MACC needs to have more autonomy to be independent

PETALING JAYA: To be truly independent, the Malaysian AntiCorruption Commission (MACC) must have financial autonomy along with freedom to recruit their own personnel, says deputy chief commissioner (Prevention) Datuk Shamshun Baharin Mohd Jamil.

He said placing the MACC under Parliament was not enough to ensure independence.

“Although our name is MACC, our hiring and firing has to go through the Public Services Commission. For our budget, we have to request from the Finance Ministry.

“We don’t really have any freedom in these areas,” he said.

Shamshun Baharin said when the MACC was established to replace the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA), it was modelled after the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) in Hong Kong.

He said ICAC’s budget was based on a certain percentage of the gross domestic product (GDP). ICAC’s annual allocation is around 0.3% of the Hong Kong government’s budget or 0.05% of the GDP.

“If MACC is set up based on the ICAC, let’s follow everything.

“We have to look at everything as a whole, then only can we be truly independent and transparent.

“We have yet to receive the official letter that we are now an independent entity but we welcome the move to be reporting directly to Parliament,” Shamshun Baharin said at a press conference after the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers’ ( FMM) en bloc corruption-free pledge made here.

It was led by FMM president Datuk Soh Thian Lai and business ethics committee chairman Tan Sri Lim Wee Chai.

“It is very reassuring to see CEOs, managing directors and the top management of so many FMM members coming together to reinforce their commitment here,” said Soh.