Article search by : Pn. Nurul Ezani Abdul Malek (Penolong Akauntan)

Author : Mohd Azrul Mat Said - Ogos 1, 2021 @ 11:15am

bhrencana@bh.com.my

Source : https://www.bharian.com.my/kolumnis/2021/08/845741/manfaat-teknologi-perangi-rasuah-pertingkat-integriti

 

Ironically, as the world struggles with the COVID-19 pandemic, corruption and abuse of power are also changing their nature, especially with the development of information technology.

The Global Economic Crime and Fraud Survey 2020 by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) shows the percentage of fraud cases involving consumers listed as the highest economic crime, at 20 percent, followed by bribery and corruption (18 percent); cybercrime (16 percent) and asset misappropriation (16 percent).

This shows the need for a policy that can catalyze and prepare all segments of Malaysian society to explore the world of digital and ever -evolving technology.

In addition, statistics from the Department of Statistics on the use and access of information and communication technology (ICT) by individuals and households last year showed an increase to 91.7 percent compared to 90.1 percent in 2019.

Household access to mobile phones and computers will also increase to 98.6 per cent and 77.6 per cent by 2020. This proves that the country is now adapting to new norms not only physically, but also online.The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) policy launched on July 1, facilitates the flow of information between government institutions, reduces information asymmetry between public officials and citizens, limits public officials' discretion, automates processes, eliminates intermediaries and reduces bureaucracy.

However, realizing its potential depends on political will, infrastructure, economic and social factors, internet access, confidentiality factors and the cost of ICT implementation in terms of infrastructure and training.On that basis, the government is constantly optimizing technological innovation in public administration. The Malaysian Anti -Corruption Commission (MACC) has introduced the MACCMobile application so that corruption complaints can be made using smartphones.

MACC recorded a total of 243 complaints on corruption from January to June last year compared to 521 for the same period this year. The increase in this report impacts public awareness in the fight against corruption.The public can also obtain information on government operations through various channels such as portal sites and smartphone applications such as MySejahtera.

According to the Malaysian Mobile Application Gallery (GAMMA), there are 190 applications developed by 97 government agencies that can be downloaded so far to ensure the public gets accurate information directly from the government.The fact is, vigorous technology optimization measures are being implemented all over the world. Openspending.org, for example, is an initiative to promote open knowledge and data on the budgets of a government or corporate company.It will create an online budget flow map.

Slovakia and Cameroon are adapting it, allowing their citizens to scrutinize the country’s financial data online.Argentines through PoderCiudadano launched the Dinero y Politica website aimed at looking at the financial position of an Argentine political party.Slovakia and the Czech Republic use the KohoVolit website to monitor the proposals and positions of election candidates before and after the election.

It also monitors the actions taken by the winning candidate whether it is in line with the promises made after gaining power from the election.Guatemala is a country where ‘immunity’ is a very serious problem, in part due to politicizing the appointment of judges. The Guatemala Visible website is established and regulated by the community, which monitors the election of the Auditor General, Attorney General, Public Advocate, Ombudsman and other key judicial officials.The Afghan Police Force in 2009 introduced a system of payment of salaries by telephone instead of cash before. Most police officers assume there is an increase in their salary, yet the fact is this is the first time they have received a full salary.Ten per cent of their salaries were previously paid to ‘ghost cops’ who had ties to top officials. Seoul introduced the Online Procedures Enhancement for Civil Applications (OPEN) database in an effort to increase operational transparency. The system allows the community to monitor public applications related to 70 municipal authorities have high corruption rates related to housing and development projects, environmental regulations and town planners.This database allows online monitoring of applications from officers processing applications, time allotted, reasons for delays in processing applications and reasons for applications being rejected.

The fact is, there are many more possibilities we can work on and adapt the technological advances brought along by 4IR in eradicating corruption. The cooperation of all parties, whether government, private, politicians and the community is needed in ensuring that any responsibilities entrusted to them are transparent and with integrity.Eradicating corruption should not lie in the rating papers or objectives of a company alone. As long as identity is not sown from now on it is feared we will forever be blamed by future generations for our weakness in eradicating corruption. 

 

Date of Input: 30/05/2022 | Updated: 30/05/2022 | nurmiera