Inter Press Service - July 6, 2005
Baradan Kuppusamy

The crackdown on |money politics", local euphemism for political corruption was in keeping with election promises that accounted, at least partly, for the huge electoral victory of the United Malay National Organisation (UMNO) in elections last year.

"I will not protect anybody, even one of my own," Badawi said with steely resolve over national television to explain the sacking of Isa Samad, the third highest ranking UMNO leader after Badawi and his deputy Najib Razak.

Samad was suspended for six years, virtually ending his 30-year political career. Another six mid-level UMNO politicians were also punished with suspensions but for fewer years.

The action sent ripples of fear down the notoriously corrupt party rank and file and shocked many ordinary Malaysians because senior UMNO leaders have come to be regarded as unaccountable over the 22-year rule of Badawi's predecessor, Mahathir Mohamad.

"By chopping down one of the untouchables, Abdullah has signalled to his detractors that he has taken the bull by the horns," said an academic and political analyst who requested anonymity. "It is the first attempt to grapple with rampant corruption in UMNO."

Malaysian and foreign newspaper editorials applauded Abdullah for his firm action as also did some UMNO leaders. But others worried that there would be no going back on the tough policy.

"By suspending for six years his third highest-ranking party functionary (and cabinet minister) for involvement in money politics during party polls, Mr Abdullah was sending a clear message to his UMNO members: his administration was willing to walk the talk in its pledge to clean up graft," the 'Singapore Business Times' said.

There was widespread skepticism over just how serious Badawi was in cleaning up corruption. This was partly because the initial flurry of action - reforming the police, charging a minister and a business tycoon - had petered out.

It appeared that after gaining for himself five years in office, Badawi's passion for reforms had waned. Now critics are beginning to see new resolve in the Prime Minister.

Unlike his predecessor, who had a flair for the dramatic, Badawi has shown himself to be a quiet but sure worker taking a low key approach and almost unhappy to make the headlines.

"Abdullah has concentrated on shoring up key institutions, improving civil service delivery system, cut down red tape and pay more inducements for high productivity," said Murugesu Pathmanaban, a former academic and political analyst in an interview to IPS.

"He (Badawi) set up a Royal Commission to tackle graft in the police force and empowered the anti-corruption agency to crack down on corporate fat cats," Pathmanaban said.

Since taking over, Badawi without much fanfare, began to tighten the rules for big tenders, told the police to clean up, urged the judiciary to function without fear or favour and, thus far, has not interfered in the way the media reports.

He has appeared to have quietly ended privatisation deals, lucrative concessions and contracts awarded without competitive tenders to politically well-connected business interests.

But most importantly, Badawi has suddenly and very bravely given the green light to a controversial HIV/AIDS harm reduction programme that even his powerful predecessor dared not approve.

Recognising that the number of people living with HIV/AIDS has ballooned to 65,000 in 2004 and is expected to rise further to 300,000 within the decade, the government announced a plan to distribute condoms, needles and treatment for injecting drug users, igniting fierce opposition from fundamentalist Muslims, both in government and the opposition.

The opposition Parti Islam Malaysia has strongly opposed the plan on the grounds that it was un-Islamic, encourages drug abuse and extramarital sex and blatantly violates Islamic Shariah law.

Himself an Islamic jurist, Badawi argues that dramatic steps were justified because the AIDS problem was critical and that Islam allowed for unconventional methods in emergencies where survival was at stake.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) that is funded mainly by the United States, has warned that the country is on the brink of an Africa-style HIV/AIDSepidemic with nearly 15,000 children at risk of being orphaned.

While Malaysians are willing to give room to Abdullah, seeing his is a difficult job, there is no shortage of criticism and some of it comes from high-level retired, government hands.

For example, former deputy prime minister Ghafar Baba called a press conference to berate Badawi and say that the suspension of Isa Samad did not add up to cleaning up the UMNO.

Baba wanted the government to make the Anti Corruption Agency an independent body with powers to investigate and arrest offenders without reference to its political masters. Leaders in the know of corrupt practices but who keep silent are equally guilty, charged Baba, adding that corruption had reached "unimaginable" levels and threatened to destroy UMNO as well as Malaysian society.

Said Parliamentary Opposition leader Lim Kit Siang in a statement: "We hope the action against Mr Isa is not isolated and selective but marks the beginning of a serious clean-up campaign against political corruption."

"If it is the first of a major clean-up of politics and government corruption then Abdullah would go down in Malaysian history as the Prime Minister who has stemmed the tide against corruption which had seen Malaysia falling 16 places in nine years in the Transparency International Corruption Perception Index from 23rd ranking in 1995 to 39th ranking in 2004," Lim said.

Badawi's seriousness, said Lim, would be judged by how he responds to a damning report by a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the police force that said the body was completely inefficient and corrupt and made numerous recommendations for systematic shake-up.

"Abdullah's response (to the report) will show whether he has the political will to reform society," said Elizabeth Wong, secretary general of the National Human Rights Association of Malaysia.

"Establishing an independent oversight committee to oversee the police is the action we want to see," Wong told IPS. "Has Badawi come into his own with a reform agenda or is he still under the shadow of his powerful predecessor whose ways and methods brought rapid economic development but is blamed for a slide in transparency and accountability? The jury is out on that question.

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