Cool heads must prevail
(The Sun) – NO ONE would want to be in the shoes of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) these days. Despite the good work it has done in weeding out corruption and investigating various government agencies, the death of political aide Teoh Beng Hock in 2009 under suspicious circumstances had coloured public perception of an agency which, for all intents and purposes had been on the right path under its present leadership.
The death of Selangor Customs assistant director Ahmad Sarbani Mohamed on Wednesday under similar circumstances at the MACC Kuala Lumpur headquarters is not going to earn the MACC any new supporters. In fact, even those who had vehemently defended the commission before are distancing themselves from the MACC.
While the deaths raise questions as to the conduct and practices of the commission and its officers, conspiracy theories abound – that Ahmad Sarbani and Teoh were murdered to prevent them from fingering the big fish; that they committed suicide due to pressure from outside forces or were overwhelmed by their own perceived guilt; or that they were collateral damage – a means to an end by those out to create doubt in and discredit the MACC.
As juicy as gossip goes, cool and rational heads must prevail. A Royal Commission of Inquiry had to be set up as in Teoh’s case, to bring justice to the victim, as well as the MACC and bring closure to the nation. Most importantly, the commission’s procedures will come under the spotlight again as it is evident that several breaches took place.
The public will be fearful of going to an MACC office or to co-operate in fighting graft if their well-being cannot be guaranteed. This is disastrous in the bigger picture of fighting graft. It is important for the MACC to also focus on overhauling its procedures – even if it means heads have to roll.
By calling for a press conference to announce Ahmad Sarbani’s death within two and a half hours of the incident shows that the commission is not inclined to sweep things under the carpet and has opened itself up for scrutiny. This is commendable because in the next few months or coming years the public will be more inclined to go over it with a fine-toothed comb to plug loopholes and weed out bad hats.
