MACC guarantees protection for whistle-blowers

ALOR STAR: The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission guarantees the protection of all whistle-blowers and urged more to come forward and report incidents of graft involving civil servants.
Its deputy chief commissioner (prevention) Datuk Shamsun Baharin Mohd Jamil said the lack of awareness on the protection guaranteed is among reasons less than 0.1% of 1.6 million civil servants reported graft cases.
He said despite the ringgit-to-ringgit incentive offered to civil servants for reporting on corruption cases among them, only 214 individuals had reported such cases between 2011 to 2016, with the amount of incentives totaling RM384,000.
"It is undeniable that corruption among civil servants is at a critical level but it is disappointing that since 2011, only 214 civil servants were brave enough to lodge reports on corrupt practices in their midst although the minimum incentive is RM500.
"This incentive does not have a fixed maximum value as it depends on the amount of bribe. If the amount of bribe offered is RM1 million, the government will pay the whistleblower RM1 million," he said when met by reporters at the Corruption-Free Pledge Taking ceremony of the Kedah Islamic Religious Department (JAIK), here, today.
He stressed that witnesses or informants of corruption cases are protected by all law enforcement agencies under the Witness Protection Act 2009 (Act 696) and the Whistleblower Protection Act 2010 (Act 711).
Present were Kedah MACC director Mohd Fauzi Mohammad, JAIK director Datuk Abdul Rahman Ismail and 330 JAIK officers and its Islamic affairs assistants.
The ringgit-to-ringgit incentive was introduced by the government in 2011 to curb corruption among civil servants.
However, Shamsun admitted that both the Witness Protection Act 2009 and Whistleblower Protection Act 2010 had its shortcomings resulting in many public servants not coming forward to report to the MACC, on corruption incidents.
"What is happening now is that a whistleblower can lodge a report to only one law enforcement agency. For example, the Whistleblower Protection Act is automatically not applicable if the whistleblower makes a police report after reporting the case to the MACC.
"Because of this, whistleblowers don''t feel safe, thus we want both acts to be applicable for all the relevant enforcement agencies," he said.
At the ceremony, Abd Rahman led the department's 330 staff to pledge their support in rejecting corruption.