JAN 15 — The integrity and crime prevention survey conducted by the Huazong integrity and crime prevention bureau has seemed to instil a stereotyped impression among people that Malaysian Chinese are generally tolerant towards corruption.
From the statistics provided, 78 per cent of respondents are agreeable to a feast hosted by a contractor while 63 per cent say they can accept the rebates offered by the contractor, and 58 per cent think it is acceptable to tip enforcers in order to expedite things. Indeed the figures show that many Chinese Malaysians do not think corruption is a crime.
But, is this a unique phenomenon among Malaysian Chinese or is this a universal mentality among the majority of Malaysians?
In a recent survey among youngsters in Asia Pacific, Transparency International found that 40 per cent of respondents are willing to get involved in corruption if given a chance, while as many as 30.5 per cent of local university students do not object to involvement in corruption.
Additionally, in a survey conducted by the MACC in 2007, some 23 per cent of university students are willing to accept bribes outside the knowledge of other people, 35.9 per cent are willing to offer bribes to escape punitive actions, 16.3 per cent can accept acts of corruption while 48.9 per cent are willing to accept a gift from the contract bidder.
From here we can see that Malaysian Chinese are not the only people who are tolerant to corruption. The same happens among people of other races, especially youngsters.
MACC deputy chief commissioner (prevention) Datuk Hajjah Sutinah has reminded the Chinese community in the wake of the Huazong survey that they must change the attitude of tolerating corruption, which is a customary reaction, and that the MACC has the responsibility to find out why Malaysians are tolerant towards corruption.
In fact, tolerance towards corruption goes beyond the confines of any race or culture. We must not assume that Chinese are generally wealthier and therefore they are more ready to solve things out with money.
The Chinese people in Hong Kong are not so tolerant, and will take the initiative to report any instance of corruption.
Corruption was rampant in the territory’s public sector back in the 1960s and 70s. Determined to wipe out corruption, the Hong Kong government formed the ICAC and thanks to the cooperation of ordinary citizens, it has managed to establish a relatively corruption-free society.
As such, mentality can be changed. In 2011, the MACC organised a series of events among students of tertiary institutions and successfully increased the corruption awareness level from 48.6 per cent to 93 per cent, with 73 per cent of students pledging to report instances of corruption.
According to a survey conducted by KPMG on publicly listed companies, 71 per cent of respondents think bribery and corruption are inevitable costs of doing business in Malaysia while 64 per cent say it would be impossible to do business in Malaysia without offering a bribe.
This shows that corruption is more than just an impression. It is a reality!
To fight corruption, more laws have been mapped out by the MACC. But, we already have a good deal of laws and the MACC seems to have overlooked one very crucial component: resolved enforcement. Indeed MACC has made some high profile arrests of late, including a ministerial aide involved in the case of government department cleaning contracts. Unfortunately the PKFZ setback has once again dealt a heavy blow on the image of the anti-corruption commission.
With so much time and resources spent on the investigation of the RM12.5 billion PKFZ scandal, in the end nothing substantial has been produced.
MACC has detained nine politicians between 2010 and August 2013, but only five have been charged.
Instead of conducting a survey among people in the streets, why not investigate those in government as well as MACC’s tolerance towards corruption?
*This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malay Mail Online.
