I refer to the interview with Public Services Department director-general Datuk Seri Borhan Dolah (NST, Sept 2) in which he said corruption in the civil service can end by stopping bribe givers.
With due respect, I think Borhan got his perspective wrong when it comes to corrupt practice in the civil service.
In virtually all cases of corruption involving civil servants, the abuse of power was in exchange for money and the sums got more substantial as the rank rose.
The public, be they traffic offenders or contractors who have to go through a thick layer of bureaucracy to get their projects off the ground, would not pay bribes if these were not asked for in the first place.
It is here that corrupt practice starts and ends, when civil servants, with the power to grant approvals to get things done or those involving deals and procurements, cash in on the powers vested to them.
The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission is taking the right approach by going after the receivers or takers of bribe instead of the givers.
From the legal viewpoint, when it comes to the prosecution of offenders, who is going to give evidence in court if the giver is also charged?
This will make anti-corruption work more difficult as without evidence, there won’t be a prima facie case.
In other words, if things run smoothly when the public deals with civil servants, the issue of corruption does not arise, and as Borhan said: “The main role of civil servants is to serve the country.”
A.C.
Kuala Lumpur