SEPTEMBER 22 ― The Royal Malaysian Customs Department has got a lot of explaining to do.
The recent crackdown on the department has opened up a can of worms as dishonest and fraudulent practices by its senior officers over the years were exposed.
Six of the eight officers who were charged in court on Friday were directors — a state director, an assistant director and four other assistant enforcement directors.
The eight were charged with 106 counts of corruption for accepting cash from individuals as an inducement to avoid action against companies over untaxed liquor.
But the actions of these officers are merely the tip of the iceberg. The Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission revealed 16 more officers, including other senior officers, had been nabbed after investigations revealed they received up to RM130,000 of bribes a month since 2011 from a cigarette and liquor smuggling syndicate.
Malaysians, have on social media, lambasted the shameless actions of these officers who are suppose to help spur the country’s economic growth. The department’s mission, as clearly stated on its website, says it is to “maintain the safety of the country and the people through tax collection services.”
Lindog Alieng, had on Facebook, posted: “Throw all these corrupted officers to jail. They are Malaysian rubbish, stole millions of ringgit of people’s money.”
Rachel Thong posted: “No wonder can afford kereta mewah-mewah” (luxury cars). Diwakaran Damodaran said: “Custom Department, don’t you people feel ashamed for what you have done? Can’t you just sack those rascals!!!"
The views of one Zuhaidi Shahari who said “Thanks to them, we have to pay GST” caught my attention.
The Customs department had organised a nationwide roadshow to explain to the masses the necessity of the Goods and Service Tax (GST) which will come into effect April next year.
The department’s GST director Datuk Subromaniam Tholasy, had in a report in June, said with the implementation of GST, businesses will have to supply tax invoices to the authorities which will indirectly help the department detect attempts to evade paying tax.
This is not to question the implementation of the GST. But I wonder how will the department explain its plans to scrutinise and track the earnings of businesses when its personnel had helped companies and individuals evade paying taxes.
The department’s director-general Datuk Seri Khazali Ahmad, had recently, said the fiasco has not tarnished the image of the department as the arrested officers do not represent the department as a whole.
How is it possible for you to say the image of the department is still intact?
The truth is sir, the disgraceful actions of your officers has brought shame to the entire nation as it is the biggest scandal to hit the civil service.
The department’s grand vision of becoming a world class agency by 2015 is now blurred.
While sources say the department has embarked on a massive exercise to weed out rotten apples including rotating personnel at high risk areas, it remains to be seen if these actions will restore the image of a department.
As Austrian writer and poet Karl Kraus once said: “Corruption is worse than prostitution. The latter might endanger the morals of an individual, the former invariably endangers the morals of the entire country.”
*This is the personal opinion of the columnist.
