Asia-Pacific Fraud Survey: PR Has No Moral Ground To Preach About Integrity

Latest report of the Asia-Pacific Fraud Survey Series 2013 has ranked Malaysia as one of the most corrupt nations.  Malaysia’s corruption is said to be doubled the average Asian Pacific rate of 21%.  Hence, the opposition media was fast to pick up the report and elaborate it as per their preference.

103 executives in Malaysia had participated in the poll.  Overall, there were 681 executives, senior managers and working level employees had responded to the poll from March to May 2013 across the Asia-Pacific. 

Since there is no such thing as squeaky clean government or organization anywhere, anymore - even those bearing the names of religion, therefore, refuting the findings would make a person an apple-polisher, if not the most pathetic un-informed person on earth. 

However, concluding the findings from feedbacks of 103 executives out of 29 million population is almost ‘slapstick’.  Which only led us to a question on ‘how ‘un-corrupt’ is the organizer of the survey’?  Or how do we know that the questions in the polls are not misleading, biased?  And who are these executives who responded - the race, background and etc.? 

In Malaysia, background and race play the most important role in terms of ‘opinion’ and ‘perception’.  One must either be the most naïve or the greatest hypocrite of all, to deny the fact. 

As expected, the oppositions decided to make a ‘groovy party’ out of the report by noisily calling the government weak and corrupt to the core.  Sarawak’s Taib Mahmud,  Minister Nazri Aziz’s son’s million ringgit house and even Datin Seri Rosmah’s Permata project were quoted as prove of corruption of the government. 

But the opposition chose to forget about Anwar Ibrahim’s luxurious lifestyle or Lim Guan Eng’ssPICE project or Nik Aziz’s son-in-law’s assets or Khalid ‘the sandman’ Ibrahim’s business. 

These are perceived as corruption too, and the 103 executives who answered the poll could have referred to these issues for all we know. 

We can tell that the government is very serious about combating corruption.  Where there is proof, even the BN leaders could not get away with it.  Khir Toyo is just one of the many BN leaders who had to face the music for involving in ‘fishy’ deals or transactions. 

On the other hand, the oppositions have no problem with corruption involving their leaders.  As a result, up till this date, many of PR leaders and members have chosen to quit the party when they could not compromise the internal manipulation and corruption any further.   And let’s not forget that one actually had to die, most probably to save his leaders of corruption charges, and that was Teoh Beng Hock . 

Isn’t it interesting to note that corruption rate in Malaysia increases as PR increases its power?   Any lay man is able to link the rising of ‘immoral business’ with corruption.  And isn’t it interesting that the rising numbers of these dark activities are palpable in a few states as soon as the oppositions obtained the power in those states?    

Rather than pointing fingers, the opposition might as well work together with the government to fight corruption.  And that, can be done by first, not closing the eyes on corruption involving opposition leaders.

Still, we cannot deny that there are so much room for improvement on this whole ‘fight against corruption’ cause.   If the fights are going steadily, then why do we find ourselves readily listing out issues that are perceived as obvious corruption on the side of the opposition, as well as the government?  

Therefore, it would be wise for the government to take note of the warning derived from the survey, which pointed out the failure of Pemandu (the government’s Performance Management and Delivery Unit) in its role to transform things to the better.  It’s about time the government tackle the matter from the very root, right to the outer surface – from perception right to the end result.