Anwar's reform record lags behind Najib, says former MACC chief

SHAH ALAM - Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is facing scrutiny for his alleged lack of progress on promised reforms. This included criticism from the former Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief, Latheefa Koya.

Upon assessing the current Pakatan Harapan-led coalition government, Latheefa stated that Anwar had made fewer reforms compared to former leaders, including Datuk Seri Najib Razak, contrary to the reform slogans he promoted, such as 'reformasi,' while in Opposition.

She reportedly said that Anwar had taken a series of actions against democracy and human rights, giving the government a score of "minus 10" for legal reforms.

"Normally, the scale is between zero and 10, but in the context of the current government's legal reforms, not only has it not implemented any reforms, but the situation has actually worsened," the rights lawyer told a Malay daily, Utusan Malaysia, in their Sunday edition of Mingguan Malaysia.

Latheefa, who served as the anti-graft buster chief for nine months before resigning in February 2020 under former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, also warned that the current agency was increasingly viewed as a political tool.

"There is a perception that MACC is being used to investigate those who were seen as not siding with the government," she said.

She compared this to her tenure at the MACC, where it was never used as a political tool to undermine any of the government's opponents.

"During my time at the MACC, I did not allow anyone who was charged or remanded to be brought to court in the orange lock-up uniform.

"I couldn't care if the person was a VIP or not, but they must not be humiliated before they were investigated, charged, or convicted, as they have dignity and family members who must be protected," she added in the media report.

Praise for Najib's reforms

While stating that she was not siding with Najib, Latheefa acknowledged his past commitment to reforms that were better than Anwar's, despite Anwar making "reformasi" his main slogan while in Opposition for two years.

"During Najib's tenure, he did not shout 'reformasi,' but we know what he did for the country, that he repealed the Internal Security Act 1960 (ISA). I cannot imagine what would have happened if ISA were still around today," she added.

She clarified that her refusal to support Najib stemmed from witnessing numerous individuals, entities, and businesses facing criminal charges involving hundreds of millions of ringgit linked to 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), which was more prominent during her time as the former MACC chief.

"Leave aside the issue of Najib's corruption case; that's another matter," Latheefa said, referencing her release of nine audio recordings of phone conversations involving Najib, his wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, and other key players in the 1MDB scandal back in 2020.

"I am just being objective as a Malaysian. Let's be fair. We talk about reforms, but the one who carried out the reforms was someone else," Latheefa reportedly said, having once been part of Anwar's legal team and a former member of PKR's central leadership council.

Anwar was scrutinised for his U-turns on political and economic reforms, as well as a series of legislative and constitutional amendments that critics described as regressive.

This included the recently passed amendments to citizenship laws and the proposal to introduce a new law on the powers of the Federal Territories mufti, which triggered protests from rights activists and Islamic scholars.

Since becoming Prime Minister, the Pakatan Harapan coalition had also seen a series of prosecutions against Anwar's political rivals using draconian laws that he once opposed, amid claims of his intervention in MACC's affairs.

During his nine years in power, Najib introduced a series of political and economic reforms, most notably the abolition of the ISA, a colonial-era law that had been used for decades by previous governments to imprison political enemies without trial. His government also enacted the Peaceful Assembly Act, which ended the need for police permits to halt public protests.

Latheefa pointed out the current authorities' failure to charge a policeman who was escorting a royal entourage and was caught on video assaulting a disabled e-hailing driver, as well as the regular use of the Sedition Act, as examples of the current Prime Minister neglecting his promises of reform.

She noted that, in contrast, Najib had at least amended the Sedition Act to ensure that criticising the government was not a crime.

"Today, not only can people no longer criticise or ridicule the government, they are summoned to the police station, and now the government even comes up with a law that does not exist in the legal context, making it a crime to talk about 3R (race, royalty, and religion).

"In which law is this mentioned? There is no such thing, but the government conveniently categorises someone's criticism as 3R," she reportedly said.

Latheefa stated that the government actively used the Communications and Multimedia Act to target political opponents, indicating a witch-hunt against anyone who criticised the government.

She urged Pakatan Harapan leaders to stop justifying their failure to implement reforms by claiming they were now part of the "unity government," describing it as a petty excuse that existed even before any reform plan was announced.

"This is a petty excuse, and they have no political will to bring about changes that they themselves had promised," she reportedly said.