interest, especially to interfering in the ongoing investigation.

Open mind: Sivakumar has only been the Human Resource minister for five to six months. He is not part of the complex network of corrupted civil servants and politicians.

The complex network must be in operation for years, judging from the MACC action in which they have frozen more than 20 bank accounts linked to individuals and companies plus the eight parcels of land.

Also, they have arrested two immigration officers attached to the consulate in Dhaka. Seems like DAP is under attack.

Sun: The minister has barely been in office a few months and the accusation that he’s somehow woven a network of deceit and squandering that involves multiple agency staff in various places seems quite farfetched.

Let the MACC do its work and let the prime minister decide if his minister needs to go on leave.

BOBBYO: Veteran Sarawak editor Francis Paul Siah should look in the mirror first. Look inwards and see the level of corruption in Sarawak.

Clean up the dirt from your backyard first. Will MACC investigate former chief minister, Abdul Taib Mahmud and his family and his cronies? Will MACC investigate all the dam projects and the distribution of timber concessions?

Will MACC investigate the huge corruption, due to which the Sarawak people today remain poor, and their state lacking in basic amenities such as good roads, schools, medical facilities and communication devices?

Yes, the people will support the Madani government for their zeal to wipe out or reduce corruption. Those investigated should go on leave until the case has been fully investigated and those guilty charged.

But people want to see a MACC that will be fair, and just and investigate all those guilty and not an agency that is biased in its investigations.

It brings us back to the scenario during Pakatan Harapan and Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s reign, where some of the DAP politicians were hauled up by the police, and jailed for allegedly being involved in the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), which has been defunct for years. It was a political move to tarnish the reputation of DAP.

It raises another serious issue concerning MACC. Was corruption not taking place when BN and PN were in power? Why was MACC silent then?

Fair Play: This is one scandal that might likely blow wide open the Human Resources Ministry, Immigration Department and Home Ministry.

How long this has been going on is anyone’s guess. Sivakumar looks like a person in the wrong place and at the wrong time.  MKINI

Go on leave, PH MP tells Sivakumar

PETALING JAYA: A Pakatan Harapan MP has advised human resources minister V Sivakumar to go on leave pending the corruption probe into three of his aides by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).

Pasir Gudang MP Hassan Karim said as the minister is part of the PH-led government whose agenda is to eradicate corruption, Sivakumar should show a positive example by going on leave to allow the MACC to carry out its probe without any interference.

“The minister should know better about collective and ministerial responsibility in his duties as a Cabinet member.

“Don’t wait for Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to order ministers, whose ministries are under a corruption probe, to go on leave or resign,” he said in a statement today.

Hassan said all ministers must be responsible for safeguarding the reputation of the unity government led by Anwar, who is clearly taking steps to combat corruption within the government.

“While Sivakumar is not a suspect, the fact that the MACC has summoned the human resources minister twice and visited his home and office does not bode well for the current government’s image,” he said.

Hassan also said Sivakumar, who is a respected MP and experienced politician, should take the necessary action to safeguard the government’s image.

“I am not urging him to resign right now,” he said. “At the very least, he should take a temporary break from his ministerial duties.”

Several quarters have urged Sivakumar to go on leave after the latter was summoned by the MACC over an ongoing investigation into the recruitment of foreign workers.

The anti-graft agency had arrested Sivakumar’s three aides a week ago and released them after the four-day remand expired last Monday.

Yesterday, sources told FMT that two of the three aides have returned to work while another has been suspended with pay.  FMT

MKINI / FREE MALAYSIA TODAY

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