HE is arguably Malaysia’s most feared man. 

He has got seasoned police officers running scared. Senior civil servants ‎wonder if they will get the dreaded phone call or early morning visit. And ruling coalition politicians are wondering if this man’s single-mindedness and zeal is going to cost them dearly in the next elections.‎

Meet Dzulkifli Ahmad, the chief commissioner of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).

He became the country’s top graft fighter on August 1, 2016, after serving a long stint in the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) and like most other new appointees, issued the usual warnings Malaysians have grown weary of hearing: no stone unturned, rid the country of the corruption menace‎, etc.

So, when MACC started flexing its muscles and nabbing civil servants and businessmen for abuse of power and corruption, Malaysians didn’t bat an eye-lid. They had seen the show before.

During the Abdullah administration, the agency also moved with haste and went after the big and small. But after the push back from Umno warlords, the campaign to tackle money politics petered out.

Many Malaysians expected Dzulkifli’s initial burst of enthusiasm to flag. Surprisingly, it didn’t.

Late last year, senior officials of the Sabah Water Department were arrested and more than RM114 million in cash, unit trusts and properties were seized by MACC officers. 

The state water department officials were said to have amassed their wealth by awarding contracts to companies owned by family members. Three were charged with money laundering.

They were former director Awang Mohd Tahir Mohd Talib, 54, and his wife Fauziah Piut, 51. Both pleaded not guilty to 31 money-laundering charges involving RM59.1 million. 

They also claimed trial to two counts of possessing 575 pieces of jewellery and 346 other valuable items.

Retired deputy director Lim Lam Beng, 62, also pleaded not guilty to four money-laundering charges involving RM2.38 million. Their cases are still pending in court.

In January, Rural and Regional Ministry secretary-general Mohd Arif Ab Rahman and his two sons were nabbed in an anti-graft operation.

MACC officials conducted a 12-hour search at Arif’s house and found gold bars, 150 luxury handbags, branded watches and foreign currencies.

The gold bars, Australian and euro currencies seized were estimated at RM3 million. The designer handbags were from global brands, such as Chanel, Hermes, Dior, Louis Vuitton and Gucci.

But in February, Arif and his son Ahmad Zulkhairi were charged at the Sessions Court with just receiving S$200,000 (RM600,000), in relation to an electric and hybrid solar system supply project.

Eleven rank-and-file policemen have also been arrested this past week for graft, with one corporal found with RM800,000 in his house. 

While all these cases involved civil servants, the MACC under Dzulkifli has also targeted politicians.

The highest-profile politician nabbed thus far is Mohd Yusof Abu Hasan on four charges of criminal breach of trust (CBT and 11 charges under the Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorism Financing Act 2001).

The Malacca Umno politician was a former political secretary to Malacca Chief Minister Idris Haron and is popularly known as Yusof Soros.

The graft charges involve a total sum of RM19.3 million of which RM8.1 million were transactions under allegations of money laundering, while the remaining RM11.2 million are transactions under CBT allegations.

He has vowed not to stop and expects to arrest and charge more in courts every week. Malaysia waits to see if he can eradicate corruption from among the civil service and politicians.

Not everyone is pleased with the MACC’s regular parade of shame of civil servants. 

There is growing disquiet among Umno politicians who are concerned that the glare of the spotlight on the civil service could result in a backlash against the ruling party in the 14^th general election.

Their concern is not without foundation since civil servants have been grumbling about being unfairly targeted in the corruption sweep so that the Najib government can burnish its anti-corruption credentials in the run-up to GE14.

Voters from the public sector have been traditional supporters of Barisan Nasional and Umno strategists understand that it would be disastrous if this idea of civil servants being made scapegoats gets any more traction.

For their part, civil servants are puzzled why only few politicians have been picked up in the MACC dragnet, especially since the graft fighters are going after those living beyond their means.

The Malaysian Insight understands that Prime Minister Najib Razak is aware of the disquiet but has so far left Dzulkifli to get on with the job.

The million-ringgit question: is this arrest and prosecution frenzy by the MACC sustainable or will the push back by “system” be too powerful? – May 22, 2017.