EVEN the most cynical among us is beginning to believe that the fight against corruption is finally real.
It’s becoming arduous for politicians to convince savvy Malaysians because we’ve been let down too often.
Haven’t we heard enough of the empty promises and pledges from politicians to fight graft, only to see them arrested for crimes they vowed to combat?
Then, there’s the proverbial compromise in seeking political arrangements and alliances.
Will we see ongoing corruption cases be dropped for political expediency?
How will Malaysia be judged and its campaign against graft be taken seriously?
Most of us no longer expect to see clean politicians. But this viewpoint isn’t endemic to Malaysia – the world’s population feels the same way, too.
Whether we live in a democratic or authoritarian state, the perception is that the rich and powerful elites live by a different set of rules, what with their strong connections.
No comprehensive survey is needed to determine the sentiments of most Malaysians on corruption and politicians because we have lowered our expectations.
Too many of us seem to think that politicians greasing their hands is a given.
But bribery is tolerated if the amount isn’t of global industrial scale like the 1MDB scandal. In fact, it’s even sanctioned if these lawmakers do a decent job.
We have become indifferent. As the South China Morning Post put it aptly, “from warships costing billions of ringgits that have yet to materialise and feared kickbacks in massive contracts for flood and 5G projects, a stinging corruption index rating suggests that Malaysia’s politicians have failed to get a handle on dishonest and fraudulent conduct – with many of the accused on rotation through different governments.
“Transparency International’s 2022 Corruption Perception Index, released at the end of January, gave Malaysia a rating of 47, on a scale of one to 100, where one equals the most corrupt.”
As horrible as it sounds, and I may be wrong, many people have fatalistic attitudes.
What more, there are even politicians who like to project themselves as religious yet are willing to be apologists for corruption.
Their stand against graft in Parliament or from their statements has barely been audible, but their strict restrictions for concerts, dress codes, and last week, their suspicion that Chinese new villagers could possibly have links to the communist party, have rung loud and clear.
PAS lawmakers may have a 100% attendance in the Dewan Rakyat, but we hope their participation is meaningful and intelligent on important subjects.
We hope they can expose government leakages, poor standards of governance and corruption, as is expected of the opposition.
By now, the series of actions against high-profile politicians, both present and former, along with their family members and aides, should have struck fear.
Hardly a day passes without an influential figure being arrested for questioning by the Malaysia Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) or charged in court.
While Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has said that the MACC will focus its efforts on curbing large-scale corruption cases, it’s necessary to send a message to enforcement officers, too, be it the police, immigration, or municipal councils, that they are being watched.
Ordinary Malaysians may not be part of those giving out wads of cash to politicians, but they must still deal with law enforcers, who are perceived to be on the take.
The approach has to be multi-pronged. Yes, the MACC has been criticised previously for not handling enough big cases, with the “sharks” being let off while the “ikan bilis” (anchovies) get caught in the net.
No doubt, the big names will get the page one treatment, but the fear factor must trickle down to the lower end too, just like Hong Kong’s Independent Anti-Corruption Agency (ICAC), when it launched its massive crackdown in the 1970s against institutionalised corruption that penetrated every stratum of society.
Sure, the MACC must be lauded for their almost daily arrests. Their hard work has kept the media busy with none of us wanting to lose out on news breaks.
The clean-up process has begun, but there’s no massive crackdown because there may not be enough people left to run the government or the institutions.
It may be far from the truth but that’s perception. And perception is all-important.
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Wong Chun Wai
Wong Chun Wai began his career as a journalist in Penang, and has served The Star for over 35 years in various capacities and roles. He is now group editorial and corporate affairs adviser to the group, after having served as group managing director/chief executive officer. On The Beat made its debut on Feb 23 1997 and Chun Wai has penned the column weekly without a break, except for the occasional press holiday when the paper was not published. In May 2011, a compilation of selected articles of On The Beat was published as a book and launched in conjunction with his 50th birthday. Chun Wai also comments on current issues in The Star.
