RTD has enough ammunition to battle graft

Road Transport Department (RTD) has been in the limelight with 46 of its Penang officers arrested last week by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).

The RTD director-general announced that a task force would be established to do a “gap analysis” to streamline the department’s work practices and procedures to battle corruption.

On Sept 13, Transport Minister Anthony Loke announced that 12 RTD staff had been arrested by MACC for alleged involvement in the sale of 14,000 “lesen terbang” or illegal driving licences.

They included a deputy director, two assistant enforcement officers, two assistant enforcement chiefs, six enforcement assistants, and one administrative assistant from Perlis, Perak, Negri Sembilan, Sabah and Sarawak.

RTD formed a committee to study the mechanism for driving licence applications.

Would it be more atoning to know that RTD is one of 10 government agencies that had been awarded the ISO 37001 AntiBribery Management System (ABMS) certification by Sirim QAS International in November 2017?

RTD is among the pioneers in Malaysia to implement the ABMS. Would RTD be able to sustain its effectiveness and efficiency in maintaining its ABMS while addressing the Malaysian National Anti-Corruption Plan (2019-2023)?

Moreover, RTD signed memorandums of understanding with MACC to combat corruption and abuse of power in 2000, 2010 and 2017.

The MoUs include the sharing of expertise in detection, information dissemination, consultancy, education and training, as well as efforts to boost integrity and strengthen capability of MACC and RTD officers in combating corruption.

Can RTD do better than such efforts to be a corruption-free agency?