Monday, Nov 05, 2012
KUALA LUMPUR - The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has been uploading names of those charged with corruption on its website to send the message that giving or receiving cash or goods in return for a favour is a serious crime.
"This has been a practice for the last three years. The names uploaded are accessible to everyone," said NKRA Monitoring and Coordination Division (Corruption) director Datuk Hisham Nordin.
The Name and Shame system comprises names of corrupted individuals whose information is retrieved from newspapers and court reports.
"This is not against the law as it is public knowledge."
Despite that, the system is not intended to cause shame to any-one, but targeted at reminding everyone that corruption is a serious crime and does not benefit the nation.
Among the first in the world to implement this, the system has proven to be a very effective deterrent to people to eventually reduce corruption.
Foreign embassies, namely the US embassy, are now referring to this database when considering those applying for visa.
"MACC is in its effort to transform the commission into a respectab- le organisation.
"The second phase of the GTP will be focusing on the improvement of its human resources, after the success in creating positive transformation to its investigation process in the GTP 1.0," said Hisham.
MACC encourages cooperation from outside experts to aid identifying loopholes that condones the corruption practice.
"We would like to work closely with professionals such as doctors, engineers and the media for this purpose."
The success of GTP 1.0 on matters relating to corruption has helped set a concrete foundation to encourage bigger and more effective transformation under GTP 2.0.
"Education and public support are important elements in the GTP 2.0, which will be emphasised further this time around.
"Hong Kong is a good example where great public support is shown in the fight against corruption.
"After 15 years of a solid fight, they are now known to have the most respectable anti-corruption agency.
"Our enforcement is one of the most consistent when it comes to work. However, corruption cases are proven to be of a complex nature," he said.
