About 20 members of a group calling itself Suara Anak-anak Malaysia staged a rally in support of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission outside its office in Penang today.

Led by a vocal critic of the state government, Mohamed Ghani Abd Jiman, the group held playcards and shouted slogans such as "MACC, do not be afraid", "MACC, you are the backbone of the country", "Don't let white ants destroy the country" and "Lim Guan Eng, please shut up".

Speaking to reporters later, Ghani said the group fully supported the MACC for doing a great job exposing corrupt practices in the country.

He said the Opposition coalition Pakatan Rakyat did not want MACC to carry on with its "good work" by urging its head, Abu Kassim Mohamed, to step down.

Calls for Abu Kassim to quit came after the recent fall-to-death of Selangor Customs Department assistant director Ahmad Sarbani Mohamed at the MACC's Kuala Lumpur headquarters on Jalan Cochrane.

'Sarbani willingly went to meet his maker'

Ghani accused the opposition of only wanting to disrupt the good work of MACC in exposing corrupt practices on both sides of the political divide.

He urged Abu Kassim to ignore the opposition and continue to do his work fairly, courageously and diligently.

"The opposition likes to twist and turn its words, always complaining that the MACC is only after the ikan bilis (small fry)," he said.

"Little do they know that the small fry must first be attracted, before the big fish can be trapped."

On Ahmad Sarbani's dramatic death, Ghani said the deceased had willingly gone to meet his maker, therefore, it was unfair to blame the MACC for his death.

He also urged the federal government to bestow more powers on the MACC, and give it the right to enforce the law on corrupt officers in order to increase its effectiveness.

"The commission should be given equal powers as the police force, equipped with uniforms and weapons, so that its officers can carry out their duties without fear or favour."

Ghani and his team later handed over a memorandum supporting the MACC to one of its assistant directors, Abd Rahman Anor Basha, who thanked the group and vowed to continue MACC's work regardless of the challenges.

Elsewhere, the Muslim Consumer Association Malaysia (PPIM) also voiced its support for the MACC and Abu Kassim and criticised those quarters that it said were only making matters worse by calling for Abu Kassim to step down merely to score political points with their supporters.

While expressing the need for MACC’s officers to improve their services and increase their professionalism, PPIM advisor Tunku Azwil Tunku Abd Razak in a statement also called on the rakyat to support moves towards achieving a corruption-free Malaysia.