Corruption, Coverage, and Cover-up

I read a distrurbing piece of news yesterday.

Disturbing because it involves a loss of a human life. A loss under mystery. A life less unexplained.

NST April 13, 2005 page 1 headline DOE men under probe with subhead TOXIC WASTE SMUGGLED INTO THE COUNTRY reported that a potentially explosive probe by the Anti-Corrruption could throw light on how some Department of Environment (DOE) personnel enforce laws and expose the smuggling of toxic waste into the country. Investigations could also help authorities unravel the mystery behind the death of environment officer Rumie Azzan Mahlie on September 17 last year.

His family believe "foul play" was involved because Rumie, a Boston University chemical engineering graduate, had allegedly stumbled on information leading to the smuggling of toxic wastes from Taiwan and disposal of toxic waste in Sarawak the past two years.

The ACA is probing how a heavy vehicle seized as evidence in an ongoing investigation was "ordered" to be returned to its owner, the NST report said.

It's even more disburbing to read in its follow-up today again page 1, headed GAG ON TOXIC TALK, with subheads * Doe men ordered to keep mum ** Ex-Sarawk chief quizzed by ACA and *** Another report lodged on release of lorry carrying toxic waste.

The news report said a "gag order" was imposed by the DOE on its officers around the country, as the cloud of an ACA probe hung over the department.

The report added that a former Sarawak DOE director was quizzed by the ACA and that a report was lodged (yesterday) wit the ACA over circumstances which led to a lorry seized as evidence being returned to its owner. The lorry was allegedly used to transport toxic waste in Perak.

Meanwhile, DOE director-general Rosnani Ibarahim was reported by the NST as saying, to her knowledge, that former Sarawak DOE director Dr Abdul Rahman Awang, was the only person friom DOE to to have been questioned by the ACA.

On the several fires at various state DOE offices that had been reported to have destroyed, among others, some files pertaining to "toxic waste" cases, Rosnani said she did not think the incidents of fire were connected.

The NST report said it is learnt that summaries of some of these cases had been sent to the Attorney-General's Chambers.

Giving credit where it is due, the NST must be applauded for this expose, and the mysterious death of an DOE officer must be probed to its truthful end to do justice to the grieving family. There is now a trend of the mainstream media being bolder in "investigative reporting", which is to be welcomed by all Malaysians. Another sister paper, the Malay Mail, led the expose of the man who came back from the dead, the mysterious "Soosai" still at large, also involved alleged in the death of another Malaysian.

Earlier, the Utusan Malaysia led a weeklong expose involving the Selangor MB Datukl Dr Khir Toyo in the Bukit Cahaya Seri Alam parkland fiasco.

Corrupt practices stink in the air in all these unfinished cases. Under PM Pak Lah this has been given top priority -- the fight of what I term the country's number one scourge. Stop the cancerous cells of corruption from spreading.

Syabas to all these newspapers for such bold coverage doing right by its readers and country as good corporate cirizens.

This case rejogs my memory of the infamous case of BMF in the 1980s (involving RM2.4billion scandal) where another Malaysian life was lost, also under mysterious and unexplained circusmtances. Acpooubrtant was sent by Bank Bumiputera headquarters to do an audit in Hong Kong, but was found dead short while later.

I close with a prayer that there will be no more cover-ups, as Malaysian cases involving big-guns are won't to have a habit of happening. I happily would like to be proven wrong.