KUALA LUMPUR: The whistleblower incentive scheme, where civil servants are rewarded ringgit-for-ringgit for reporting corrupt practices, is showing some success.
Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Chief Commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki said 514 civil servants had been rewarded with over RM1 million in total between 2012 and last year for revealing and reporting corruption cases that led to conviction.
To address corruption on a wider scale, the government, he said, was looking at expanding the scheme to the general public.
Azam said civil servant who became whistleblowers were rewarded the same amount they were offered as gratification for taking part or aiding in corrupt activities.
"If you've been offered RM100, the government will give you RM100.
"If you've been offered RM1 million, the government will give you RM1 million back," he said in the New Straits Times' Beyond the Headlines talk show.
Under the new National Anti-Corruption Strategy 2024-2028 announced last month, he said, there was a proposal to expand the scheme to the general public.
However, the matter was still just a proposal and the specific and optimal procedures with lead agencies were still being ironed out.
"That is under the Legal Affairs Division (BHEUU) of the Prime Minister's Office.
"Firstly, the Whistleblower Protection Act 2010 needs to be reformed and we agree to this.
"The BHEUU is in process of amending the law," he said.
Azam added that the MACC was the only law enforcement agency making full use of the legislation, and said he had been encouraging the public to become whistleblowers for the past seven years.
He explained that there were three types of people who came forward to the MACC — complainants, informants and whistleblowers.
"Complainants would have to go to court.
" I can say that less than five per cent of people who come forward wanting to lodge a complaint would say they were ready to testify in court.
"For informants and whistleblowers, their identities are well protected.
"Now, the BHEUU wants to reward these people and I think that it is a good idea.
"This could encourage more people to come forward and lodge complaints, especially to the MACC," said Azam.