Malaysia: Get serious about graft<\/p>\n
Sin Chew Daily, Asia News Network, Selangor, Malaysia<\/p>\n
Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi revealed lately
\nthat Anti-Corruption Agency's statistics showed that 1,342
\nMalaysians had been apprehended for alleged involvement in
\ncorruption cases between 1998 and end of last year. Among those
\narrested, half of them were civil servants.<\/p>\n
Although many Malaysians have grown accustomed to the rampant
\ncorruption, bribery and malpractice, the Deputy Prime Minister's
\nremarks continued to give us a shock.<\/p>\n
Corruption exists everywhere in this world, and pretty
\nfrequently too. No matter how developed a country is or how
\npowerful a politician can be, they can still have something to do
\nwith the chronic corruption problem.<\/p>\n
Corruption is everywhere, even in countries with well
\ndeveloped administrative systems such as Britain and the United
\nStates. A powerful politician like French President Jacques
\nChirac has also come under probe for alleged corruption when he
\nwas a mayor of Paris.<\/p>\n
Corruption among public servants is an old problem inherited
\nsince the last century, and will continue to be so in the 21st
\ncentury. If we are not going to do something drastic about it,
\nthe problem is set to deteriorate further to become a malignant
\ntumor which will imperil the whole society and nation.<\/p>\n
Statistics released by the Anti-Corruption Agency may just be
\na tip of the iceberg as many corrupt officials have so luckily
\nescaped the round-up operations.<\/p>\n
Corruption is generally an outcome of the following two
\nconditions.<\/p>\n
Firstly, personal attributes such as a person's behavioral
\nconducts, will-power and lifestyle. If a person is greedy, his
\nwill-power weak, and has a passion for extravagant life, he is
\nmore likely to accept bribes from others.<\/p>\n
Next we have the environmental problems. If the society is
\ncorrupt and everyone worships materialism, people will tend to go
\nall out for material gains or job promotions. If most people in
\nthe public or private organizations abhor corruption, abide by
\nthe laws and perform their jobs dutifully, the incidence of
\ncorruption will definitely be reduced.<\/p>\n
The government has offered numerous perks and benefits for
\npublic servants, including low-interest housing loans, car loans,
\nincentives, overtime allowances, medical expenses, etc. But why
\nare they still so corrupt?<\/p>\n
Some say the government should perhaps emulate the "carrot and
\nstick" approach of Singapore to effectively reduce corruption.
\nSingapore has done quite well because not only do her civil
\nservants enjoy attractive pays, they will also have to pay a very
\nheavy price if they try to be corrupt.<\/p>\n
In Malaysia, although the government has offered attractive
\nbenefits for public servants, it is nevertheless unable to wipe
\nout corruption mainly because we do not have strict anti-
\ncorruption legislation.<\/p>",
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