No power to persecute - Malaysian Commission on Anti-Corruption (MCAC) a farce
Were we really overjoyed when we heard that an independent Malaysian Commission on Anti-Corruption (MCAC) would be setup? Well, promises have been made before (4 years ago) and the MCAC will go down as just another farce of a promise.
Malaysiakini reports:
The government has no plans to give the soon-to-be established independent Malaysian Commission on Anti-Corruption (MCAC) any prosecution powers, the Dewan Rakyat was told today.
Source: Malaysiakini
No persecuting power? Decision to persecute rest with the Attorney General (AG) and we all know where the AG goes to be correct, correct, correct. So is the commission independent?
When the announcement was made that the MCAC would be put in place, it was mentioned that it would be modeled after the Hong Kong's Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC). Well, MCAC fell short...really short. ICAC answers only to the Governor of Hong Kong while MCAC answers to two (2) committees for advice on what to do next and the AG to persecute people.
So in truth MCAC is powerless. It's just a lame commission making arguments that would just be buried under paperwork.
Katanya, mengikut struktur baru suruhanjaya itu, sebuah Lembaga Penasihat Bebas Pencegahan Rasuah serta Jawatankuasa Parlimen Mengenai Pencegahan Rasuah, akan diwujudkan.
Anggota Lembaga Penasihat Bebas Pencegahan Rasuah, tambahnya, akan dimaklumkan oleh pihak suruhanjaya mengenai kes-kes rasuah yang melibatkan kepentingan umum bagi membolehkan lembaga memantau dan membuat pertanyaan serta memberi syor untuk tindakan lanjut mengenai kes-kes tersebut.
Source: Malaysiakini
So what is the point? Yes, an independent commission was setup but only in word but not in form. Where then would the fight against corruption lead to? We'd be stuck in a perpetual cycle where something is done yet nothing accomplished. This is a sad moment for Malaysia, really sad and you know something? It's the same in practically every other thing.
I agree with Royal professor Dr Ungku Abdul Aziz who said that there is no such thing as a social contract in Malaysia.
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