It is another day of shame for Malaysia when the Transparency International (TI) Corruption Perception Index (CPI) 2008 was unveiled, with the country placed at No. 47th position, its worst ranking in 14 years since the introduction of the annual TI CPI ranking in 1995.
It is also the ultimate failure of the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s campaign against corruption, which he promised to place at the very top of his agenda when he became the fifth Prime Minister five years ago –a campaign rich in paying lip service but doomed to failure as it lacked the political will to produce results.
It is most ironic and tragic that one man who will feel most vindicated by the TI CPI 2008 is former Prime Minister, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad.
Abdullah had promised that his campaign against corruption will be one area which will distinguish the difference of his premiership from that of his predecessor. It was his promise to bring in a refreshing wind of change after 22 years of “cronyism, corruption and nepotism” (KKN) of Mahathir administration that created the unprecedented Barisan Nasional landslide electoral victory in the 2004 general election.
However, in just a year after the 2004 general election, Mahathir was able to adopt a “holier than thou” attitude towards the Abdullah premiership by publicly warning in May 2005 that corruption under Abdullah for a little over a year was even worse than under him for 22 years, that “corruption might be getting to a point of no return”, becoming “a culture in Malaysia with corruption almost at the ‘above the table’ level” and “more and more people no longer trying to hide the fact that they were corrupt”.
The TI CPI 2008 has proved Mahathir right in his adverse judgment on the Abdullah administration on its dismal performance in the battle against corruption.
What a sad and tragic end reminding one of the Shakespearean quote in Macbeth: “It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.”
Malaysia’s worst-ever ranking of No. 47 in the TI CPI 2008 is not just the ultimate failure of the Abdullah premiership in the campaign against corruption, it is also a national shame and infamy.
The National Integrity Plan promulgated in April 2004 announced the five-year target to emplace Malaysia at least No. 30 in the TI CPI by 2008. Instead, we plunged to the lowest ever at No. 47 position.
In the nine years from 1995 to to 2003, Mahathir presided over a 14-ranking fall in Malaysia’s TI CPI from 23rd to 37th placing. Abdullah, in five years from 2003 to 2008, supervised a 10-ranking fall from 37th to 47th position.
We have not only continued to lose out to model nations in Asia in anti-corruption rankings like Singapore (No. 4 in 2008 TI CPI), Hong Kong (No. 12), Japan (No. 18), we are also losing out to more and more countries even in Africa, Middle East and Latin America, like Qatar (No. 28), United Arab Emirates (No.35), Botswana, Puerto Rico and Malta (No. 36), Taiwan (No. 39), South Korea (No. 40), Mauritius and Oman (No. 41), Macao and Bahrain (No. 43), Bhutan and Czech Republic (No. 45).
With such a dismal failure of the five-year plan target of the National Integrity Plan, the whole Cabinet should resign in shame and set a final salutary example of the culture of responsibility and resignation, the first prerequisite to any meaningful campaign against corruption.
But will the Ministers place the country’s dismal showing in the TI CPI 2008 on top of the Cabinet agenda today with a clear-cut accounting to the nation as to the future of the National Integrity Plan and the war against corruption after the Cabinet meeting?
Or will the Prime Minister and Cabinet Ministers just sweep the dismal ranking of Malaysia in TI CPI 2008 under the carpet, keeping up the pretence that such a lengthening list of national infamy does not exist?
Greetings!
Abdullah was the one we should blame for the ranking slipped incapable in governing not only the country wealth but his UMNO family as well that caused the ISA issued.
That’s spontaneous effect to the inefficient governing bodies as the whole; don’t believe, you can write to Ketua Polis Negara!
Hidup Pakatan! Abolished ISA!!!
I don’t think Abdullah is serious in wiping out corruption. At one point TDM said corruption had become more rampant after Abdullah took office. He said last time corruption was done “under the table” but it had then “surfaced to the top”. Despite such warning from TDM, Abdullah did not take stern action to clamp down on such errant practice.
Wimpish Abdullah is ineffectual in tackling corruption.
