THE National Patriots Association (PATRIOT) has applauded the courage of Prime Minister (PM) Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim “to dig up the stinking, malignant rot” associated with the Pandora Papers scandal, which was first exposed in October 2021.
“But almost three years and three PMs later, we have yet to know who are the “presidents, PMs, billionaires, and prominent business people” who have truly cheated the people of this struggling country,” lamented PATRIOT’s president Retired Brigadier General Datuk Mohamed Arshad Raji in a statement.
“What the past three PMs failed to do Anwar Ibrahim is redressing.”
Arshad nonetheless stressed that opening the lid is only the beginning for Malaysians, who expect and demand speedy action and closure.
“We must commit our resolve and resources quickly if we mean what we say. When leaders in politics, government and business cheat on such a grand scale, a nation collapses economically and gets trapped in irreversible social rot,” Arshad pointed out.
“When the people who preach heaven on earth by admonishing the helpless, struggling people, religion is undermined. When key institutions remain tight-lipped or are far too late in registering their concern, we end up as hypocrites with lost dignity.”
Realising that Malaysia has been a land of great sloganeering, Arshad hopes that Anwar “will move us out of this hypocrisy by hunting down all those leaders of the past who betrayed the nation and the people”.
“But PATRIOT believes Anwar needs the people’s unwavering support in this mission impossible given the decades of entrenched corruption,” reasoned the 80-year-old who left the army in 1998, after completing 32 years of service.
“We therefore invite all NGOs (non-governmental organisations), leaders of all the various religious faiths, presidents and chairpersons of professional associations, and every concerned person to step forward, unite and march together with Anwar to reclaim our nation’s lost treasures.”
Added Arshad: “Let us not be waylaid by any propaganda or public relations tactics employed by the multi-billionaire crooks who will go into high gear to disrupt any investigation on them.” – Feb 15, 2023
Main photo credit: ICIJ
