The findings by the Special Branch that 80% of law enforcement officers and security personnel manning Malaysia’s borders are corrupt is alarming and embarrassing! Despite the fact that the resources allocated to MACC is getting larger and larger in the last 5 years, MACC has failed to make corruption a high-risk crime in Malasyia!
According to a written parliamentary answer provided by Minister in PM’s Department Pual Low Seng Kuan, MACC was given RM202.8 million in the year of 2011. The allocation was increased to RM287.3 million in the year 2015, an increase of 42%.
Not only that, the number of officers in MACC has also increased from 2264 in 2011 to 2549 as at February 2015, an increase of 12.6%.
However, despite the increase in resources, the number of convictions secured in court is quite the contrary.
In the year 2012, 345 cases were brought to court for prosecution, the number decreased to 318 in 2013, but bounced back a bit to 348 in year 2014.
Also in 2012, there were 339 case-based convictions after full trial, but the number shrunk to 265 in 2013, and further dropped to 245 in 2014, while the amount of bribe involved has also reduced from RM17,695,786.90 in 2012 to RM10,273937.77 in 2014.
That perhaps partially explain why Malaysia ranked the 62nd amongst 197 economics in an international survey which did not only rely on perception but also actual experience, that is the Trace Matrix compiled by the internationally renowned research agency RAND Corporation last year. On the contrary, Hong Kong was ranked the 4th economy with the lowest business corruption risk amongst 197 economies.[1]
Hong Kong used to be a city where institutionalised corruption penetrated every strata of society. However in 1977, 4th year since its establishment, Hong Kong ICAC dare to shut down a heroin racket at the Ya Mau Tei fruit market in West Kowloon where police had received kickbacks from drug dealers. Some 87 police officers were arrested on suspicion of taking bribes in the ICAC’s single biggest operation.
Will we see similar action taken by MACC, who is now in its 7th year since establishment, against those corrupted officers and security personnel at Malaysia border?
MACC plans to increase 150 officers every year until they have 5000 staffs in total. While I have no objection to increase the manpower of MACC, the Commission needs to prove to the people that they are not toothless tiger and it is not futile to strengthen the organization.