Can one who is an offspring of Justice Bao sue MCA? In 2004, MCA went to town to paint Badawi as Justice Bao. Now that it is proven that this Badawi is definitely the opposite, the good name of Justice Bao is desecrated too. Can MCA be sued? I know of someone linked to the Taiwan’s Evergreen group who is an offspring and he wasn’t pleased at all back in 2004.
Two, regards Raymond Tan’s allegations or confessions ..
In 1999, Anwar Ibrahim was charged and found guilty for abuse of power as a DPM cum Finance Minister to ‘direct the police to obtain retractions from two people who accused him of sex crimes’. We need not go back in time to revisit this political conspiracy to oust Anwar. But let’s move forward.
The question is: Can Raymond Tan’s words be used as evidence in a court of law to charge Badawi for abuse of executive power as a PM cum Finance Minister? Raymond Tan has gone public with his ‘testimony’!
But ah! ACA, in Lemon Tart’s words, is controlled by Badawi and is only used to persecute those who oppose him and/or small fries having a bad run of luck.
Dear All,
Malaysia is down a few notches in the Corruption Perception Index against correspoding period last year and we all are well aware that Pak Lah has repeatedly reminded Malalaysians that he is fighting it out hard to eradicate or minimize corruption. ACA has been further empowered and moving towards full independence in the very near future, according reports from the newsprints. Fighting corruption, a sin trade, as old as prostituition, is something which requires determinations and extreme will power on the part of the administration and authority as anything short of them would only result in failure or worst, a more deeply rooted corruption spread among the corrupts.
The resignation of Zaid Ibrahim has clearly showed us that there are highly powerful individuals who are dead against changes which Abdullah yearns dearly for administration. An outright remark by Zaid has also quite clearly demonstrated to us a signal that these individuals are so resistant to his changes that they are willing to sabotage and derail the mission. It is extremely difficult to fight and win your battle alone, more so if you are in the midst of a sea of uncooperative powerful individuals. I see Abdullah is facing the same problem as Zaid’s. Hence the apparent rapid and vigorous push for his early exit.
If we take a short term view, the force of evil will appear to be the winners. However, if the force of good ever want to win the war, they have got to be strong willed and be nasty as chopping the force of evil could be a messy task.
This job is best left to the ones who has no mercy chooping the evil away.
Obviously PM’s words in 2004 promising to eradicate corruption was a ploy to get voters support. Since coming out of Tun’s legacy, M’sians were hoping to hear what they have always wanted to hear in 20 years of tyrannical rule but alas, we were lied to and taken for a ride. We are even worst off than before.
The father (and mother) of modern corruption is none other than Mamakthir. He allowed corruption to flourish so long as the culprits did his bidding, and now it is virtually impossible to eradicate it. The only way is to ensure that we have a clean slate, and BN must go. No other alternative.
Godfather Says:
Today at 09: 42.20 (17 minutes ago)
The father (and mother) of modern corruption is none……..
Well said ! Couldn’t agree more with you.
I met an auctioneer the other day and he said for this Hari Raya he has to give costly hampers to Land office bosses and court officials to get auction cases.
And again to grease bank officers for quick payments for their services.
You will be surprised as to the number of hampers being delivered to government officers of all levels.
All these stupid hampers giving bring higher cost of doing business, and higher cost of living, smaller salaries for the majority ppl who are salary earner.
Perhaps, there should be a law, saying all festival hampers, gifts should be abolish or limited to a nominal value of say, RM150 or less ? Anything more than that can cause the giver/receiver be prosecuted !
///You will be surprised as to the number of hampers being delivered to government officers of all levels.///–Mr Smith
That helps the consumption side of the economy!
AAB’s power base has been built on corruption. How can we expect him to eradicate corruption to cut his support? We should be grateful that even when corruption is the guiding principle of BN’s governance, the country has not achieved the anticipated result to hit the bottom of the list. AAB still has work to do to promote it further. Is that the reason why he is not stepping down soon?
Any anyone confirm what Anwar claimed:
In 2008 already over RM 125 billion has been withdrawn from the country by investors weary of a government that has failed to implement a single reform to ensure judicial independence and that continues to use draconian laws such as the ISA to detain its citizens without due process of law.
