Corruption can sometimes happen at odd, unexpected places involving unthinkable professions.
A few days ago, the Selangor Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) detained five staff members of a hospital on suspicion of soliciting and accepting RM20,000 in bribes over the years from agents, in return for giving out funeral management work at the hospital.
The more telling sign is that 2,607 civil servants have been arrested for corruption from 2015 to October last year. The number of arrests could have grown exponentially by now.
Although Malaysia has shown notable progress in its battle against corruption over the years, it seems the fight against this moral disease has a long way to go.
From time to time we come across people, whether they are holding public office or are involved with private entities, being charged with corruption.
Bribery and corruption will never end as long as there is the giver and the taker.
Nevertheless, the war against bribery and corruption will and must go on.
It's not merely the task and responsibility of the MACC to tackle the problem, it's the obligation of all citizens as well.
When the National Anti-Corruption Plan 2019–2023 (NACP) was launched two years ago, this roadmap had a clear objective of creating a corruption-free nation.
The NACP enabled the government to review current anti-corruption laws, regulations and procedures in order to advocate and implement reforms, as well as revamp the existing anti-corruption framework effectively.
The government had introduced several instruments over the years, including a guideline for Integrity Pact implementation in public procurements in 2010, which was endorsed by NACP to meet the objective of strengthening the Malaysian Public Procurement Framework.
The pact includes obligations on the part of procurement authorities and bidders to respect integrity and anti-corruption commitments, as well as sanctions for non-compliance.
Between 2018 and last year, 582,812 Integrity Pacts were signed, involving more than RM29 billion in public procurement contracts.
The government also introduced a corporate liability provision, known as Section 17A of the MACC Act 2009, that came into effect on June 1 last year after approval by both houses of Parliament
It enables MACC to directly impose corporate liability on directors and managers from commercial entities whose employees or associated persons are involved in corrupt practices for the benefit of their organisations.
Although these governmental and legal instruments are landmark initiatives, I have long wondered why bribery and corruption keep thriving in the government and the private sectors, which should have a system of checks and balances for compliance and ethical work guidelines instituted in them.
A quick chat with a friend whose job involves certification revealed that there is a need to heighten compliance, as other existing instruments don't seem to quell bribery and corruption.
It's called the anti-bribery management system (ABMS). However, it appears that many government departments and companies lack the will and urgency to put the ABMS into place.
Out of the 700 ministries and agencies, the number of ABMS-certified organisations is 100, which is perplexingly low.
Perhaps most department heads lack a clear understanding of the certification process and implementation.
Getting certified could mean more work, hence it may also change the way the departments operate, especially over the nitty-gritty tasks they need to work out on various standards of procedures before their organisations can be certified.
As I browsed through the Internet, I found Sirim QAS International, a wholly owned subsidiary of Sirim Bhd, the first and only certification body accredited for the MS ISO 37001:2016 for ABMS.
Besides enabling organisations to equip themselves with the tools and knowledge to identify, prevent and respond to bribery risks, ABMS-certified organisations will be able to demonstrate their commitment to inculcating a culture of transparency and integrity, which will further enhance trust and confidence in them.
For the private sector, ABMS will strengthen internal processes to safeguard against violations of the corporate liability provision.
As for the public sector, it will safeguard important processes, plug leakages and wastage of public money, and help build public trust.
These organisations should get certified with the help of experts at Sirim QAS International — it's for their own good.
The writer, a former NST journalist, is a film scriptwriter whose penchant is finding new food haunts