KUALA LUMPUR: Excusing civil servants who receive bribes because “they were coerced” into doing so will make Malaysia a global laughing stock, says Transparency International Malaysia (TI-M) president Dr Muhammad Mohan.
Questioning why these civil servants did not report it to the authorities, Muhammad said this flimsy excuse will be greeted with disbelief by international investors.
“Civil servants are there to provide good public service efficiently and protect taxpayers’ money – not to engage in corruption,” he said in response to the Congress of Unions of Employees in the Public and Civil Services (Cuepacs) secretary-general Abdul Rahman Nordin’s claim that some civil servants were pressured into accepting bribes.
Abdul Rahman had reportedly said this was among the complaints Cuepacs had received from public sector employees.
“Some have come to us saying they faced threats. If they refused (the bribe), they would receive bullets in the mail or their families would be harassed,” he had said in a statement in response to the 2024 Corruption Perception Index, which put Malaysia at 57th position among 180 nations surveyed.
Malaysia was also ranked 57th for 2023.
Muhammad said the business community continues to complain that bribery exists in the public sector, and it is important for the government to fix this quickly to change the perception about the civil service.
He said this was evident in the 2024 CPI, and what the country needs is an efficient and corruption-free civil service.
He dismissed Cuepacs’ claims as an unreasonable excuse based on faulty reasoning, while also giving the impression that civil servants were seeking to legitimise corruption.
Centre to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4) chief executive officer Pushpan Murugiah said serious questions must be asked about the inadequacies of the current system of safeguards and protections for civil servants in public-facing or decision-making positions.
“Do these civil servants not have sufficient trust in the whistleblower protection framework under the Whistleblower Protection Act 2010, and are there no secure internal reporting channels for them to resort to?” he asked.
He said in the Human Resource Service Circular UP.2.2.1, officers tasked with “sensitive roles” must be transferred between three to five years after being placed in such roles, with sensitive roles defined as those which involve direct interaction with the public in enforcing the law, processing applications or exercising discretion.
“We need to consider, is there more that needs to be done to protect officers holding these roles from undue influence or duress?
“Could there be additional security measures such as security cameras constantly monitoring these counters?” he asked, adding that all matters need to be evaluated by the government in order to ensure that public servants are protected in the course of carrying out their duties.
Meanwhile, Rasuah Busters argued that large-scale reform is needed to crush corruption among public servants, with the organisation’s chief executive officer Nurhayati Nordin saying that only by transforming the public sector as a whole will Malaysia’s CPI score improve and more importantly, see real progress in governance.
“To effectively combat corruption requires reform within key government departments.
“Simply enforcing rules is not enough. There must be a principled and unified approach to rejecting corruption,” said Nurhayati, who also encouraged civil servants to document any threats or undue pressure they experience as proper evidence is crucial for taking action.
Adding that action can only be taken if individuals come forward and report such incidents to relevant authorities, she said civil servants must be assured that they will be protected if they resort to whistleblowing.
“Now is also the time to strengthen whistleblower protection laws, ensuring that those who step forward feel safe and confident that their reports will lead to meaningful action.
“Corruption does not just affect financial and economic stability, it also threatens the safety and security of individuals, their colleagues and their families,” she said.
On Cuepacs, Nurhayati said she believed the organisation can serve as a mediator between civil servants, its members and the government.
“This is because Cuepacs engages directly with its members, some of whom may have reported threats and intimidation to themselves and their families.”
