ARAU: About 16 per cent of students in higher institutions of learning (IPT) are willing to accept bribes, if they have the opportunity and power to do so, says Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) deputy chief commissioner Datuk Shamsun Bahrin Mohd Jamil.
He said the figure was obtained from a Corruption Prevention Action Effectiveness Perception Study among students by MACC last year but he did not divulge the number of students involved in the study.
“The figure is worrying because only 10.7 per cent of the students in 2015 and 11.3 per cent in 2014 had stated their willingness to receive bribes,” he told a media conference after the signing of a Corruption-Free Pledge (IBR) at Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP) level at the university campus here today.
A total 15 UniMAP deans and department heads signed and swore the IBR headed by vice-chancellor Datuk Prof Dr Zul Azhar Zahid Jamal and witnessed by Perlis MACC director, Yaacob Angah.
The study also found 18.2 per cent of the students were prepared to give bribes to avoid action, an increase of 0.8 per cent from 17.4 per cent in 2015, said Shamsun Bahrin.
He said a study also found the number of students who were willing to report corruption cases had dropped to 66.3 per cent compared to 74.1 per cent in 2015 and 74.9 in 2014.
He said MACC data from 2011 until today showed that only 162 individuals dared to come forward and informed the agency about corruption cases.
According to Shamsun Bahrin, MACC launched the Anti-Corruption Hero (WAR) campaign and set up the Corruption Prevention Secretariat (SPR) at IPTs (20), Teachers’ Education Institutes (IPG) (27) and Mara Education Institutes IPMa) (47) to create a ani-corruption culture among the groups.
Zul Azhar said UniMAP was proud to be the second public university after Universiti Teknikal Malaysia (UTeM) to sign and take the IBR pledge.
He said UniMAP also handed over a proposal paper for the setting up of an Accredited Uniformed Body “UniMAP MACC Student Troop” to Shamsun Bahrin who represented MACC. -- BERNAMA