A FORMER federal minister has lauded the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission’s (MACC) strategy of luring informers with incentive schemes to combat corruption, saying the move will produce positive outcomes.

Datuk Seri Dr Salleh Said Keruak (pic) said this would be an effective way for the corruption watchdog to get reliable information and evidence for their investigation and therefore, politicians from all divides should support the plan.

“The existence of such schemes would bring nightmares to those who are corrupt because it would also create distrust among themselves as there are incentives for certain parties to expose the corrupt dealings or practices amongst civil servants, businessmen as well as politicians,” the former Sabah chief minister said in a Facebook post on Tuesday (June 19).

“Hence, people would be encouraged to report this type of crime because there is a handsome reward for doing so. Furthermore, they are doing both the country and themselves a favour.”

The Usukan assemblyman was responding to MACC’s whistleblower incentive scheme where civil servants are rewarded ringgit-for-ringgit for reporting corrupt practices.

MACC chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki had previously mentioned that 514 civil servants had been rewarded with over RM1 mil in total between 2012 and last year for revealing and reporting corruption cases that led to conviction.

Speaking in the New Straits Times’ Beyond the Headlines talk show, Azam said under the new National Anti-Corruption Strategy 2024-2028 announced last month, there was a proposal to expand the scheme to the general public.

However, the matter was still just a proposal and the specific and optimal procedures with lead agencies were still being ironed out.

Various corruption watchdog groups welcomed the move to expand the graft reporting incentive scheme to the general public, calling it a positive step in the country’s anti-corruption campaign.

NST reported Transparency International Malaysia Dr Muhammad Mohan as saying that the move would encourage more people to report on corruption cases.

However, he noted that in terms of reference the reward for exposing graft must be made clear to the public otherwise it would lead to problems when someone lodges a report but does not get rewarded due to not meeting certain conditions.

Echoing similar sentiments was Malaysian Corruption Watch (MCW) president Jais Abdul Karim who said the move aligns well with the long-term goal of combating corruption by creating a broader base of vigilant citizens.

In addition to fostering a culture of transparency and accountability, Jais reckoned that engaging the public not only increases the number of potential whistleblowers but also raises awareness and deterrence against corrupt practices.

However, he warned that there was also a risk of false or malicious reporting for financial gain, which could burden investigation resources and ruin reputations.

Therefore, it was crucial to ensure that ethical guidelines and strict verification processes were in place to maintain the integrity of the reporting system, he added. - June 19, 2024 

https://focusmalaysia.my/macc-reward-scheme-a-good-strategy-that-will-produce-the-right-results-says-ex-minister/