Yeah!!! Yesss !!!
We are still better off than Ghana, Nigeria and Zimbabwe!!!
We are in the Top 50 in the world !!!
Way to go!!! Hoooray !!!!
What happened to the passion/ talk/ act of abolishing corruption eventually? Sigh!
Compared to Singapore (ranked 4th) and always being our next door neighbour, is plainly embarassing!
Though we are still way better than Indonesia and Somalia, it is of no excuse to stop cleaning up corruption acts.
One should never be satisfied with this ranking (47th) but continue to fight corruption!
Why compare with Singapore?
Just look at JB’s public transport and then hop over there for a hassle-free ride.
If transport that is so visible has such glaring differences, then corruption would be easier to understand.
http://malaysiawatch4.blogspot.com/2008/09/malaysiakini-not-fair-to-compare-our.html
It’s easy to extrapolate how corruption is headed if you understand the patronage systems that are in place and if you know that these systems cannot be unravelled.
The political-business connections form the Gordian knot of corruption and maybe only a regime change can solve the problem. Definitely need some C4 here!
The state that Malaysia has descended into since Bodohwi took over is entirely the makings of the man himself.Imagine having achieved a record breaking general election victory one would have thought that the PM would recognise the significance of this victory which is a clear mandate given to him to eradicate corruption,to give a place to all Malaysians under the Malaysian sun and to promote more freedom.
No,the first thing he did was to keep the cabinet of Mahathir almost in its entirety spelling an immediate death knell on whatever he professed he wanted to do in his election agenda.Mahathirism thus remained intact throughout his administration and he hasn’t got the gumption to face them when they placed obstacles to whatever he intended to do cos of his weak character.To do anything right in the national interest for a country like Malaysia with its myriad problems it is to be expected there will be times one has to put one’s job on the line.But atlas it is not to be for this man in the first place shouldn’t have taken up the job cos he isn’t of Prime Minister material.It is a crying shame that we have such a man in the chair of the nation’s highest office turning the country into the mess she has found herself in today.
A great leader has a vision for the country.
Anwar Ibrahim of Malaysia: Melayu anak saya. China anak saya. India anak saya. Iban anak saya. Kadazan anak saya.
Abraham Lincoln of USA: free the slave
Mahatma Ghandi of India: Non-violence revolution
Dr Sun Yet Sen of China: The world belongs to everybody
Mao Tse Tung of China: By the people for the people
UMNO of Malaysia: By the people for UMNOputeras only
“With such a dismal failure ….. the whole Cabinet should resign in shame ..”. Kit
No they would not. Instead of coming clean, they will spin it. Just like “Is it half empty or half ful?l”
Mark my words, the spin version will appear in MSM soon.
Mr Smith Says:
Today at 10: 06.25 (1 hour ago)
I met an auctioneer the other day and he said for this Hari Raya he has to give costly hampers to Land office bosses and court officials to get auction cases.
=======
Mr Smith,
Go ask this same auctioneer again what his business would be like if corruption is successfully wiped out. He practises corruption and is part of the problem. I’ve heard it from too many that if there’s no corruption, business will be difficult to run and money difficult to make. Yes, these are all the selfish ones who openly practise corruption while at the same time complain about it. These are also the people who play to the tune of corruption and is afraid of open competition. Malaysia is ailing because of people like him. We can’t simply accuse and condemn the takers without kicking the butts of those who give!
HE(AAB) Warship Islam Hadhari!… (SHAME ON YOU!)
HE(AAB) champion for Transparency… (SHAME ON BN!)
HE campaign agains TDM era “cronyism, corruption and nepotism”…
which he fails miserably in respect, accountability, honour, responsibility, and integrity. (SHAME ON ME! for trusting you).
can somebody help me insert slideshow pix of badawi for this song?
