GE 13 : MACC Casts Its Net Wide With Proven Results

Once again Pakatan Rakyat has tried to generate a perception that doesn't quite fit with the reality. The coalition has targeted the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to try making the Government somehow look soft on corruption. But the reality is that the MACC has been successful in targeting corruption, with more than 700 people arrested in 2012 for giving and receiving bribes. Last month alone, 40 were arrested, including 15 civil servants.
In fact, MACC's conviction rate is now the highest since it was upgraded from the Anti-Corruption Agency in January 2009. In 2011, its conviction rate was 74 per cent, compared to 71 per cent in 2010 and 54 per cent in 2009.
A key reason for its growing success is the clear direction given by the Government to the MACC to clean out corruption and prosecute those responsible. The agency reports directly to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
With almost 6,000 public officers investigated for corruption in the last six years, the Government's resolve to root out the problem is clear.
The Government has provided the MACC more funds and personnel to target graft, and also set up 14 Special Corruption Courts in July 2011 to speed up corruption cases. In its election manifesto, Barisan Nasional has pledged to establish more such special courts.
Under Najib, the Government has introduced the Integrity Pact and the Corporate Integrity Pledge to ensure that the procurement process by the Finance Ministry is done in a transparent manner.
Yet much of Pakatan's criticism of the MACC revolves around the allegation that the agency only goes after the 'little fish' while the 'big fish' get away. But this is not true – the commission has recorded significant successes, arresting and bringing to court a number of menteris besar, former MPs, state assemblymen, CEOs, the general manager of a major firm, and even a deputy public prosecutor.
Some of the 'big fish' that the MACC has netted in recent years include former Sime Darby CEO Ahmad Zubir Murshid, Umno MP Abdul Rahmad Bakril, and former Selangor Menteri Besar Mohamed Khir Toyo.
Toyo was convicted by the High Court of knowingly purchasing two plots and a bungalow in 2007 at much lower prices than their actual value. He was sentenced in December 2011 to one year in jail, and his controversial properties were forfeited; a warning to corrupt politicians of all political parties that they would be held accountable.
From judges to politicians, no one is immune under the MACC. Among the commission's latest initiatives is the shaming of convicted offenders. Officials and companies found guilty of giving bribes are now blacklisted and their names added to the MACC's database of offenders, which is freely available on its website. The list of 1,118 people convicted of corruption serves as a warning that no one is above the law.
The MACC's efforts have been praised by international observers, including the co-founder of Transparency International, Michael J. Hershman.
The agency also won praise from Martin Kreutner, a prominent international anti-corruption figure, who described the MACC as one of the world's most esteemed anti-corruption agencies. Kreutner is the president of European Partners Against Corruption network (EPAC), and also the chairman of the Vienna-based International Anti-Corruption Academy (IACA).
As more cases are investigated and dealt with in Malaysia, there should be a greater perception of the corruption crackdown among the rakyat. But what is important is that BN has made the MACC into an independent professional agency that targets corruption at every level. This will ensure the long-term health of our polity and society.