Corruption – don’t get mad, get even

ARCHIVES 2010

By admin-s On Aug 9, 2010

People get bankrupt by paying taxes.

By Lee Wee Tak

When Idris Jala told Malaysians that if we continue to use the taxes we paid to defray our own living expenses in fuel, education, healthcare and what not, we will bankrupt the nation to pieces, while Khazanah dabble in foreign acquisitions like the Parkway group.

First time I hear people get bankrupt by paying taxes.

Jokes aside, it is not the rakyat that are gobbling up more than the taxes we paid.
Malaysians do not enjoy world class public amenities like well lit streets and great public transport system (bullet train, efficient buses), free tertiary education, 1st class medical service, unemployment benefits, adequate aid for the disable etc that are found in those well managed developed countries.

Reducing subsidies means the people are getting back lesser what they have paid while the gravy train goes churning on

Where did our money go? The Auditor General can tell you a story or 2, the silent and lonely PKFTZ speaks volumes echoing even among the deaf, the collapsed stadium in Terengganu may give you a hint, Tun Mahathir, Sammy V and Tun Ling might be able to share a memory or 2 (if they remember), Eric Chia, Daim Zainuddin, Ting Pek Khing, Tajuddin Ramli …. bless their soul.

All this nice sloganeering and court room drama means very little to those in desperate need. Comestic Corruption Combat echos like an empty tree stump.

RM100 or RM200 increase in cost of living may mean a lot to many who do not hold office in Putrajaya. There are those Orang Kurang Upaya in Kuala Lumpur who get RM300 a month or less from Jabatan Kebajikan, those parents who are paying more and more for their children’s formerly-free primary and secondary education expenses etc…..

Do we not have any recourse?

There is this UN Convention Against Transnational Organised Crime (UNTOC or ‘The Palermo Convention) which was opened for signature on 12 December 2000 and came into force on 29 September 2003.

Article 12 of the Convention requires a State party to adopt measures, to the greatest extent possible within its legal system, to enable confiscation of proceeds/the equivalent value of proceeds and instrumentalities of offences covered by the Convention

The Convention went on to explain as follows

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Why is it needed?

1. Post-conviction asset recovery, by a confiscation or forfeiture order, is, in reality, a prerequisite for any State that wishes to address acquisitive crime (including corruption, organised crime and trafficking) effectively. Indeed, for those States that are parties to such international instruments as UNTOC or UNCAC, having in place a conviction-based system of asset recovery is a requirement.

2. The rationale is obvious: Criminalising the conduct from which illicit proceeds or profits are made does not adequately punish or deter an offender. Even if arrested and convicted, an organised criminal or other offender will be able to enjoy the illegal gains, either personally, or through their families or associates. Without post-conviction confiscation, the perception would still remain that crime pays in such circumstances and that the criminal justice system is ineffective in removing the incentive for acquisitive crime.
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Do we have such recourse in Malaysia?