PUTRAJAYA – Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) is limited to what it can reveal to the public with regard to ongoing investigations, said its chief Tan Sri Azam Baki amid speculations of “tangan ghaib” (hidden hands) within the sphere of the government agencies.
In addressing allegations that there are “hidden hands” influencing the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC), he said it is not necessary to respond to every allegation made by unethical and anonymous Twitter users who are out to destroy reputations.
“There is a right time to answer, and not necessarily to respond to every issue as there are so many allegations made daily.
“We will not be able to carry out work if responding becomes our only job.
“I also don’t want to popularise such people as well,” he said during a meet and greet session at Pulse Grande Hotel, here with selected press members, today.
The ‘hidden hands’ allegations are out to destroy the AGC’s reputation. The AGC is also limited to what it can respond to.
He further described those allegations as a type of “serkap jarang” (wild statements to entrap) for accusers to gain free popularity.
“The AGC also has limitations to what it can reveal in ongoing investigations. If investigators were to answer and respond to every claim, it can also lead to sub judice.”
Azam said this in response to how the anti-graft body addresses allegations of interference in its investigations.
He added that managing public perception is part of MACC’s responsibilities, proposing that Malaysia should adopt evidence-based surveys as negative perception erodes public trust and does not take into account all the facts.
The MACC chief said perception-based surveys, such as Transparency International Malaysia’s Corruption Perception Index, are limited in their scope.
“Malaysia is ranked second in the CPI behind Singapore in this region, ahead of Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam.
“Yet, our CPI ranking is often used as a benchmark of how bad corruption is in Malaysia,” he said earlier in his keynote address.
“We are not proud of our CPI ranking and we should do better. I’m only giving an example of how perception doesn’t always mirror facts and reality.”
He also pointed to evidence-based surveys by the United Nations on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) on corruption and integrity.
“The MACC is looking into implementing such surveys, not just to look into public perception, but to gather information on graft happening in our society.
“We hope to collaborate with the UNODC on this, to survey public servants as well as the private sector and the public.”
He added that this is not to “one-up” neighbouring countries but as input for policymakers.
Of late, there have been numerous allegations of interference or “hidden hands” in high-profile cases relating to the MACC and AGC, questioning the integrity of the investigators.
Earlier, today, two Mara senior officers namely Rizal Abdul Ghani and Nor Irwan Marimin pleaded not guilty at the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court to five charges each of abusing their power to receive gratification.
The charges come after MACC was reported to have investigated several executives of Mara’s investment arm, Mara Corp in February allegations of abuse of power and mismanagement involving their allowances.
During the course of investigations, MACC officers also raided several Mara offices to collect documents related to the case.
Amidst the delay in prosecuting the suspects, Azam was forced to deny a news report, last month, claiming that the AGC would drop charges against the Mara officials due to insufficient evidence. – The Vibes, July 21, 2022
