Article Search By : Mr. Wan Muhammad Isam

Source : https://www.sprm.gov.my/index.php?id=21&page_id=103&contentid=3193&cat=BKH

 

MEMBERS of society need to accept the fact that the symptoms of corruption in both the public and private sectors are increasingly harmful to people's lives, economic progress and national development. It has become a public secret that corruption in this country is structural and occurs at all levels in an organization, from the lowest level members to the highest management level.

Although various prevention and enforcement programs are carried out by every organization including the authorities, the problem of leakage, distortion and misuse of power continues to occur. Corruption in the public sector always attracts attention because it involves people's money which has a direct negative impact on the lives and well-being of the people as well as the progress of the country.

The two main factors that are seen to contribute to the symptoms of corruption in this country are people who want to get rich quickly and the weakness of the system that opens up space for corruption.

Recently, the country was shocked by the revelation by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) regarding the leakage of up to RM2 billion for the past three years as a result of the activities of a smuggling syndicate involving several customs officers at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) cargo. This once again proves the greed of a few dark-eyed law enforcers who managed to manipulate the weaknesses in the work operation system until the country suffered huge losses.

We have to admit that there are still significant weaknesses in the existing work systems and procedures and these need to be repaired immediately, that is, all existing gaps should be systematically closed so that the spread of corruption in a department can be controlled and prevented completely from the grassroots level.

For example, the corruption in some public agencies that was revealed earlier involved a few untrustworthy civil servants that are structural and cross various layers of job grades and it is inherited from one generation to another. Meaning, the prevention of corruption needs to happen at all levels from the bottom members to the highest leadership in the organization so that the culture that has been normalized can be eliminated systematically.

Thus, only comprehensive institutional reform by improving the weaknesses of the existing system is able to deal with the problem of white-collar crime including all public agencies.

In principle, the majority of civil servants perform their duties with full trust and dedication, and their integrity cannot be disputed. However, a small group that made this mess began to tarnish the good name of the entire public service, for example a drop of spoiled milk.

If they continue to give, they will start poisoning the minds of other colleagues, especially newly appointed officers, thus attracting more members involved in corruption. This means, we cannot close our eyes and ears with the assumption that this is just isolated.

Because the issue is getting serious, we cannot allow it to drag on to the point of harming the people and the country. Therefore, this problem needs to be solved systematically involving all government agencies as a whole.

To begin with, it is suggested that all government departments, especially enforcement agencies including the front line of security which are often exposed to the risk of corrupt practices and misuse of power, need to carry out a thorough internal cleaning and whitewashing process.

Immediately find and identify the virus in each agency before it spreads and becomes difficult to control. Those found to be involved should be subject to strict action including applying for services as a lesson and reminder to other members.

Review the effectiveness of the duty placement rotation system, especially law enforcement officers who work in sensitive areas and are more vulnerable to opportunities to be involved in corruption and abuse of power. If the system that has been practiced so far has not been successful in solving the problem, then it is good to study and make appropriate improvements including shortening the period of placement of officers in certain sections.

A system that gives excessive power to an official deserves to be re-examined. Don't give authority to an individual to make a big decision, including waiving checks at the entrance of the country because it can lead to abuse of power, instead there should be several layers or committees that play a role in making decisions or giving approval. Although it may seem a little bureaucratic, it will be the best and most transparent way in dealing with the problem of misuse of power.

In fact, the power given to an officer such as imposing a fine or arresting any individual who commits an offense will indeed open up opportunities for bribery activities where untrustworthy members will abuse this power and position to threaten or collude with criminals for personal gain . They consider this as the best opportunity to add extra income.

Weaknesses in the system can also be improved by reducing face-to-face contact between customers and officers in order to close the opportunity to give, ask or accept bribes. This can be done by fully applying digital services where each government agency should optimize information and communication technology (ICT) facilities in delivering services to their respective customers.

Efforts to make every employee aware of responsibility and trust as well as the evils of corruption must be continued periodically and all the time as a routine activity of every government agency as an initiative to prevent corruption.

As long as we do not fix and close all the loopholes in the system and deal with the attitude and greed of individuals, we will not be able to deal with the problem of corruption in this country.

Thus every individual, government and private agencies and authorities need to pay attention to systematic drastic measures as an obligation to prevent the symptoms of corruption from the grass root level.

Date of Input: 13/05/2024 | Updated: 13/05/2024 | muhammad.isam