MACC under scrutiny
LIGHTNING appears to have struck twice at the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, and this time the damage will be lasting, unless swiftly repaired. A person in an extensive probe into the Customs Department, appearing at MACC, apparently on his own volition, was found dead from head injuries, having allegedly fallen three floors at its building in Kuala Lumpur. It would be wrong to speculate at this point on what actually happened, and the jumping to conclusions by some political parties and interest groups of MACC's guilt is uncalled for. The right thing to do is to insist on an exhaustive inquiry, as the prime minister has vowed. Indeed, Datuk Seri Najib Razak acknowledged that faith in MACC could be severely dented by the appearance of yet another body of a person who it had questioned.
It is now more than past time to reform critical aspects of MACC's operations, as MACC itself well knows. It had formed a review panel immediately after the death of political aide Teoh Beng Hock in July 2009, which recommended, among others, that interrogations should be conducted only on the ground floor. These safety measures are essential if MACC is to take a tougher line in its campaign against corruption. Case officers can be under pressure to produce results, and their subjects can be placed under similar duress. For a start, persons involved in MACC investigations must never be left alone while in custody. Everyone is agreed that corrupt practices are serious crimes that if unchecked would debilitate the country, and, thus, MACC must be equal to the task of interdicting them.
Malaysians cannot be lulled into believing that corruption is somehow necessary or subject to political calculation or to be pursued selectively. It should be prosecuted across the board, to include opposition politicians as much as government departments such as the Customs or Immigration. Given the deleterious impact of graft on society, an anti-corruption agency is an essential policing institution. It is where complaints are taken seriously, to be assiduously looked into. So crucial is its role that Transparency International, the global anti-corruption watchdog, has urged MACC not to lose heart while it undertakes urgent reforms. MACC's performance is key to both government and public support in its role of dragging the nation to the straight and narrow. Acting without fear or favour, the agency must inflict retribution on the corrupt and provide deterrence on terms that are beyond reproach. Coupled with appropriate sentences for offenders, such crimes can be quickly eliminated.
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