Kapar Land Grab: MACC slays Messengers

updates: NUJ blasts MACC for high-handed treatment of journo

Original post:

Malay Mail journo queried, laptop and mobile seized. The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) leapt into action yesterday following the Malay Mail's front page report on the long-standing Kapar land scandal. But instead of acting on the complaints and several police reports against the alleged perpetrators, our Anti-Corruption boss went for the messengers.

The Malay Mail reporter was detained for six hours till 2am for questioning. His mobile phone and laptop were confiscated.

The MACC appears peeved over the Malay Mail report, quoting Kapar Member of Parliament M. Manikavasagam, that files containing reports on the Kampung Perepat Green Revolution land grab issue had gone missing. The Commission's director of investigations Shukri Abdull has demanded the MP and the Mail's reporter apologize.

But even if the MP and the newspaper had gotten it wrong, their "crime" hardly deserves such harsh and high-handed reaction.

I say: Act against the "real" crime here, Shukri.

General

June 22, 2009 22:44 PM

MACC Shows Missing Files, Wants Apology

PUTRAJAYA, June 22 (Bernama) -- The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has refuted Kapar Member of Parliament (MP) S. Manikavasagam's allegation that files containing reports on the Kampung Perepat Green Revolution land grab issue were missing. Manikavasagam's allegation made headlines in a local English daily, Malay Mail, today. MACC director of investigations Datuk Shukri Abdull has demanded that both the MP and the daily's reporter apologise to the commission. "If the MP had really said, as reported in the newspaper, then he should apologise because it is indeed, a slanderous statement and purposely made to tarnish MACC's good image. "The report also includes a statement allegedly made by me, although I had not spoken to the reporter," he said, while displaying the purportedly missing files at a press conference here. Shukri also showed reporters a copy of the police report which the MACC lodged in Shah Alam this evening. Manikavasagam was quoted in the daily as saying that last Friday, he had gone to the Selangor MACC office where an officer informed him that three reports lodged by Kampung Perepat pioneers, as well as the one he personally filed last year, could not be traced. -- BERNAMA