‘Cultivate integrity to keep corruption at bay’
KUALA LUMPUR: Lack of integrity can not only lead to widespread corruption but destroy a nation as well, said National Centre for Governance, Integrity and Anti- Corruption ( GIACC) deputy director- general Datuk Dr Anis Yusal Yusoff.
Citing the case of Zimbabwe, he said initially the country was doing well but rampant corruption had wreaked havoc on its economy and currency value.
“The people have money but because it has little value, they can’t even use it to buy food,” he told Bernama recently.
He said former Zimbabwe president Robert Mugabe, who led the nation for 37 years, had failed to curb corrupt activities which eventually brought the country to its knees.
Asked if being in power for too long could induce a leader to become corrupt, Anis Yusal replied: “It’s not a question of how long (a leader has served). If he is trustworthy, honest and develops the country for the people or, in short, he is a person of integrity, then the length of his tenure in office is not a problem.
“Notwithstanding how long he has been in power, it becomes an issue when a leader abuses his position for his personal interest.”
Pointing to Somalia, which is often ranked at the bottom of Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index, he said extensive corruption has led to the nation’s downfall.
“Somalia is an Islamic nation but, unfortunately, corruption is rampant there due to the people’s greed. They don’t practise the principles of integrity, and corruption is a way of life for them,” he said.
Anis Yusal also said corrupt practices were not limited to money matters but also encompassed any violation that led to abuse of power and have negative implications for the nation.
“Whether the bribe is big or small is not the issue but what matters is the fact that a violation has taken place,” he said, adding that it also had an opportunity
Integrity covers values such as trust, honesty and transparency.
cost.
He said an opportunity cost was also involved when people abused their power and authority and ‘closed their eyes’ to receive ‘commissions’.
“For instance, payments that are supposed to go to the nation are stolen by others. When the government doesn’t get its fair share of taxes due to corrupt practices, it would have an implication on infrastructure development and the building of schools, universities and hospitals would be affected,” he added.
Anis Yusal, who is also former chief executive officer of the Malaysian Institute of Integrity, urged parents to educate their children on integrity from a young age as they had an influence on their offspring.
“Integrity covers values such as trust, honesty and transparency and, when one is discharging his duties as a government servant or private sector employee or member of the public, it will act as a shield to prevent him from engaging in graft.
“It may seem like a small thing but it’s very important. Schools, the community and the government must work together to ensure that integrity becomes a culture in our society,” he said.
Universiti Teknologi Mara Shah Alam legal advisor Associate Prof Dr Haidar Dziyauddin said one of the factors that contributed to the progress of society was its attitude towards corruption.
He said progressive societies possessed high integrity and strong competitive spirit and they owed their success to their own hard work and not shortcuts like bribery.
Although no country was completely free of graft, it could prevent the ‘mother of all crimes’ from spreading and becoming a cancer.
“New Zealand is ranked high by Transparency International because it practices the concept of transparency and independence. Somalia, on the other hand, is ranked bottom and it is not only facing the issue of poverty and shortages but also security problems due to widespread crime.
“Hence, (to be graft- free) the two things we have to stress on are the values practised by society and ( having) a transparent administrative system, including more effective law enforcement,” said Haidar, who is also former dean of UiTM Shah Alam’s Faculty of Law.
Rampant corruption would also create disharmony in society because personal interests would tend to override public interest.
“It will also affect the quality of service because employees will not be striving for excellence but expecting kickbacks and bribes. In the end, it will lead to leakages, stacks of files, slacking, bureaucracy and other things that impede productivity,” he said, adding that the principle of transparency should be practised by society collectively.
Could the practice of giving gifts to public and private sector officers as a gesture of appreciation be construed as bribery?
According to Haidar, it all depended on the true intentions of the person presenting the gift.
“Several factors have to be taken into consideration; for instance the reason why the gift is being given, the type of gift and its value... this will determine whether the gift is being given in all earnestness, or otherwise,” he said.
He said gifts or ‘duit raya’ given without expecting anything in return were not regarded as bribes but if a generous cash gift was given to a high-ranking officer, it might reek of corruption.
“The same goes for door gifts or goodies given to the guests who attend certain functions. An organiser’s intentions can be questioned if he showers his specially invited guests with expensive and branded products.”
If the event organiser or gift giver’s motive was disputable, the Malaysian Anti- Corruption Agency ( MACC) should be asked to step in to investigate, he said.
“The responsibility to combat corruption does not lie with any particular agency and should not be seasonal.
“The long-term approach involves educating schoolchildren on the evils of corruption, while short-term measures will entail more effective law enforcement so that we can create a society that has integrity and is free of corruption,” he added.
Haidar also felt that in this era of information technology, corruption could rear its ugly head through various other means and mediums, which the enforcement agencies would have to look into.
“I think the time has come for Malaysia to set up an integrated enforcement agency capable of addressing (all kinds of) offences related to corruption and not limited to only certain jurisdictions. For example, MACC faces some constraints in terms of prosecution,” he said.
Indonesia, he pointed out, had set up a Corruption Eradication Commission, which was empowered to carry out investigations and prosecutions.
“It has made a positive impact on the nation’s efforts to fight corruption. The establishment of an independent organisation to take action (against corruption) has improved the image of Indonesia, whose high-ranking government officials have often been implicated in corruption in the past,” he said. – Bernama
Datuk Dr Anis Yusal Yusoff, GIACC deputy director-general