Salleh: PKR nothing better to do than ‘cry wolf’

PETALING JAYA: It has come to a stage that if PKR or any of its leaders make an allegation of corruption against anyone, said Salleh Said Keruak, “we can more or less safely brush aside that allegation, as one more in so many instances, of crying wolf by people who have nothing better to do”.

Barely two years after Khalid Ibrahim was ousted as Selangor Menteri Besar, allegations of corruption are being made by PKR Secretary-General Rafizi Ramli against the Selangor Government or leaders in government, noted Salleh who is also Communications and Multimedia Minister, in his latest blog posting.

This time, however, no one has been asked to resign like Khalid was because no names were mentioned in those allegations, he pointed out.

Instead, he said that PKR asked Rafizi to send “the evidence” to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) so that it can take the necessary action against the “guilty” parties. “Let us see whether this time there’s any evidence and whether this evidence eventually results in certain leaders getting arrested and getting sent to jail.”

“If not, then this is just one more false allegation in almost 20 years that PKR makes against its political enemies as well as against its own leaders that it wants to oust.”

Salleh recalled that ex-PKR Youth chief Ezam Mohd Noor had challenged former mentor Anwar Ibrahim to make public the six boxes of documents the latter claimed to have, containing evidence of corrupt practices by high-ranking government officials.

Anwar in fact announced in 1988 that he had six boxes of evidence regarding corrupt acts committed by then Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, one time Finance Minister Daim Zainuddin and other key people in the government, recalled Salleh.

For ten years until 2008, however, not a single piece of paper was ever produced, let alone six boxes or even just one box, he lamented.

Again, years later, PKR brought out allegations of corruption, he charged. “But this time the allegations were against their own people, Selangor Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim, and the person making those allegations was the party secretary-general, Saifuddin Nasution,” said Salleh.

Saifuddin, in fact, showed the public one thick file that was supposed to contain the evidence against Khalid, said Salleh. “Because of these allegations, Khalid was forced to resign from his post of Menteri Besar.”

Khalid then sued Saifuddin, who withdrew the allegation and apologized to Khalid, continued Salleh. “Saifuddin did not show the court the evidence of Khalid’s corrupt acts, which he said he had in his possession.”

Khalid, however, was not reinstated as Menteri Besar, said Salleh.