GE14 | The Center to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4) has called on voters to reject candidates who are fielded in the 14th general election despite they having a tainted record for alleged corruption.

 

Speaking to Malaysiakini, its executive director Cynthia Gabriel said this should be applied across the board.

"But having said that, our institutions are all compromised and fraught with executive interference.

"It is clear that the top political leadership is being protected by a corrupt system," she claimed.

Gabriel was responding to a question on whether C4's call applied to those in the opposition, since Pakatan Harapan chairperson Dr Mahathir Mohamad has also been accused of corruption and abuse of power, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng has been charged with corruption and Parti Warisan Sabah president Mohd Shafie Apdal was implicated in the misappropriation of a rural development fund scandal.

At a press conference in Petaling Jaya earlier, Gabriel said such candidates should not be trusted to represent the people for the next five years.

"What we need for GE14 is for corruption to be wiped out completely and for corrupt leaders to be shown the door.

"This is something that we tell the people: please reject candidates like this. Reject them, reject corruption," she added.

Gabriel was commenting on a Malaysiakini report this morning that Umno might be fielding Wanita Umno chief Shahrizat Abdul Jalil as its candidate for the Bandar Tun Razak Parliament seat.

"We are concerned to read media reports that several politicians, from Umno in particular who have clear tainted records for corruption, will contest or are being slated to contest in this general election.

"I would like to mention in particular Isa Samad as a candidate in Negeri Sembilan and now to read that Shahrizat would be standing in Bandar Tun Razak as a candidate as well," she said.

Aside from Shahrizat's reported electoral comeback, Bernama yesterday reported that Isa's name has been retained in BN's potential candidates' list.

However, Gabriel conceded that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has previously cleared Shahrizat of involvement in the 2010 National Feedlot Corporation scandal and did not press any charges against Isa, who was investigated over the recent Felda Jalan Semarak property scandal.

C4, together with a coalition of civil society groups, earlier launched a GE14 Good Governance Agenda that called on all political parties to adopt five key reform measures.

This included a call for political parties to endorse a legislation that would affirm the independence of public institutions, including the MACC and the Attorney-General's Chambers.