'Fear Factor' & 'Tipping Point' in whistle-blowing
The Shock-A-Lingam Tape. It just shows how Malaysia degrades in areas that matter.
First, a shocking 2002 videotape showcasing a "prominent lawyer" brokering the elevation of judges in the Judicial system. Post 2002 promotions in the Judiciary coincided with the line of conspiring thoughts mentioned in the taped conversations.
A copy of the tape was submitted to the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA). An official report was lodged to initiate investigations.
Next, the Executive, which lords over the judges including the Chief Justice, rejected the setting up of a Royal Commission to save the Judiciary.
About 2,000 members of the Bar Council and the public voiced their concerns in the historic Walk for Justice, rging the government to ( 1 ) set up a Royal Commission of Inquiry to probe the state of judiciary consequent to the expose of the tape; and ( 2 ) set up a judicial appointments and promotion commission.
Then, A 3-man panel of inquiry was instituted to determine the authenticity of the video-tape.
The latest: The ACA has threatened to jail two whistle-blowers' whistle-blowers -- PKR vice-president and senior human rights lawyer R. Sivarasa and party staff, Sim Tze Tsim -- if they won't surrender the whistle-blowers behind the infamous tape.
Now, the voice has emerged: "Whistleblower will surface only at a Royal Commission of Inquiry".
On the principle of protecting the whistle-blowers and not killing the messenger, Screenshots a relevant press release in solidarity with the cause -- Remove the Fear Factor; Tipping Point is near.
Press Release 05 October 2007(FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE)
Whistleblower will surface only at a Royal Commission of Inquiry
(Kuala Lumpur) President of the People's Justice Party (KeADILan), Datin Seri Dr. Wan Azizah Wan Ismail today chided the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) in its attempt to charge two members of her party – vice-president and senior human rights lawyer R. Sivarasa and party staff, Sim Tze Tsim – for refusing to reveal the source of the videotape that has scandalised the nation.
The videotape shows a conversation between lawyer VK Lingam and purportedly, the current Chief Justice, Tan Sri Ahmad Fairuz, where the fixing of judges sympathetic to the government was said to have occurred.
"The ACA should be after the offenders in the videotape, and not the messengers or the whistleblower.
"Unfortunately, this latest action allows the ACA to be perceived as yet another tool of the government, protecting those who are corrupt instead of victims of corruption," she said.
Dr. Wan Azizah, who is also the Member of Parliament for Permatang Pauh, stressed that her party will go out of its way to protect, not just the two party members, but any member of public who has information on corruption and the misuse of powers.
"We will stand by these two men and the source of the videotape, and my party will never compromise any source with information on corruption to the authorities, until immunity is guarantee for the whistleblowers.
"In this case of the 'Lingam tape', the source will only surface at a Royal Commission of Inquiry," she added.
Dr. Wan Azizah also said KeADILan will be initiate discussions with other political parties and civil society, to come out with a Whistleblowers Act in Malaysia.
"We have been talking about having Whistleblowers Act for many years now, but this has been cast aside by the government who claims whistleblowers will be protected.
"It is clear that this is not true, and the time has come for us to begin work on this crucial piece of legislation."
(END)
I will link to a related press release by ALiran later.
Comments
The authenticity of the tape and the degree of probability that the 'Lingam/????' conversation did take place can be established without the need to expose the whistleblowers. Phone records , voice analysis or other technical measures have nothing to do with the identities of the whistleblowers. Unless the tape was shot by a hidden and remote controlled camera, Lingam (assuming a body double was not in use!), ought to know who the whistleblower was. Where is the common sense, if any, in our government departments/agencies/ministers?
Posted by: birdseye![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.jeffooi.com/nav-commenters.gif)
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October 6, 2007 12:39 PM
What sort of protection is the de facto law minister Nazri talking about?
“We protect whistleblowers from being made known to the public, not from the authorities”. Anwar Ibrahim was quick to point out that ACA had said it was willing to protect the identity of the source, but it could not guarantee the personal safety of these whistleblowers. So a Royal Commission is the way out.
The purpose behind all life lessons is learning how to overcome our fears, for doing so is the only way that we can let go and move on with our evolution as conscious beings.
Now ACA has secretly recorded statements from that famous lawyer and the prominent businessman and with the Statement from Anwar; can the so called independent Panel come to a conclusion on the Clip authenticity without the source being revealed?
More details at:
http://powerpresent.blogspot.com/2007/10/aca-got-statements-from-video-clip.html
Posted by: mwt![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.jeffooi.com/nav-commenters.gif)
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October 6, 2007 12:45 PM
We are not like watergate when the media was free to investigate executive malfeasance at the highest level.
Nazri should have taken that perspective in mind when he shot off (again) that the law protects the whistleblower from being identified in public.
In the first place, the law is the one that is being judged. It is integrity of the judges that is at the heart of the matter. So how can any whistleblower trust that his identity will be safeguarded from leakage by the very officers of the judiciary whose institution is being investigated?
In the second place, the govt has taken a very unproductive and negative approach on the benefits of whistleblowing.
On the one hand it says it wants greater transparency and accountablility.
Then on the other hand it hastens to penalise those who try to deliver these virtues.
Is this government practising lip-service only or double-standards, or both?
If say one day one of Nazri's relatives blows off something sinister, would he apply the same principle of protecting the identity of the relative from the prying eyes of the public, knowing full well that even a six-old child going to a pasar malam to buy hairclips cannot be safe in this marvellously modern state of assassinated branch leaders, rifled ex-police chiefs' residences, gated enclaves, cctv's, gurkha guards, road humps and double-priced cranes?
Elsewhere shar wrote about pixelation of the full video to protect the identity of the video-shooter; there's also the matter of mobile operator records of caller-called, and other digital signatures. Why not announce now what has been done so far about these things first instead of beating around the bush with a flat-panel, ACA charges etc.? The rakyat didn't vote for Umno to play sandiwara when caught in the act of cheating the rakyat and nation.
Come on, the world is looking, the people know, this govt is already on the dock.
If there is a hypocrisy index, Umno's right at the top.
Posted by: Neil![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.jeffooi.com/nav-commenters.gif)
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October 6, 2007 02:50 PM
Can we trust the law,Nazri?
Posted by: kehoe![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.jeffooi.com/nav-commenters.gif)
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October 6, 2007 04:57 PM
They're just stamping all over the place to raise more dust, beating about the bush trying to show action but totally avoiding the vipers whose heads are already in the snares, but who are of their same kind. We have not even one single personality the likes of "Justice Bao" whom the cornered can look up to for protection and find justice. It looks that bad...
Posted by: LC Teh![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.jeffooi.com/nav-commenters.gif)
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October 6, 2007 05:28 PM
ahaa jeff ... just like what i predicted earlier in your earlier post on how this scandal is gonna handled ... right on the spot ...
new scandal but old same tactic ... the govn always win as long as the people return them with 2/3 majority ...
cheers ...
Posted by: StockTube![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.jeffooi.com/nav-commenters.gif)
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October 7, 2007 12:07 AM