“Staind-So far away”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhdK3dPw8c4&feature
Lyric:
This is my life,
It’s not what it was before
All these feelings I’ve shared
And these are my dreams,
That I’d never lived before
“Somebody shake me ‘cuz I…
I must be SLEEPINGzzZ…”
[ Chorus: ]
Now that we’re here,
It’s so far away
All the struggle we
Thought was in vain
All in the mistakes,
One life contained
They all finally start to go away
Now that we’re here,
It’s so far away
And I feel like I can
Face the day,
I can forgive,
And I’m not ashamed
To be the person that
I am today…
There was a story about a regime change in one country where the govt was finally toppled by the opposition. One overjoyed man in the street greeted and asked the new govt official if corruption would be wiped out with this new govt. The official chuckled in his reply “You fool! We waited 51 years for this to happen. Corruption will be worse than b4…!”
Let’s hope LKS and PR will not disappoint the Malaysians when they take over.
I hope that people on this blog will now realise that AAB is single-handedly responsible for the corruption level in Malaysia that seems to have become endemic during his tenure as PM. It is the personality leading the government and not necessarily the government per-say that is responsible for the weakness and incompetence of most government agencies.
There will be a regime change in Malaysia, no one should doubt this. This change will come from the top and within the government and the opposition should not get excited about getting any chances to take-over and make a bigger mess of Malaysia than it already is!
You drive 4 hours down south of KL and you reach a country called Singapore…a first world country with a renking of 4 in corruption!
Once when I was abroad I had to explain to some friends over there the location of Malaysia…south of Thailand, north of Singapore (they know Thailand and Singapore very well of course)
Now at No.47, I don’t think I will have a problem explaining the location of Malaysia to anyone!!
Its deadly tumor thats growing within our Govern, this cancerous diseased leave untreated WE(Malaysia) well goes down with it!
Instead of admitting their worst performance in 14 years, this is what they would possibly do:
1.Dispute the results of Transparency International (TI) Corruption Perception Index (CPI)
2. Set up a similar organization similar to the above with members including Zimbabwe, Chad, Sierra Leone and Pluto.
3. Come up with a new index placing Malaysia the 3rd (we have to beat Singapore right!) based on research conducted by a team of professionals working on their thesis in Home Science.
Corruption is most rampant during the holy month of Ramadan.
The evidence is eveywhere. Don’t believe? Of course, every driver knows that the month before Hari Raya Puasa is the most stressful month on their pockets. We pay our taxes but we still have to subsidise some of our civil servants. (We always wonder: Are they civil servants or civil monsters?) However, we are not talking about this here.
Take a trip to any 5-star hotel during buka puasa time in the evening and visit its dining place. Bet you the place is packed full of diners, Muslims and non-Muslims, although the per pax price is not cheap, easily RM100 or more.
Many non-Muslim diners are there to buka puasa with their Muslim clients and their family members as a form of muhibbah and also as a form of pay-back or pay-in-advance time. (Otherwise how to get contracts to supply instant noodle @ RM3.50 or 5.00 per pack or screwdrivers @ RM20 or 50 each?)
The art of corruption in Malaysia has been delightfully fine-tuned over the years, so much so that the interface between corruption and muhibbah has been blurred and blended.
Where on this sweet planet can you find a paradise that tolerates open corruption for one whole month of makansutra?
Malaysia, truly yum-seng!
Also, it appears that AAB had given up his MOF portfolio to NR but AAB still holds on the post of Chairman of the Board of Directors of Khazanah Nasional Berhad. Ummmmmmmmm …….. Why?
Or perhaps The PM thinks 50 is the pass mark, we just got 47 hence down by 3 marks/points!
Corruption – why worry?
Malaysia has tons of money. Malaysia’s current account surplus continued to expand strongly in the second quarter of this year, growing almost 56 per cent to RM37 billion on higher commodity prices.
Jiat beh liao.
At least we’re better than Ghana… (at 67th place)
:)
CALM DOWN guys, Later they gonna start packing for blur-blur trip again!
If they seek refuge in North Korea, allied with Kim Jong-il its gonna “BeEnd” of the world!
