‘MACC and Anti-Corruption Crusade’

All Malaysians, regardless of ethnics and way of life are eager to see what operational course taken by SPRM/MACC which has been commissioned as an Independent agency against Corrupt Practices and other related offences . This does not mean that we are impatient to see their assignment done. This is neither a verdict that we desired a hasty, emotional, sentimental and panic driven feeling towards anti-corruption crusade.

However the agency should be aware of the public perception and expectations. The inability of the agency to meet the public perception and expectation will lead to the agency being tagged as “toothless bulldog.” Minimise the gap between what MACC deliver and what our public expect, and what MACC can do about it

No doubt fighting corruption needs strategic, scientific and careful approach, with no room for rhetoric, contending that the crusade should not be about going after the petty ones in the society alone. The big guns should also be in their list without fear or favor. Pak Lah, our ex-premier has put MACC on the right track. The days of hypocritical grand-standing are over. Fight against corruption, status and stature count for nothing. The only thing that counts is integrity and sincerity. The mandate of the agency, known to the public is to investigate and prosecute offences under the appropriate act or any other law prohibiting corruption.

Beside that, the agency should also educate the public on the ills of bribery, corruption and related offences and enlist and foster public support in combating corruption. The best way to ensure a durable and sustainable fight against corruption is to educate our people within all sources available.

The agency should burst out and get cracking. Persuading our citizen to report corruption to appropriate quarters and if possible reward them. My justification is that earlier attempts to fight corruption had been spasmodic and half-hearted. Those were the days of the national cake syndrome when the citizen of all levels grab whatever he or she could lay hands on regardless of the illegality of the act. As for the communities, they have the responsibility to rebuild itself as the nucleus of a value driven society.