Saturday, October 29, 2011

State rep: Civil servants fear not docile MACC

From Malaysiakini.com

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission’s (MACC) inaction on abuses highlighted by past Auditor-General’s Reports have contributed to a complacent civil service, said Kampung Tunku state assemblyperson Lau Weng San.

In a statement yesterday, Lau (right) said the latest MACC pledge to investigate 36 cases highlighted by the Auditor-General's Report 2010 was thus meaningless because of many unsolved cases as recent as five years ago.

"This is because MACC has yet to resolve cases of wrongdoing in government procurement since 2006 where prices were grossly inflated," he said.

Among others, the Auditor-General’s Report 2006 highlighted the case of a technical pen valued at RM160 being bought by the Defence Ministry for RM1,146 and a car jack worth RM50 being bought by the Youth and Sports Ministry for RM1,664.

“This phenomena has been recurring annually despite the repeated criticisms by the National Audit Department.

“Unfortunately, with every Auditor-General’s Report, we see almost no follow up action by the MACC to bring those responsible to justice,” he said.

Lau said that the MACC had also failed to take action against various “big fishes” which have been repeatedly accused of corrupted practices.

“How can Malaysians pin their hopes on the MACC to take stern action when these cases, some lodged five years ago, have yet to be acted upon by the MACC?

“When the civil servants see the negligence and failures of the MACC in taking swift and stern action regarding this issue, they will look down on the laws and continue their spendthrift ways.

“Moreover, when our federal government officials are wasteful in their expenditures, what more can we expect from civil servants who work under them?” asked Lau.

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