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Economy 101: Hawala System – Economy Treason Or Alternate?

Hawala Economy Money Laundry

(The economy from the dark side of the world that does not follow the standard banking terms and rules counts on a well-oiled hawala system to handle its millions – source: IMF)

This should have caused alarms to go off in the offices of the PM, MACC, Police and any other law enforcement agencies linked with the fight of corruption and finding and prosecution of traitors of nation’s economy:-

The case came out in the open when Batu MP Chua Tian Chang revealed that Negri Sembilan MB Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan had used Salamath Ali money changers in KLCC Suria to send RM10 million to London.

The money changer lost its licence and its shoplot is now closed, ostensibly for renovations.

Money changers say however that authorities should not focus on the hawala system but rather on why some politicians have access to so much money and moving it abroad.

(Source: The Malaysian Insider)

The money changers are right – why the authorities (in this case, Bank Negara) are focussing on the lesser side of the problem when questions should have been raised is how did the politicians be able to gather so much money and have the nerve to be sending the millions overseas illegally?

And in the case of money changers – was the only sanction provided is revoke of license and nothing more? How many of them have been jailed and fined severely so that the next one who been asked to transfer money illegally will think twice before acceding to the request for high commissions?

Politicians sending millions of cash illegally overseas and been made known to the public only confirms that:-

1. There is a widespread corruption and misuse of public funds in Malaysia and it is getting out of hand, and

2. The so-called enforcement agencies seems powerless (prove us wrong) when it comes to enforcement against well connected politicians from the ruling parties.

By right, the fact that the money changers were caught “red-handed” should have been a wake-up call for many of the enforcement agencies that this “tip of the iceberg” cannot be allowed to be continued with one closed eye for long. Interpol cites that in the hawala system, there is a lack of paper trail and leads to tax evasion.

Not when the interest of the nation as a whole has become secondary to corrupt individual’s interest, as one reader in Malaysiakini commented:-

They are not leaders but robbers in suits who robbed the rakyat’s money and then used the state apparatus to prevent anyone from bringing them to justice

There is no wonder why many Malaysians are afraid that it will be just a matter of time before Malaysia ends up becoming another Zimbabwe in Asia – certainly when corruption is riding high and fine in Malaysia.

It’s high time the so-called enforcement agencies get down to real business and dirty their hands catching these economic traitors.

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