October 9, 2025
KUALA LUMPUR – Despite the strong rhetoric to combat corruption, there has been lack of enforcement and accountability for decades.
IMAGINE Malaysia’s endemic corruption being eradicated within the next two to three years. That is between 730 and 1,093 days from now.
Fantastic notion or vain hope? There’s another apt expression to describe it: a pipe dream.
The origin of the phrase is linked to opium, a scourge of the world, including our part of it, during the 19th century.
Inhaling the drug through the opium pipe causes addicts to experience vivid otherworldly hallucinations and extraordinary fantasies.
Alas, the wistful dreams and delusions only last until the opioid-induced high dissipates.
When I read about Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s plan last week to clean up all forms of power abuse and the “mess” caused by corruption within the next two to three years, the mind conjured images of scrawny addicts puffing away on their bamboo pipes in dingy rooms.
The Prime Minister specifically mentioned going after the “big sharks” and high-profile individuals, in addition to the small fry abusers.
“I think if possible, within two or three years, we’ll clean up the mess. The message is clear: whether you are a minister, chief secretary, or director-general, if there is misconduct, we’ll come after you.
“If not today, then tomorrow. If not tomorrow, next year. Even if you are retired, if we find evidence from when you were in power, we’ll come after you,” he said at the 8th Series of the Madani Malaysian Intellectuals Forum on Sept 30.
But fantasy or not, he was right on this point: “This commitment requires uncompromising strictness towards any party involved, be it those in power or retirees.”
There’s the rub. Despite the strong rhetoric, there is too much public scepticism over the plan because of the stark reality – a constant lack of enforcement and accountability for decades.
To use a Malay adage, its always “Cakap tak serupa bikin”, or “Not doing what you say”, roughly translated in English.
Without firm political will to make systemic reforms, any new anti-corruption campaign would be seen as yet another hollow slapdash attempt.
On Oct 1, Anwar launched the “Keep Malaysia Clean” (KMC) Initiative aimed at shaping public attitudes to reject corrupt practices.
The blueprint, announced during the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission’s (MACC) 58th anniversary, is grounded in three pillars: Clean Values, Clean Society, and Clean Environment.
Given the deeply entrenched culture of corruption in the country, it is understandable that Malaysians look at KMC with much cynicism.
Engaging society and instilling integrity would require more than just top-down directives.
As Anwar himself has admitted, massive challenges exist within the governance framework, including resistance from the system.
Let’s take the Immigration Department, which is widely perceived as one of the country’s most corrupt agencies, as an example.
The department is recurrently in the news for its frequent, high-profile bribery scandals, the most lucrative of which is its “counter-setting syndicates”.
And this has gone on unabated since 2016, despite changes made to working operations, including barring officers from using their mobile phones while on duty.
According to reports, the syndicates allegedly involve senior immigration officers who recruit new staff into corrupt practices with non-cooperative officers facing ostracism from their peers.
Corrupt officers have been raking in between RM1,800 and RM2,500 to allow each undocumented foreigner to bypass scrutiny at airports, ports and border crossings.
MACC Chief Commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki has confirmed that on average, these rogue officers had been collecting between RM10,000 and RM50,000 a month depending on the number of people let through.
Last month, MACC nabbed 30 immigration officers and staff of the Malaysian Border Control Agency, in an operation spread over Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Negri Sembilan and Melaka.
The operation resulted in the freezing of 70 bank accounts worth RM3.3mil, seizure of RM2mil worth of jewellery and gold bars, RM200,000 in cash. a plot of land and a house, luxury vehicles, high-end handbags, watches and electronic devices.
The department has so far sacked 20 officers while 227 others remain under investigation.
But the 20 dismissed do not include top management level officers, whose cases have been sent to the Public Service Department for disciplinary measures.
Currently, the Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission (EAIC) is the authority to deal with misconduct within enforcement bodies.
But the EAIC is often described as “toothless” because it lacks the authority to enforce its recommendations nor take disciplinary action against errant officers, limiting its effectiveness in combating corruption.
Its powers are sorely insufficient to ensure accountability within enforcement agencies.
It can only make recommendations after investigating complaints and does not have the clout to enforce disciplinary actions against officers found guilty.
Also, recommendations made by the EAIC are not legally binding, meaning enforcement agencies can choose to ignore them.
Complaints against police officers, for example, are often not acted upon, contributing to a culture of impunity.
As such, the commission’s limited powers foster a culture of complacency and protect wrongdoers within enforcement agencies.
In addition to KMC, perhaps the Madani Government should also focus its attention on strengthening the EAIC.
For a start, it should expand its oversight and jurisdiction to include more than the 21 government agencies it now covers.
Why can’t existing laws be amended to provide the EAIC with greater authority and resources, such as empowering it to conduct independent investigations without external interference?
The EAIC should also be tasked with implementing mandatory public reporting of investigations and outcomes.
Such transparency can build public trust and deter corruption.
The commission could also actively develop comprehensive training programmes for enforcement officers focusing on ethics, integrity, and anti-corruption measures to help forge a culture of accountability within government agencies.
Another key area to strengthen is leadership accountability.
Heads of enforcement agencies should be held accountable for the integrity of their teams, and clear consequences must be spelled out for those who fail to uphold ethical standards.
Media consultant M. Veera Pandiyan likes this observation of ancient Greek storyteller Aesop: “We hang the petty thieves and appoint the great ones to public office.” The views expressed here are the writer’s own.