Citizen Nades - Give MACC more bite

Citizen Nades - Give MACC more bite

Posted on 21 July 2015 - 07:24pm
Last updated on 22 July 2015 - 12:57am
R. Nadeswaran
TWO notes on corruption landed in the inbox on Monday morning. One was from fellow columnist and former member of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) advisory panel Azman Ujang. The other was from current panel member and consumer activist Anwar Fazal.
Azman's note in part read: "How has been your experience at the MACC panel so far? We may have our ideas on how to make incremental change or some difference or impact in the fight against graft but corruption seems to be 'institutionalised or well-entrenched' that I feel the MACC and its various advisory panels haven't even touched the surface, let alone anywhere near to breaking the backbone of the scourge. The fear of committing corruption is not there, unlike in Singapore, for instance."
Anwar forwarded a bulletin issued by a regional investigator which could provide a possible "answer" to Azman's views. Thailand, the bulletin said, had amended its laws to make it an offence for foreign public officials, international organisation workers and state officials who ask for or accept bribes and for individuals and legal entities who offer or give bribes to foreign individuals or entities directly or through associated persons.
What was telling indeed was: "A severe penalty regime has been imposed for these offences including the death penalty or life imprisonment."
Even suggesting such draconian measures in our country would prompt international human rights groups landing on our shores, claiming that such penalties are "barbaric, heinous and ruthless".
Daniel Li, the former deputy chief at Hong Kong's Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) in a conversation remarked that it wouldn't work. It would encourage crooked officials, he said, to go for a big kill knowing what awaits if they are caught.
In Malaysia, it would appear that corruption is deep-rooted and to borrow Azman's words – "institutionalised and entrenched" in the system. Why has it come to this stage? The handful of "clean" ones are left by the wayside as some of the crooked and the corrupt climb their way into positions of power.
The authorities had previously closed one eye – perhaps both – when corrupt officials ruled the roost. Don't blame the enforcers because some suspects used loopholes in the law to get away. Some of the horror stories narrated by those in the know attest to this. But all is not lost – yet.
The Central Bureau of Investigations in India asks this question and provides the answer for the same on its website:
"We often see across ourselves corrupt public servants leading a lavish life style and having possessions much beyond their means. Can CBI take action against such public servants?"
"Most certainly. Possession of assets and incurring expenditure, which are beyond the known source of income of a public servant, is punishable. CBI requests the citizens to provide specific details about assets and expenditure of such public servants. Providing general and vague information, however, does not help. Upon receiving such specific details, CBI conducts discreet verification of the same and conducts raids at the premises of such public servants after registration of a criminal case, if the information is found as correct."
Even lowering the burden of proof from beyond reasonable doubt to balance of probabilities will lead to another "victimisation" accusation from protagonists and the legal fraternity.
Herein is our biggest weakness. Anyone can plunder from the state, then convert the black money and cleanse it into moveable assets and live happily ever after.
Efforts to amend the law to make it an offence for any public officer who leads a lifestyle or has assets not proportional to his or her income, has been pooh-poohed by the powers that be. Even the declaration of assets by our lawmakers has met with strong resistance.
Would a public servant be able to justify his RM30,000 golf set, a RM350,000 car and a RM500,000 house on a salary of just RM5,000 a month? Can he afford joining golf clubs which charge an entrance fee of RM150,000 and take golfing holidays with the family in Augusta and St Andrews?
Such signs are so ominous and yet, the MACC is not being provided with the proper ammunition to bring down such people.That is why our lawmakers, instead of squabbling on petty issues and making insensitive gender-discriminatory remarks, should be focusing on matters which require urgent attention. But will they, especially that some of them are also leading lifestyles which are not commensurate with their income?
R. Nadeswaran is editor (special and investigative reporting) at theSun. Comments: citizen-nades@thesundaily.com

http://www.thesundaily.my/news/1496463

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