What should the MACC do?

By LIM SUE GOAN
Translated by Soong Phui Jee
Sin Chew Daily



ANSWER : 


Time for the Law To Be Changed To Empower MACC To  "PROSECUTE"

It seems that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) is out of idea of how to improve the country's ranking in the Corruption Perception Index (CPI). It might need advices from those with insight to reverse in the shortest possible time the stereotype that the country is ineffective in curbing corruption.

Being ranked 60th in the Transparency International (TI) CPI 2011, Malaysia has suffered a decline for three consecutive years and this year is the worst since the first TI CPI ranking in 1995.

On 21 April 2008, the then Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Badawi announced that the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) would be made a fully independent body and be answerable to the Parliament. It has been upgraded to the MACC, but its performance has been declining. It has also been entangled by scandals, including the deaths of former DAP political aid Teoh Beng Hock and Customs officer Ahmad Sarbani Mohamed, as well as a case involving three MACC officers alleged to have robbed a money changer of US$300,000 at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) in Sepang.

MACC forms special team to probe NFC

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has set up a special team to investigate the National Feedlot Corporation (NFC) scandal involving cabinet minister Shahrizat Abdul Jalil's family.This is despite the commission saying last week that it had found no elements of corruption in the case, and had forwarded the matter to the police.

In a statement today, the anti-graft body said that the team is led by its investigation director Mustafar Ali (right).Confirming that it had received a new complaint on the matter yesterday, MACC said that it has in fact been collecting evidence since the issue was highlighted in the 2010 Auditor General 's Report.

"Most of the issues raised in the new complaint have been dealt with... The commission takes all complaints seriously and takes stern action without fear or favour," it said. 

Ex-IGP accused of 'sour grapes' over crime index

Malaysian Crime Prevention Foundation executive council member Robert Phang today took issue with the former inspector-general of police for allegedly casting aspersions over the performance of the police force.
Phang said in a statement that Musa Hassan had done so by calling for an independent body to measure the crime rates in Malaysia, to ensure independence and integrity of the index.

According to Phang (right), Musa has no standing to criticise the efforts of the police force today as it was during his leadership that crime rates were at an all-time high.“In effect, Musa is questioning the credibility of the statistics provided by the PDRM and Home Ministry about the reduction of crime rates in this country.

“It should be noted that the image of the PDRM was at its lowest during the time that Musa was the IGP,” he said.Accusing Musa of “sour grapes”, Phang said that by doubting the official crime index, the former top cop was attacking IGP Ismail Omar and his deputy  Khalid Abu Bakar, who had succeded in “reducing crimes and in making the country safer”.

MUSA HASSAN SHOULD STOP DEMEANING POLICE LEADERSHIP

PRESS STATEMENT BY:-
TAN SRI DATUK ROBERT PHANG MIOW SIN
Justice of Peace
Chairman – Social Care Foundation
  

1. On 3 December 2011, Utusan Malaysia reported that the former Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Musa Hassan was a keynote speaker at the 25th Media Criticism Colloquium organised by the Faculty of Communication & Media Studies, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM). Tan Sri Musa is reported to have said:
 
 "Kita selalu membaca atau mendengar mengenai penurunan kadar jenayah, tetapi rakyat masih   berasa tidak selamat kerana tidak yakin dengan maklumat penurunannya yang diterima itu,"

2. In effect, Musa Hassan is questioning the credibility of the statistics provided by the Polis DiRaja Malaysia (PDRM) and the Home Ministry about the reduction of crimes in the country. In effect, he is questioning the integrity of the present leadership of PDRM under current IGP Tan Sri Haji Ismail Omar and the Deputy IGP Dato’ Seri Khalid Abu Bakar in reducing crimes and in making the country safer

3. It should be noted that the image of the PDRM was at its lowest during the time that Musa Hassan was the IGP. Crime rate was very high and on the rise. He was embroiled in many controversies. His ADC wrote an open letter of allegation accusing him of creating a fictitious blog to frame Deputy Home Minister, Dato’ Johari Baharom, and called him a “pengkhianat bangsa”. Former OCCI KL Dato Mat Zin also accused him of fabricating evidence and perjury. There were allegations of corruption against him
including his complicity with an underworld operator Goh Cheng Poh @ Tengku Goh in the loan shark menace during that time. That resulted in six rank and file policemen and even the Director CCID, Dato Ramli Yusuff, being charged by AG Gani Patail. They have all been acquitted.

PKFZ embroiled in corruption poser again

Fresh allegations of corruption have risen over the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ), with Port Klang Authority (PKA) chairperson Teh Kim Poo saying the corruption allegations hurled at him are the work of a PKFZ senior manager who has been receiving bribes.

Teh (left), an MCA politician who took over the helm of PKA, the statutory body governing PKFZ, accused the senior officer of making at least RM18,000 in “under-table money” every month from his cronies, over the past five years .

He said the officer has been overseeing the PKFZ tender board and granting tenders to his proxies at higher prices.

“He earns a monthly salary of RM6,000 to RM7,000, but owns a big bungalow and drives a Mercedes Benz,” Teh told Malaysiakini when asked about the corruption allegations against him.