Where is the bite in the fight against corruption?
Peter OoiPublished: Oct 5, 2009 9:17 AM | Updated: Oct 5, 2009 9:18 AM
I refer to Malaysiakini report Reject racist leaders, says Ku Li.
Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah commented that we are lagging behind Singapore, Korea and Taiwan because of corruption and waste of funds. He is right in a way.
Of the three countries cited, only Singapore is free of corruption. The other two are rife with corruption too - just like our country.
But the great difference between us and those two is that their authorities come down hard on corrupt officials regardless of their status. The Taiwanese court has sentenced its former president to life imprisonment for embezzling public funds.
Similarly, the Korean courts have meted out similar harsh sentences to its corrupt leaders.
When did our courts ever sentence any minister or top leader to jail terms for such offences? Bear in mind that we are very low down in our transparency index.
The said countries were not better off than us in the sixties but are now way ahead in almost every field. What I dread is the day when Thailand and Indonesia are mentioned in the same breath as those three.
That day will not be far off. Indonesia is already stepping up a gear or two in its fight against corruption as a recent survey showed. Some 70% of her population believed that their government is effectively combating graft.
On the other hand, only thirty percent of those surveyed here believes our government is doing the same things. Indonesia is attracting more FDI now.
Another factor is the uncertainty in our policies. It can change like the weather. When Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak announced the liberalisation of certain sectors of our economy, there was no euphoria on the part the investors.
It did not even cause a ripple in the stock market. Only the cronies sang songs of praise for a job well done.
But deep in the mind of serious investors, the news had to be taken with a pinch of salt. Past experience had taught them to be careful, simply because a policy here can be changed depending on political parties’ grassroots sentiment.
Until the government can show seriousness in tackling corruption and consistency in its policy, most investors will bypass us.
Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah commented that we are lagging behind Singapore, Korea and Taiwan because of corruption and waste of funds. He is right in a way.
Of the three countries cited, only Singapore is free of corruption. The other two are rife with corruption too - just like our country.
But the great difference between us and those two is that their authorities come down hard on corrupt officials regardless of their status. The Taiwanese court has sentenced its former president to life imprisonment for embezzling public funds.
Similarly, the Korean courts have meted out similar harsh sentences to its corrupt leaders.
When did our courts ever sentence any minister or top leader to jail terms for such offences? Bear in mind that we are very low down in our transparency index.
The said countries were not better off than us in the sixties but are now way ahead in almost every field. What I dread is the day when Thailand and Indonesia are mentioned in the same breath as those three.
That day will not be far off. Indonesia is already stepping up a gear or two in its fight against corruption as a recent survey showed. Some 70% of her population believed that their government is effectively combating graft.
On the other hand, only thirty percent of those surveyed here believes our government is doing the same things. Indonesia is attracting more FDI now.
Another factor is the uncertainty in our policies. It can change like the weather. When Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak announced the liberalisation of certain sectors of our economy, there was no euphoria on the part the investors.
It did not even cause a ripple in the stock market. Only the cronies sang songs of praise for a job well done.
But deep in the mind of serious investors, the news had to be taken with a pinch of salt. Past experience had taught them to be careful, simply because a policy here can be changed depending on political parties’ grassroots sentiment.
Until the government can show seriousness in tackling corruption and consistency in its policy, most investors will bypass us.
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