Nabbing the black sheep in enforcement agencies
Major steps have been made, but there are still tons of challenges awaiting MACC in its graft-busting task.
By Sin Chew Daily
Three senior police officers from Melaka were detained by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to assist in the investigation into their alleged involvement in sheltering illegal gambling dens and massage parlours.
Among those arrested were the Melaka Tengah and Jasin police district chiefs. Of the only three police district chiefs in Melaka, two have now been detained for alleged corruption.
In the meantime, 16 police officers and cops from Bukit Aman narcotics crime investigation department have also been nabbed for colluding with drug trafficking syndicates, sending a strong shockwave across Malaysian society.
The police are an enforcement unit tasked with the mission of battling crime and maintaining social order. By taking bribes, these police officers have failed in the public’s expectations from them.
These black sheep have collaborated with illegal syndicates and condoned their illicit activities, disrupting the social order while giving rise to more problems in so doing.
The irresponsible acts of a handful of corrupt officers have tarnished the image of the police force. Once the public have lost their faith in the police and are unwilling to extend their cooperation, the effectiveness of the police’s crime-busting efforts will be thwarted.
Because of this, it is utterly important for the government to prevent such corrupt practices from continuously ravaging our police force and to ensure that enforcement authorities are clean and trustworthy.
Black sheep are bound to exist in every organisation. The key lies with how we are going to take them out and prevent them from wreaking further havoc by influencing other members of the organisation.
Sure enough, we still have plenty who would work dutifully to fight crime in the police force, and their great efforts and contributions must not be denied just because of a few corrupt officers.
A recent series of moves by MACC shows that the agency is indeed doubling its efforts to combat corruption and nab the black sheep in every enforcement unit.
Since taking over as MACC chief commissioner last August, Dzulkifli Ahmad has launched several big-scale operations to weed out corruption, vowing to charge at least one corrupt official every week.
MACC used to give the public a stereotyped impression that it would only catch some small fry and spare the big sharks.
However, since Dzulkifli took over, he has impressed Malaysians with a number of high-profile cases such as the Sabah “watergate” case and other notable individuals, including the rural development ministry secretary-general, a Johor exco member and other honorific title holders. This shows that MACC is really serious this time.
To boost the effectiveness of battling corruption, MACC recently launched the Anti-Corruption Revolution Movement (Gerah) and the 3J (Jangan hulur, jangan kawtim, jangan settle) campaign to enhance public awareness, in the hope of getting the Malaysian public to stand alongside MACC to fight corruption.
One big step has been made, but there are still tons of challenges awaiting MACC in its graft-busting task.
Coordination from all quarters of society is necessary to ensure its success. We all have a responsibility to help create a clean and corruption-free society.
Sin Chew Daily is a local vernacular publication
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