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7 June 2019
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“My job is clear. It is to go after corruption anywhere and everywhere it is found.”
PETALING JAYA: In her first message as chief commissioner of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), Latheefa Koya today vowed to put an end to corruption in the country, saying her duty is clear.
The prominent rights lawyer, whose appointment has been met with mixed reactions since its announcement on Tuesday, did not shy away from addressing the controversy.
“There have been many opinions expressed since my appointment was announced on the eve of Hari Raya Aidilfitri,” she said in a statement.
“Everyone is entitled to question, criticise or express their opinion, so that is all right.
“My job is clear. It is to go after corruption anywhere and everywhere it is found.”
With the support of the people and the officers in MACC, she said, Malaysia could be transformed into a society free from corruption.
She also said she would be looking at long-term measures to encourage a culture with zero tolerance for corruption, including through education.
“It is the fundamental right of every Malaysian to live, work and prosper in a corruption-free society.
“With God’s help, I hope to succeed in this task,” she said.
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Despite a flood of criticism following her appointment, newly-minted MACC chief commissioner Latheefa Koya has vowed to forge ahead with her mission – to turn Malaysia into a corruption-free country.
“There have been many opinions since my appointment was announced the day before Hari Raya Aidilfitri. Anyone has the right to question, criticise or issue their opinions. That is all right.
“My job is clear – that is to combat corruption wherever (it is). With the support and encouragement of the people and my officers at MACC, we will change Malaysia(ns) to a community allergic to corruption and free from corruption,” she said in a statement sent out on her first full working day on the job.
Latheefa, who was, prior to her appointment, a long-time member of PKR and Lawyers for Liberty executive director, said she would asses long-term approaches, including education, to create a culture “intolerant” of corruption.
“It is the right of every Malaysian citizen to live, work and prosper in an environment free of corruption.”
https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/478811
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5 June 2019
Excerpts from:
https://twitter.com/melissa_ms/status/1136070454894981120
KUALA LUMPUR, June 5 — Latheefa Koya has made history by becoming Malaysia’s first-ever woman to head the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).
Latheefa is the fifth MACC chief commissioner, taking over from Datuk Seri Mohd Shukri Abdull.
In fact, Latheefa is also the first woman to be appointed to be in charge of the country’s anti-corruption authority, including MACC’s predecessors Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) and National Bureau of Investigations (NBI). (All 13 before her, including Shukri, were men).
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Here’s a bit of Latheefa’s background, based partly on past media interviews:
Latheefa, 46, grew up in Petaling Jaya and studied in schools there, such as Taman Petaling Girls School and the Assunta Girls School.
She worked and studied at the same time for her law degree which she obtained from the University of London in 1997, before being admitted to the Malaysian Bar as a lawyer on February 8, 2001.
Since May 2002, Latheefa has been attached to the law firm Daim & Gamany, where she is a partner.
The law firm — which was co-founded by former minister Tun Daim Zainuddin and the late civil rights lawyer S. Thaivasigamany in 1968 — is perhaps best known for taking on public interest and human rights cases. (Daim is currently not a practising lawyer).
The law firm is listed as having four other practising lawyers as of November 2018, including Eric Paulsen (former executive director of human rights group, Lawyers for Liberty) and Melissa Sasidaran (who was named Lawyers For Liberty executive director yesterday).
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A passion for human rights
Latheefa co-founded Lawyers for Liberty (LFL) in 2011, where she acted as adviser until she took up the position of executive director in LFL when Paulsen became legal director of Fortify Rights in June 2018. (Latheefa has resigned from LFL to take up her appointment as MACC chief).
According to the LFL website, Latheefa had in the past taken part in the Bar Council’s Legal Aid Centre, Refugees and Migrants Clinic, Immigration Law Reform Committee, as well as human rights group Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram) and the Gerakan Mansuhkan ISA movement against the now-abolished Internal Security Act.
Latheefa was also on the legal team that defended many politicians and activists against sedition charges in court, back when the Sedition Act was heavily used by the Barisan Nasional (BN) government during Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s administration in perceived attempts to quash dissent.
Those who she represented in sedition cases include Paulsen, PKR vice-president Chua Tian Chang, lawyer N. Surendran, the late PKR state assemblyman Mat Shuhaimi Shafiei, cartoonist Zunar or Zulkiflee SM Anwar Ulhaque, and student activist Adam Adli Abdul Halim. (They all had their sedition charges dropped or convictions set aside by the courts).
She was on the legal team defending PKR’s current president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in his second sodomy case in court. Anwar last year received a royal pardon and was released early from imprisonment.
Latheefa was also the lawyer for former bank clerk Johari Mohamad, who was charged along with PKR vice-president Rafizi Ramli over the leaking of bank documents relating to various accounts, including the National Feedlot Corporation’s (NFCorp), in what some view as whistleblowing on the controversial company.
One of the high-profile cases which Latheefa was handling together with other lawyers such as Surendran was that of two Malaysia-born boys known as *T and *L, who were finally granted citizenship by the Malaysian government after being stateless for years.
The two boys were part of many stateless cases that Latheefa was dealing with, including that of Klang-born Roisah Abdullah, who was born to a Malaysian father and foreigner mother. (Roisah, who is under the care of minister Zuraida Kamaruddin, received recognition of her citizenship in March this year).
Interest in politics
Latheefa was one of four women among 24 councillors in the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ), serving in this role from June 2008 until July 2012.
Other than that, she had been fairly active in politics, having in the past held positions in ruling party PKR, such as central committee member and legal bureau chief.
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4 June 2019
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[Infographics] Profile of MACC Chief Commissioner Latheefa Beebi Koya
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https://twitter.com/sumishanaidu/status/1135834373247315968
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https://twitter.com/esshankar1/status/1135810694757007360
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PETALING JAYA: Opposition leaders have raised questions over the appointment of Latheefa Koya as the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief, with MCA president Wee Ka Siong asking if the former PKR member will be “impartial and unbiased”.
“Her appointment is mind boggling and runs counter to the promise by Pakatan Harapan to ensure that a professional MACC personnel would head the commission,” Wee said in a statement.
“Even though Latheefa has announced her resignation from PKR to take up the post, the independence of the MACC is now in question. Where is the impartiality, integrity and credibility of the MACC now?
“The image of the MACC is in tatters and any right-minded person would not condone her appointment, including even the PKR leadership.”
The Ayer Hitam MP said it would have been more appropriate to appoint a successor from within MACC to succeed Mohd Shukri Abdull, whose contract was allowed to expire ahead of its deadline on May 17, 2020.
Wee said he was told that the news came as a shock to the Cabinet.
He asked if this was an arbitrary decision by Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad and if the Cabinet was aware of it.
“I feel disturbed for PKR president Anwar Ibrahim as it was well known that Latheefa has always targeted Anwar,” he said.
“I hope her appointment is not some grand conspiracy scheme to stop Anwar from becoming the next prime minister.
“I hope we will see some sense of impartiality on her part in this highly questionable appointment.”
Wee said MCA’s position is clear that no active politician should head MACC or other security agencies.
“Privately, PKR leaders regard Latheefa as a loose cannon,” he added, referring to Latheefa’s vocal stance on party issues and Facebook posts on current affairs. “One cannot help but wonder if she is a suitable choice for the role.”
Latheefa has since deactivated her personal Facebook account. Only her Twitter account remains.
Umno Youth chief Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki said it was “a dark moment in the history of the country” when PH appointed the former PKR central committee member to helm MACC.
He questioned PH’s promise to make MACC independent and with integrity in the fight against corruption.
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weehingthong 