A friend was having problems getting his car approved by Puspakom for change of ownership purposes. It was a small matter which could have been resolved but for obvious reasons, it was deliberately made difficult which necessitated the intervention of a “middle-man”. After the negotiation through the “middle-men”, it was agreed that RM2500 would pass hand to have that matter resolved. The car need not even appear in the Puspakom. Then the ACA purportedly swooped the Puspakom and the whole deal was temporarily shelved until the situation “cools” down. Yesterday, that friend infromed that the car has been approved for transfer. Why so fast, I asked. Has the situation cooled down? He told me that he was asked to quickly send his car to the Puspakom and that there was someone else there who could help because he needed money urgently for the Raya, only this time it was cheaper – RM1200!!! The car was sent there and sure enough, after a cursory examination, it was approved for transfer. The certificate was obtained after the RM1200 passed hands.
A close relative involved in car sales lamented that the JPJ staff would purposely slow down their work and openly ask for a RM100 “surcharge” to get your application etc on the fast track.
A lawyer in KL filed an application to remove a caveat in an East Coast land office and despite 2 months, the land office had not issued the statutory 3-month notice to the caveator. Over the phone, the lower officer in charge kept asking the lawyer to see him there to have the matter expedited. Obviously, he needed to be greased to move forward.
What I am saying is that corruption is so entrenched in the public delivery system. One can be a maverick and a crusader against such corruption by refusing to have a part in it as the giver, but after a while, basic considerations set in – the time wasted, the complications of non-compliance with corrupt demands, the opportunity costs, etc – and you resign to the fact that if you cannot beat the system, join it.
Just imagine if you are required to get out of your car by a group of unfriendly police and commanded to get into their patrol car to be sent to the police station just because you had forgotten to bring along your wallet which contained your driving licence when you went out of the house to ta pau some supper. This was exactly what happened to my son a couple of months ago. He was allowed to go only after they had emptied the poor 18 year-old of all that he had with him – less than RM30. Would you blame my son for participating in the corruption? Now, he thinks that the police can be easily kau-timmed. What an education for a young mind!
And there is not much improvement you can make if the top ones are corrupted as well. That was why Zaid was facing difficulties in pushing his reform agenda. Not many have a reason to change the staus quo – either they are so comfortable earning from the system or they have not earned enough or they are afraid that a more open system would result in the exposure of their dirty hands.
We need a change from the inside out and from the top down. Within the present Malaysian context, this is only possible if there is a change of government from the BN to the PR. Even with the PR, it will take another at least one or two generations before the country can be as clean as Singapore. Funny how two countries which are so similar in so many ways can be so far apart in their level of corruption in public service delivery.
The irony is that our country is so much more outwardly religious. The irrefutable conclusion – outward religiosity has nothing to do with real or inner religiosity. Those who are corrupted in any way whether in terms of money or in terms of abuse of powers but outwardly appear or pretend to be God-fearing or religious are the ones who have truly insulted God. Not RPK.
Being religious and being corrupt are two different things as far as these govt servants are concerned. They have been led to believe it’s OK to take money from kafirs. Where or how they have come to this mindset is not hard to guess, they just look up to see what their leaders have been doing.
And this is from the guy who gave us Islam Hadhari.Not only that he also promised to give us good governance,fair justice, transparency and judicial reforms.Gawd.Hasnt he got up from slumber?Or is he still hibernating?
The big C (corruption, not cancer) and money politics were especially promoted and cultivated when MM was the PM, in his impatience to create a new instant generation of filthy rich and successful Malays.
Rules were created and invented, rules were bent, esay money was made, the big C was tolerated, and money was channeled into some accounts.
Once the big C crept into our culture and became part of the lives of all layers of residents, there is no stopping. In fact, the big C gets bigger and bigger. No C, no deal! It’s my way or the highway.
How to expect our TI CPI ranking to get better? No way. Only one way our TI CPI ranking will go – down south!
Who said so that he is a failure.If he is a failure then his SIL will not be that filty rich today.All the Barisan Najis minsters won’t be filty rich.One of his ministers can even sponsors a learning trip to Taiwan.He just close one eye for his cronies to corrupt.
Open corruption – the legacy of Dr. Mahathir and his dreams of fast track to success.
“”INQUIRIES WASTE OF TIME AND MANY “” As was reported in todays SUN PAPERS.
