PUTRAJAYA: The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) today revealed that half of Malaysian government officers found guilty of graft are under the age of 40.
MACC Deputy Chief Commissioner (Prevention) Datuk Shamshun Baharin Mohd Jamil attributed the corruption among young civil servants to today's demanding lifestyle.
"We have cases where junior government officers and clerks can afford to buy the latest iPhone models and drive expensive cars. Their flashy lifestyle does not match their measly pay as young officers and administrative assistants under the government pay scale."
Shamsun Baharin was speaking at a joint-forum with the Rural and Regional Development Ministry here.
MACC figures state that between 2014 to 2016, 2,329 arrests were made for graft. From that figure, 54 per cent or 1,267 people were aged 40 and below.
From that amount, 635 or 50 per cent were civil servants.
Meanwhile, Shamsun Baharin’s views were supported by MACC Deputy Chief Commissioner, Datuk Azam Baki.
“Corruption in this country is getting serious. Based on our statistics, 665 investigation papers were filed against government officers last year. And as of February 2017, we have detained 548 civil servants for graft.
“This is why MACC has been more aggressive in combating graft among the civil servants since last August."
Azam said MACC has set a three-year target to clean up the Malaysian public sector.
The MACC and the ministry’s joint-forum was attended by Rural and Regional Development Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.
Pledging to combat corruption, Ismail Sabri said 80 per cent of the ministry’s officers in sensitive posts have been rotated.
"Integrity is our main agenda in the ministry. We have rotated our senior officers in sensitive posts such as Director-General, Undersecretary for Finance, Development and Facilities, who have been in the posts for a maximum of six years."
EDIT: An earlier version of this article had stated that 54 percent of Malaysian government officers below the age of 40 are corrupt. The figure has since been amended.