PRIME Minister Datuk Seri Anwar is right. Malaysia must change. But here is the thing. The country isn't going to change if it doesn't begin in Putrajaya. Change is a function of intent and action.
It is difficult to fault the unity government when it comes to the change agenda, at least as far as words go. It is in translating the words into actions which is proving to be a challenge for the politics of the differing stripes that make up the unity government. Sure, Anwar's government is only six months old and it has miles to go before the next general election. But still, politics are as much about morsels as they are about mountains.
Be that as it may, Malaysia's change agenda needs a serious push. Nowhere is this more urgent than in the fight against corruption. The scourge has become so institutionalised that even some senior graft-busters tasked with eliminating corruption are on the take.
The annals of corruption are sprinkled with the names of errant law enforcement officers from the Royal Malaysia Police, Royal Malaysian Customs Department, Immigration Department and wayward graft-busters from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission.
On Tuesday, the nation was sent into shock again when the MACC detained a district police chief (OCPD) for allegedly receiving RM1 million from illegal entertainment outlets as an inducement to not act against them.
He has since been released pending further investigation. On Thursday, the MACC arrested three police officers — two inspectors and a policeman — to assist in the OCPD's corruption case. What a developing story. Even Bukit Aman is alarmed at the extent of its officers being involved in cases of bribery of one sort or another. The voice from the police hill is growing louder as more and more men in blue taint the reputation of the force.
The prime minister must act. And quickly, too. But this is a tightrope walk for him. On the one hand, Anwar must not be seen to be disturbing the independence of the law enforcement institution, and on the other hand, he must ensure that apathy doesn't set in.
Taming corruption isn't going to be easy, especially when it has become institutionalised at so many levels, even at the humblest level. A clerk tasked with handing over cheques to contractors demands "payment" for the service, for which he is being amply remunerated by the government. If that is not enough, he insists that the contractors "pay" the rest of his corrupt circle. Here is what the contractor will do.
He will price the "payments" into his next contract, making the government pay many times over.
It is so easy to say "if only the previous governments had the political will then". We must go beyond such desperate despondency. Crying over spilt milk is wasted tears. It is better to milk another cow.
We are given to understand by Anwar that the unity government has the political will to put up a good fight against the scourge which is sapping the nation not only financially, but also in many other ways.
If our crime-busters and graft-busters become members of protection rings for thugs and thieves, then Malaysia will soon turn into a crime haven. This is certainly not a dream to chase, but a nightmare to end.