Malaysia’s former Inspector-General of Police has blamed a “relaxed attitude” among some senior Public Servants for allowing more junior colleagues to fall prey to corruption.
Musa Hassan (pictured) said failure to pull up officers who might be straying had caused a deterioration in values, and made them willing to compromise their integrity in order to enrich themselves.
“We see a lack of action against officers who deviate, and it gives rise to elements of corruption and the abuse of power,” Tan Sri Musa said.
“So it is important for all Department heads to monitor the officers under them so that they perform their duties transparently,” he said.
Speaking during a Government-organised anti-corruption forum, Tan Sri Musa said that during his long career in law enforcement he had seen negative changes taking place with Public Servants prioritising the pursuit of pleasure and material wealth over their service.
“When I started working, the salary was quite small, but we were trained to provide the best service to the community,” the former Inspector-General said.
“The situation has changed and now many are chasing material things,” he said.
“What we see now is that many Government officials who have just started working are already spending well beyond their means.”
Tan Sri Musa said this overspending was one of the causes of corruption.
In a report last January, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) revealed that nearly half of all corruption cases in the past six years involved Public Servants.
According to the MACC, between 2015 and 2020, a total of 5,652 arrests were made, of which 2,683 involved Government officials.
Kuala Lumpur, 9 August 2021
