MACC should shift focus to prevention and oversight to stop graft before it happens, saving taxpayers’ money in the long run.
WHY is corruption so rampant and pervasive in Malaysia? Almost daily, we are bombarded with news reports and announcements of arrests involving mainly public officials or civil servants by the Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).
We frequently see photographs and videos in the print and electronic media showing those arrested, dressed in orange MACC attire, being escorted to court to obtain remand orders against them.
These common scenes display the “success” or “effectiveness” of enforcement efforts, investigations, arrests and the subsequent prosecution of those involved in corruption.
Such routine measures have, from the very beginning, consumed the bulk of the budget and attention in Malaysia’s relentless fight against corruption.
If we look back at the 55-year history of our institutionalised anti-corruption drive or battle, the word pencegahan (prevention) was engraved in the name of entities such as Badan Pencegah Rasuah or Anti-Corruption Agency in the early years. And since 2009, the agency was upgraded in status to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission.
The key to long-term success in fighting corruption actually lies in the prevention of the scourge.
The situation is almost exactly like our healthcare system, where the Health Ministry’s annual budget of RM42 billion is largely spent on the salaries of thousands of medical personnel, the procurement of medicines and equipment and the operating costs of more than 150 hospitals and thousands of clinics across every nook and corner of the country.
We, as members of the public, have hardly seen any full-fledged or regular campaigns to create awareness for Malaysians to lead a healthier lifestyle and prevent the onset of various non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Yet, NCDs remain the country’s greatest health threat and are among the leading causes of death.
The answer to the question I posed at the outset as to why corruption is so rampant, with many even describing it as a pandemic, is quite obvious.
Corruption thrives or breeds because vast sums of money are constantly being channelled through projects, tenders and procurement activities within our massive public sector administration, all in the name of nation-building.
These activities provide unlimited opportunities for corrupt acts to be committed by individuals who abuse their positions of power in exchange for cash or other financial rewards.
If we examine the modus operandi of those arrested by the MACC, the most common denominator is the abuse of power for personal gain, with those involved receiving financial benefits in return.
In recent years, major cases have included a report lodged by a government-linked company concerning billions of ringgit already paid by the government for the construction of several naval vessels that had not even been built at the time.
There was also another case involving millions of ringgit paid for military helicopters, yet the aircraft had similarly not been delivered when the payments were made.
In this regard, there is an urgent need for the Finance Ministry – as the country’s ultimate paymaster in the country – to stringently check, double-check or even triple-check to determine if such projects or procurements have been delivered in accordance with contractual requirements before such substantial payments are dispensed.
So much taxpayers’ money has gone with the wind or down the drain due to such dereliction of duty and breaches of trust at various levels of the system.
There are many other similar examples. One only needs to read the annual reports of the auditor-general to get a feel of the massive leakages of government funds.
I strongly believe that the MACC needs to re-strategise its anti-corruption mandate by strengthening its capacity, capability and effectiveness in nipping corruption in the bud. In other words, it should enhance its intelligence-gathering and preventive capabilities to detect and stop corrupt practices before they are committed in the first place.
Once corrupt acts have been committed due to our inability to prevent them – whether because of ineffective checks and balances, weak oversight mechanisms or other factors – money has already been lost. The long and tedious process of bringing those responsible to justice further drains our resources. Prevention is always better and far more cost-effective than cure.
With the MACC having recently appointed its new Chief Commissioner, Datuk Seri Abdul Halim Aman, who took over after six years under Tan Sri Azam Baki’s leadership, how encouraging it would be if our anti-corruption efforts were redirected towards achieving greater success and effectiveness in preventing corruption from occurring in the first place.
The MACC’s routine standard operating procedures, which have long been its bread and butter, could be strengthened by introducing another key performance indicator (KPI) – its effectiveness in the area of corruption prevention.
It only stations its chief integrity officers at several key ministries and departments but whose tasks are unrelated to the nitty-gritty of verifying government tenders for projects or procurements.
I believe that moving forward, it would be a good beginning if the MACC were entrusted with this task, as its involvement could serve as a stronger deterrent and create a greater fear factor against corruption.
In this regard, former Auditor-General Tan Sri Ambrin Buang told me the MACC should randomly engage with key ministries and agencies responsible for processing high-value procurements (RM100 million and above) to send a clear signal that they are being monitored.
“Procurement is the main hub for fraud, corruption and leakages,” Ambrin said.
We Malaysians long for the day when the regular announcements of the arrests of suspects in corruption cases are balanced up with news of the MACC’s success in preventing corrupt acts from being committed at all.
Datuk Seri Azman Ujang was Bernama chairman, general manager and editor-in-chief. Comments: letters@thesundaily.com
