MACC should be free and truly independent

It'll never catch the truly big fish if it continues depending on government officials to hire and fire its staff.

COMMENT

By Ramon Navaratnam

In a recent press interview, MACC chief Tan Sri Abu Kassim Mohamed referred to a United Nations recommendation that the anti-graft agency have its own independent service commission to hire and fire its staff instead of depending on government officials to shoulder that responsibility.

He maintained that the MACC was “truly independent”, although his appointment and tenure are presently not secured under the Federal Constitution, as in the case of our judges. Hence, our commissioners may not enjoy the same level of self confidence and real independence that our judges have.

This weakness could be a major constraint on the MACC’s fight against the scourge of corruption that is destroying our country. It may be an important reason why it is so difficult to catch more of the big fish. Although there have recently been some high profile arrests, the public perception is that the officers who were caught were not actually the big fat fish.

Tan Sri Kassim mentioned the MACC’s recently introduced “Transformation Programme”, under which team-based and forensic investigators go out to collect evidence instead of just responding to reports of corruption. This is all well and good, but how come we are still at the level of getting only a few senior naval commanders? Where have the kingpins of syndicates and the big-time corrupt players gone?

As long as the MACC catches only the relatively small fish, the public will maintain its perception that the agency is not very effective in fighting corruption.

After all, despite all the transformational measures the MACC has taken, the Transparency International Index still shows dismal results for Malaysia. The International Corruption Perception Index (CPI) ranks Malaysia at only 50th place among 175 countries.

So how are we to become a credible developed country by 2020? Climbing up three places in the CPI ladder last year is good, but it’s no big deal, especially considering our many achievements in other fields.

Imagine how much more successful Malaysia would be and how much more help our poor and under-privileged would get if we did much better in the CPI. We have to compare ourselves with South Korea, Singapore and Hong Kong, instead of the highly corrupt countries, to see how effective we are in combating corruption.

Public service inefficiency

We can of course blame the givers of bribes for the corruption in our country. That is reasonable. But we have to ask why businessmen and others indulge in corrupt practices in the first place. Is it not because of public service inefficiency? We find poor standards of service and corruption at, for example, the National Registration Department, the Immigration Department and the market place and among the police and politicians.

What about the major source of corruption that we all know as the Mother of Corruption, which is money politics? How come we still do not have stringent laws and tough enforcement against money politics during and between elections? We are perhaps going to see more money politics furiously at work in the forthcoming by-elections.

Indeed we must educate our people and particularly our youth about the crippling crime of corruption. But sadly some surveys have shown that many of our university students think that corruption can be condoned because it is rewarding. They say that if the rich and powerful can get away with corruption, then why can’t they? They brazenly ask, “Why can’t we too own big cars, houses, expensive watches and diamond necklaces?”

Hence it is important for the government to set the stage for a new culture of thrift, careful expenditure management and fair competition as well as greater openness and transparency in the award of tenders and contracts. This might raise our position in the CPI.

That would be our main goal, instead of taking too much pride in catching military commanders and low level civil servants while the big fish gleefully escape the net.

With the higher salaries now given to politicians by themselves (while the people suffer from rising inflation) it is hoped that Parliament will agree to change the Federal Constitution to enable a truly independent MACC so that it can do a better job, free from any constraints that could even be psychological in nature. Anyone’s promotion and tenure of service is always a sensitive matter.

We hope therefore that Parliament will seriously take the UN recommendation for the establishment of a constitutionally bound independent MACC. The Chief Commissioner and his team will then have the freedom to go all out to catch the real big fish that are now happily swimming around.

Then we will all shout, “Hurray!”

Tan Sri Ramon Navaratnam is Chairman of the Asli Centre for Public Policy Studies