SHAH ALAM: In his 13 months and 14 days of service in Selangor, former state Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) director Datuk Wan Ramli Wan Abdullah’s only mission impossible was to get the Selangor state government to sign the Corruption Free Pledge. (IBR)
In voicing his disappointment, Wan Ramli said during his tenure, he experienced many bitter sweet memories and faced a lot of challenges, particularly in getting the PKR-led state government to jump on the bandwagon to embrace the IBR.
“In Selangor, there is only one (regret). I was unable to win over the heart of Selangor Menteri Besar (Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali) and get his cooperation to take the IBR. That is all. There are no other regrets,” said Wan Ramli today.
Wan Ramli, who became MACC intelligence department senior deputy director effective Jan 15, said this in his farewell speech during the handover of duties ceremony to his successor Datuk Alias Salim at Selangor MACC Complex in Section 16.
Alias was previously Pahang MACC director.
The handing over of duties ceremony was witnessed by MACC investigation department senior director Datuk Simi Abdul Ghani.
Wan Ramli said the Selangor state government remained the only administration in the country which had yet to sign the IBR, unlike its Kelantan and Penang counterparts.
“Right up to my official transfer, the Selangor state government has not responded, or given a time or date for the Menteri Besar to sign and take the IBR,” said Wan Ramli.
He added that he had discussed the IBR with Azmin several times last year, once during a courtesy call and at a Hari Raya celebration, and the subsequently meetings were carried out with the Selangor state secretary Datuk Mohd Amin Ahmad Ahya and its integrity unit.
Wan Ramli, however, declined to comment on the reasons the state government was delaying the IBR which will take a similar approach as the Penang state government which aside from the pledge, includes 10 other anti-graft and integrity measures.
Meanwhile, Alias said he would continue efforts to discuss the IBR with the Selangor state government and his office had written to Azmin’s requesting for a meeting.
“Apart from IBR, I will also touch on anti-graft programmes with Azmin to ensure that public officers and civil servants are free from corruption, abuse of power and misappropriation,” he said.
On a separate matter, Wan Ramli said 30 civil servants have been arrested to facilitate investigations into alleged corruption, abuse of power and misappropriation in Selangor last year.
"The 30 civil servants are part of a total of 82 persons arrested in 2017. The remaining 24 and 28 people are private company employees and members of the public. Seventeen were charged in court.
"In 2016, 79 people were nabbed with 38 of them civil servants, 22 staff of private companies and 19 members of the public. Twelve of them were subsequently charged in court," said Wan Ramli.
In 2017 and 2016, a total of 152 investigation papers were opened following 764 tip-offs of alleged wrongdoings from MACC staff, the public, external departments as well as poison pen letters.