Saturday, November 11, 2006

Double Standards

Further to the earlier post on “The Untouchables” whereby UMNO members are granted immunity for acts of corruption from investigations by the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA), which has since been vaguely denied by Datuk Nazri Aziz, the de-facto Minister of Law, there are also ample evidence that UMNOputras are treated very differently from the typical men in the street.

One set of laws is used for legal transgressions by UMNOputras, while, another harsher set of laws are used for the lowly men and women like you and me. The following is highlighted by our community hero, R Nadeswaran, deputy editor at the Sun.

Unapologetic, thick-skinned and recalcitrant Datuk Zakaria Mat Deros, a Selangor state assemblyman was ordered to pay a compound fine of RM24,000 for building his palatial mansion without proper building development plans and approval. The Selangor Special Menteri Besar himself, Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Khir Toyo insisted that it was the maximum penalty under the Road, Drainage and Building Act. Or rather, he didn't care to add, that it was the maximum that he can or will apply to a fellow UMNOputra.

Interestingly enough, earlier this year, five people were charged with carrying out illegal earthworks and development without approval from the local authority in Gombak. They were charged under the Town and Country Planning Act, which carries a maximum penalty of a fine of up to RM500,000 or tow years' jail, or both. And these lot were charged within a short period of three months from the dates in which they were alleged to have committed the offences, how efficient!

Hence, the UMNOputra in Klang gets away with a RM24,000 fine for carrying out earthworks a 40,000 sq ft piece of land to build his palatial mansion worth an estimated RM5-8 million, while other marginalised citizenry gets the proverbial whip.

Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Khir Toyo perpetually claimed that “his hands are tied”. Well, they probably are, for there is a set of unwritten rules and laws (or a lack of it) which applies to his fellow UMNOputras. For you and me? No such luck.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Thank you Datuk Zakaria for teaching us that :

1)You and UNMO people are above the law.

2)Everything that non-Malay earns goes to your pocket.

3)Corruption, cronism and nepotism are fictional words in the UNMO's dictionary.

4)Honesty is a shitty word. It's ok to lie to the public and the Sultan.

5)If you resign for your "sandiwara", you will be rewarded further.

Thank you again, Datuk Zakaria. And we will be achieving Vision 2020 using your teachings. Malaysia Boleh, Zakaria pun boleh.