KOTA KINABALU – A Sabah state minister has identified cultural malaise as one of the factors preventing corruption from being stamped out in Malaysia.
Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun, who is Sabah minister for local government and housing, said the people are not nosy individuals, and this has allowed graft to thrive in society.
Masidi, who is also the state’s finance minister, said this after learning that Malaysia came in last in a 2019 Transparency International Report’s ranking on the percentage of those who agree that it is socially acceptable to report corruption.
Indonesia ranked first at 85%, followed by Myanmar at 80%, Thailand (66%), Cambodia (66%), Vietnam (65%), and Malaysia, which came in last, at 48%.
Masidi said the implications of the report show that 52% of those interviewed in Malaysia by Transparency International are willing to “close one eye” when it comes to corruption.
“I am a bit surprised by the Transparency International statistics,” he said.
“To put it simply, this means Malaysians are more forgiving when it comes to corruption.
“And it was based on the ground (survey) that they do not want to be nosy over the affairs of other people,” he said after launching an anti-corruption forum during a corporate and small-and-medium scale businesses forum here yesterday.
Masidi said the country has sufficient laws to curb graft and protect witnesses. However, the problem is that no one is willing to come forward and report instances of corruption due to the prevalence of such lackadaisical attitudes.
“This is clear. Just look at how many deal with domestic squabbles. Some of the neighbours just stay away from getting involved in the personal affairs of others.
“I’m saying that this should not happen when it comes to corruption. We need to expose it for all to see,” he said.
Masidi said attitudes of the public on such crimes must change, especially when it comes to matters involving public funds.
He also proposed the creation of integrity units in Sabah’s government-linked companies as a step to curb corruption within the sector.
Masidi said corruption should not be allowed to become rampant, as it will drive investors away from Malaysia.
“I am sorry to say this, but one of the reasons why many don’t go and invest in some parts of Africa is that the corruption there is too high. It is not worth investing in.
If we don’t do anything to correct this perception, eventually, we could end up like Africa too.
In another development, Masidi expressed shock over the tax evasion case involving the Sabah Finance Ministry.
“We are uncovering the case little by little. I am quite shocked by the results,” he said in reference to the arrest of a retired senior government official by graft busters who used to work in the ministry.
The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission on May 20 arrested the retiree for soliciting and accepting bribes amounting to RM700,000 from a palm oil company in return for falsifying crude palm oil sales tax declarations each month from the ministry. – The Vibes, August 18, 2022
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