MALAYSIA! WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS!

Malaysia Tops Bribery Table

  By Jason Ng

Despite Malaysia’s high-profile anticorruption crusade, half of the corporate executives surveyed by a global corruption watchdog believe that competitors have obtained business through bribery, underscoring the hard task ahead for Prime Minister Najib Razak‘s government in weeding out graft.

Transparency International said Malaysia scored worst in the 2012 Bribe Payers Survey. It asked about 3,000 executives from 30 countries whether they had lost a contract in the past year because competitors paid a bribe—and in Malaysia, 50% said yes. Second on the dubious honor roll was Mexico, at 48%.

European Pressphoto Agency

A Transparency International survey suggests businesses in Malaysia must navigate a haze of corruption.

Japan ranked as the world’s least-corrupt place to do business, with just 2% of respondents saying they had lost out due to bribery; Malaysia’s neighbor Singapore was second-cleanest, at 9%. Even Indonesia, with a long-standing reputation for corruption, fared better than more-developed Malaysia: Southeast Asia’s largest economy came in at 47%. By comparison, 27% of respondents in China said they thought bribes had cost them business.

“It shows the attitude of private companies in Malaysia, indicating that bribery in the public sector could be systemic and in a sense institutionalized,” said Paul Low, president of the Malaysian chapter of Transparency International.

Since taking office in 2009, Mr. Najib has pledged to eradicate corruption and regain public confidence. Hundreds of cases have been investigated. The government has established special courts to hear corruption cases and is working to introduce harsher punishment, said Ravindran Devagunam, director of corruption prevention at government think-tank Pemandu. The body reports to the prime minister’s department.

Malaysia Called Most Corrupt Country for Business

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In the 2012 Bribe Payers Survey, Malaysian companies were found most likely to take a bribe. The WSJ's Sam Holmes explains why the government's high-profile anticorruption campaign isn't working.

And yet Malaysia’s overall scores in Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index have deteriorated for three consecutive years. In 2011, the country scored 4.3—just slightly lower than the previous year’s 4.4, but significantly lower than the government’s benchmark of 4.9.

A revamped scoring system makes comparison with the 2012 number difficult, though the Transparency International said Malaysia’s position in the broader index continues to be in the mid-range average. It ranked 54^th—together with the Czech Republic, Latvia, and Turkey.

“Foreign companies looking to supply to the government have to be aware that they’re likely to be asked for a bribe,” Mr. Low said.

Comment by azam 64:

In the theoretical situation that PR is the next government,
will there be a witch hunt?

Will members of the present govt and its supporters
be hauled up in front of a kangaroo court and sentenced to loud cheers of PR
 supporters?

When incarcerated will members of the public be encouraged to visit
 them and see these former ‘celebrities?’. Will there will even be gate collection which goes
 to meet their upkeep?

If they find the food not good because they are only used to 
the best, the visitors can bring some food for them. One may miss the dishes from 
Pekan Rabu, Alor Setaq!



The above will be very irresponsible on the part of the new govt. No such thing must 
happen even if at this moment a lot of money had already left Malaysia. If PR is in power
 a massive amount belonging to those connected to the present govt will flee.
 For the good of Malaysia this must be prevented. An amnesty will help, just as
 what had happened in post apartheid South Africa. In return for cooperation, they may be
 free from prosecution. They must provide information to a body made up of people
of high integrity who will find out what happen in all these years. Too much information
had not been revealed.



But will supporters of PR be happy with this? Will they not say that their leaders
 had excused the former govt because they too are going to indulge in the same business?


So the best thing to do is to treat everybody as innocent until proven guilty. Investigations will be done by professionals, free from any political interference. When brought to court the
judges will decide according to the letter of the law free form any political prejudice.
If the investigators, prosecutors, judges give cause for us to suspect them, than they too will have 
to face the law.

Those on trial can get the best lawyers to defend them. Their trial must be fair
and transparent.

The message will be that the long arms of the law will reach all those guilty. Crime and
corruption will not pay. When top people are seen to have to face the law and the PM
or whoever else that is influential will not and cannot interfere  - than the message will sink in very
 fast in the psyche of the Malaysian public. That we are the champions of corruption will
soon be history. We will be the champions of worthy causes that we can be proud of, not
of shameful ones. The money that left Malaysia will eventually find its way back.



azam 64A