KAYEAS ( PPP ) said Its a waste of time and funds to look into the MISAPPROPRIATION of FUNDS of the 4 PR STATE.
He even had the BALLS to say that what can the OPPOSITION do.Nothing happened to the previous INQUIRIES.
I agree hundred PERCENT ,What can the opposition do when we have a police force who are scared of the rulling government and the ACA who only listen to LEADERS from UMNO.
That is why CORRUPTION is so high in MALAYSIA.
Zak Hammaad the foreigner wants us to believe that AAB is “singlehandedly” responsible for the corruption in Bolehland today. What a clown, this foreigner. He has only been here 16 years, and already his nose is so far up Mamakthir’s ass that he can’t smell anything anymore.
Those of us who lived through 22 years of Mahathirism understand that the father of modern corruption is non other than the mamak himself. Sorry to burst your bubble, foreigner, but the truth might hurt you a little while longer.
Only so-called foreigners like zak_hammaad intentionally gloss over the BMF scandals, the multiple Bank Bumi bail-outs, the monstrous Renong, MAS, etc scandals, etc.
I would wager to say he is no foreigner but instead is a paid mamakthir agent.
We are still better off than Ghana, Nigeria and Zimbabwe!!!
…………
Ye, we are now the best among the basket cases!
lchk Says:
Only so-called foreigners like zak_hammaad intentionally gloss over the BMF scandals, the multiple Bank Bumi bail-outs, the monstrous Renong, MAS, etc scandals, etc.
………
Zak is a superb specimen of the type of sampah that the Biro Tata Negara has been churning out regularly…
I think those guys are mistaken. They really need to spend some time (need not be very long) in malaysia to appreciate the fact that corruption here in really worse than what the ranking suggest.
Years ago, as a child I used to hear comments about the corrupt ways of the JPJ and the kopi licence they issued and the secretive manner in which traffic police accept kopi money. I dont recall hearing corrupt practices beyond these two groups of civil servants. That was 30 years ago.
Today, it is no exaggeration for me to say that every government department is corrupt. At the moment, it would be an exaggeration for me to say that every civil servant is corrupt but at the rate things go, would we be surprised if they are, sometime in the near future?
We have the benefit of inheriting the British system of public administration. Look at HK and Singapore, today. Look at us.
The rot was started by mahathir and gang and is allowed to continue by badawi and gang. And since the rot was not going as badly as it could have, najib and gang decided to take over.
Godfather Says:
>> Zak Hammaad the foreigner wants us to believe that AAB is “singlehandedly” responsible for the corruption in Bolehland today.
Since you are very incompetent in reading and understanding English, this “foreigner” will repeat to teach you exactly what I wrote:
“I hope that people on this blog will now realise that AAB is single-handedly responsible for the corruption level in Malaysia that seems to have become endemic during his tenure as PM.”
Let’s break this sentence down for your dim-witted intellect; I used the word “corruption level”, this means that although there was corruption before AAB took office, his tenure saw it’s drastic rise to new heights (the same issues that you are now discussing and complaining about).
Clearly your hate for UMNO can not disguise the fact that BN still have the viable concept to lead Malaysia. Clearly they have been damaged severely by their own actions and this obviously can not be tolerated by any citizen. This is why I keep saying that if there is no drastic change within the leadership and policies very soon, they will be history. Hypothetically, the demise of UMNO and BN does not automatically give Anwar a free hand to wreak his own brand of corruption and mismanagement.
I tend not to entertain your bigoted and shallow posts that only attack people who do not hold your views. You clearly are an intolerant individual and this clearly reflects what Pakatan is all about.
Adios.
Zak Hammaad:
Just continue to make your sycophantic comments on chedet.com. You have been excellent at regurgitating the teachings of the mamak, but this is not the right avenue for you. I cannot be tolerant of your hero who has brought this country to its knees.
it basically boils down to the misinterpreted version of ‘giving & taking’ in a religious context.
I have heard with my own ears, what a VVIP, upon accepting bribe, said “Kita tak minta, dia kasi…” So, the giver is sinning in giving bribes but the takers are not guilty, as they didnt (directly) asked for it. Go figure.
hMx-blurred out!!!!!!!