KUALA LUMPUR, April 7 — Malaysia must change its value system to truly stop systemic corruption, former law minister Datuk Zaid Ibrahim said today when supporting Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s assault on graft in the country’s administration.
Zaid said the country has to recognise that being corrupt is wrong instead of tolerating long-entrenched corrupt practices — including those involving high-ranking public servants.
“Corruption has flowed into our national bloodstream to such an extent that it will take generations — if at all — to cleanse the system.
“Our values must first change. We must first feel that it’s wrong to be corrupt,” the former Umno member said in a blog post today.
Zaid said he agreed with former prime minister Dr Mahathir’s remark that Malaysia is reportedly the “most corrupt country in the world,” citing the many examples of corruption that he claimed to have witnessed.
He noted that politicians and civil servants in many countries would have to resign if they were caught travelling in jets and helicopters belonging to businessmen.
“But in Malaysia, this is a normal thing to do and no one bats an eyelid. According to our value system, there is nothing wrong with leaders who keep close company with business tycoons and get free rides in their personal jets.
“JAKIM and the fatwa committees do not see the need to issue a ruling on this practice,” he said.
While politicians, judges and senior police officers are similarly barred from accepting honorary memberships in golf clubs in other countries, Zaid claimed that many did so in Malaysia.
“In Malaysia, I see many civil servants and judges playing golf in these clubs and their memberships are all ‘honorary’. In other words, they do not pay for them.
“I am sure the tycoons who own these golf resorts give away memberships to judges and police officers because they may come in useful in certain situations. No one, especially tycoons, gives anything for free, and civil servants and judges know this all too well,” he claimed.
Zaid also suggested that Umno veteran Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah take over as the next prime minister after Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s term, saying that an individual who “values integrity and honesty” like the Kelantan prince would help the country to curb corruption.
“We must return to being a country where rules are followed and where good values are respected. We need honourable men as leaders before we can make fundamental changes to the system of government,” he added.
