Thesun 2008-12-24 Page14 Year In Review 2008

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theSun

| WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 24 2008

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by Tim Leonard

DESPITE some headlinegrabbing action this year in the battle against graft, perception of corruption in Malaysia has yet to improve. So it was on a note of hope that the year ended, with both the Dewan Rakyat and Dewan Negara endorsing the Malaysian AntiCorruption Commission Bill. This powerful anti-graft body is one of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s last acts of office before he hands over power to his deputy Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak in March. Although Abdullah “gave birth” to it, it is Najib who will have to nurture the “baby” by feeding it strong political will and commitment. But even in the run-up to this historic law-making event, the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) had made quite a few headlines this year. At one stage, it seemed more open and forthcoming with information on its enforcement activities. But except for a few big cases, the others – the “ikan bilis” – were not given much play in the media. The agency arrested no fewer than 580 individuals for alleged corrupt practices this year, and charged several politicians, heads of government departments and businessmen. The court process, however, is slow and laborious and results of prosecution are not seen until years later, which, in a way, affects public perception. Agency statistics showed that bribes exceeding RM45 million changed hands during the first 10 months of the year, with properties worth RM8.8 million confiscated and fines worth RM1.3 million collected. The year was also a transitional period for the agency, especially coming from 2007 when it was subject to a lot of harsh criticisms from the public, politicians and the media following a police investigation on its then director-general, Datuk Zulkipli Mat Noor, for alleged corruption, abuse of power and sexual crimes. The ACA’s image was tarnished and many lost confidence in the operations of the agency. When Datuk Seri Ahmad Said Hamdan took over the top post in mid-2007, he had his hands full restoring ACA’s image. And then came the government proposal to make the ACA independent as a commission that reports directly to Parliament, something that the people had been asking for. Against this scenario, Malaysia still lagged in the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) survey conducted by

Wahid

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Battle against graft Transparency International (TI). The country’s ranking declined to 47 out of 180 countries in 2008, compared to 36 out of 91 countries in 2001 and 43 out of 179 countries in 2007. Malaysia’s CPI score remained at 5.1, the same as in 2007. This year was notable for the arrest of two directorgenerals, shortly after the new ACA boss took office. On July 10, after detailed surveillance work, ACA officers swooped in and arrested Immigration Department director-general Datuk Wahid Md Don and six others, including two businessmen, for alleged graft. The seven, aged between 35 and 64, were arrested at various locations in the Klang Valley. On Aug 19, Wahid, 56, was charged in court with receiving a RM60,000 bribe from a businessman to speed

Yusof

up the approval of visas for 4,337 Bangladeshi workers. He pleaded not guilty. He allegedly received the money from Datuk Low Chang Hian at his house in Jalan Lembah Ledang, off Jalan Duta, on July 10. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in jail and a fine of up to five times the bribe involved or RM10,000, whichever is higher. Wahid’s deputy Yusof Abu Bakar also faced the rap later for allegedly accepting bribes for the extension of China visit passes in separate court dates. He was charged and claimed trial in the Klang sessions court to four counts of graft for allegedly accepting bribes amounting to RM35,600 earlier this year. He was also charged in the Petaling Jaya session’s court with accepting a bribe of RM5,500 to approve the extension of China visit passes. He also pleaded not guilty. In August, newspapers had a good run of anti-graft stories.

Mirza

The “biggie” was the arrest of Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board director-general Datuk Mirza Mohammad Taiyab, who was subsequently charged in the sessions court at Jalan Duta for allegedly accepting dental treatment worth more than RM13,860 which was paid by Syarikat Perunding Pakar Media Sdn Bhd director Zulhisyam Ayob when he was deputy director-general. The company belongs to Mirza’s brother.

Osman (left) and Jamaluddin (right) going through the writ of summons before filing a defamation suit against the ACA, at the Ipoh High Court on Aug 25, for detaining them on suspicion of alleged graft and sexual bribery.

This year was notable for the arrest of two director-generals, shortly after the new ACA boss took office. This was followed by the arrest of two Perak exco members – Jamaluddin Mohd Radzi and Mohd Osman Mohd Jailu – together with four others on suspicion of alleged graft and sexual bribery involving more than RM100,000 in connection with a RM180 million Seri Iskandar housing project. Lenggeng state assemblyman Mustafa Salim, 50, was also nabbed for receiving a RM2,000 bribe from a contractor at a restaurant in Mantin, Negeri Sembilan, over the issue of sand mining. The busy ACA also netted 55 people, more than half of whom were Puspakom employees, for alleged corruption in a nationwide blitz. They allegedly earned up to RM1,000 each a day or RM55,000 a month “in takings” from owners of vehicles sent to Puspakom’s vehicle inspection centres.

Others detained include agents or runners who were in cahoots with Puspakom’s traffic wardens and vehicle examiners to carry out inspections on “problematic” vehicles without following standard operating procedures and approving tests on vehicles without actually sending them for inspection. There were several reports of the ACA probing certain high-profile cases, but these have not yielded any action. The one to note was the interview of Inspector General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan and Attorney-General Tan Sri Gani Patail for their statements over an abuse of power report lodged against them by Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. No action has resulted so far. The agency also started investigations into the Eurocopter helicopter deal after receiving several reports from Parti Keadilan Rakyat leaders. Again, nothing came out of that. The ACA has acted on many small cases. Perhaps this case is noteworthy: A pisang goreng seller whose “hobby” was to bribe enforcement officers was arrested. The man’s monthly income is said to be RM20,000. He bribed the officers every time they checked the permits of his foreign workers, as he was operating more than 10 stalls around Kuala Lumpur with each stall earning about RM500 a day. While anti-graft action does not discriminate against big or small fish, it is the arrest and prosecution of powerful but corrupt individuals that will move public perception. The pressure is now on the MACC – and the ruling government – to prove their worth. Friday: Civil and political rights in Malaysia