Vijay47: Of late, abuse of authority and misappropriation of public funds have been so nonchalant and the evidence so overwhelming and damning that even in Malaysia of 1MDB fame, the carpet was no longer big enough and heads simply had to roll.

On the other side of town, going by headlines, one would believe that as Chicken Little feared, the sky is indeed falling down on Mara chief Annuar Musa’s head.

But wait a minute, he has been suspended allegedly for some football sponsorship, ostensibly only a “not for 1MDB personal benefit” indiscretion.

But what about the dancing elephants, how about the other shenanigans going on in Mara, Tabung Haji and Felda – the three bodies established of all things to protect Malay-Muslim interests?

It seems like the suspension is a bone to the barking dogs and it would be business as usual once the furore has died down.

If the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) is to be believed, perhaps this is the start of a long dry summer, a climate disaster that can only come to end when the 1MDB drought is done with.

Commentable: Rural and Regional Development Minister Ismail Sabri, Section 3(3) of the Mara Act states that the chairperson is to be appointed by the minister in charge. It does not mention the removal or suspension of the chairperson.

One suspects that the power to remove or suspend a rogue official lies with the Mara board members or otherwise they wouldn’t have done it in the first place. More importantly, Annuar himself accepted the outcome meekly.

Otherwise, he would have fought tooth and nail against the decision and ran off to see Ismail in tears. This suspension smells of an intensifying action that is coming along the way.

XED: Will Mara act against those of its officers who had made profits for themselves by buying in Mara’s name but using taxpayers’ money, Australian properties at inflated prices, and then getting into their own grubby hands the extra money from the Australian sellers and their agents?

Mara is a government agency supposedly dedicated to uplifting the position of the bumiputera poor. But the alleged crooks fool enough Malays by diverting their attention: some Malays will go on the rampage when told that their religion, language, culture and privileges are threatened by others, including Jews and non-Malays in Malaysia.

Mara board member confirms Annuar suspended

Chipmunk: Johor crown prince Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim had to reveal documents relating to the transactions of the sponsorship by Mara.

So this clearly says that MACC or PDRM (Royal Malaysian Police) is not capable of conducting their own investigation unless all the evidence are put right in front of their face.

I suggest that BN disband MACC since they don’t seem to have the budget to do their own research.

Vijay47: Tabung Haji, Felda, Mara, when we think of the quality of persons managing organisations such as these, we can hardly be surprised that the bodies are on the verge of insolvency and bleeding money in copious amounts.

Yusuf Yacob is a member of the Mara board of directors, he was present at the emergency meeting and yet he has no clue as to what had transpired and that too on a matter of such paramount importance as the chairman’s suspension. Chairman, not office boy!

Kingfisher: It must be sad for many Malaysians that Mara, which since its inception has been given prerogatives, legitimately to request and receive public resources for human development of a native community disadvantaged by colonial policies has declined under corrupt practices to becoming a source for the plunder of its monies by the very people entrusted to elevate the community.

This betrayal against a community’s development need is akin both as an aggression against the community and the nation. The alleged wrongdoers should be made to face due process of law for their default.

FellowMalaysian: I cannot imagine a seating Umno juggernaut being charged for abuse of power or misappropriation of funds. The script is not written in their veins. But I would like to be proven wrong.

Following suspension, MACC confirms probe against Annuar

Slumdog: Umno secretary-general Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor said that Annuar’s suspension “is in a government agency. It does not involve his post in Umno”.

I don’t know where Tengku Adnan has parked his brains. His sense of logic in trying to separate Annuar’s position in Mara with his position as Umno information chief is beyond comprehension.

Adnan, it is about the person’s actions and not the different positions he holds.

Don’t expect any criticism from Mara’s internal audit team. They will not bite the hand that feeds them by writing a damning audit report. I will call it courageous if they do, as it will be a career limiting move.

Vijay47: As we suspected all along, this MACC probe is nothing but a snow-job. Despite all the shady activities going on in Mara, Annuar is being investigated for some football sponsorship issue.

In the end, he will be found responsible but as there was no personal benefit, he is not guilty of any actual crime. It was only that his decisions were ill-advised, an unwitting mistake he has promised not to repeat.

Wazerman: This is part of house cleaning before GE14. All inside threats must be boxed up in a booby-trapped warehouse. Escape doors all sealed.

The switch is in the hand of only one person. Scratch his back and you shall be spared.

Gggg: Didn’t someone warn the politicians, “Just you wait”?

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