NST
MACC appeals for more funding from govt
KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has appealed to the government to reconsider allocating more funds for the body, said MACC deputy chief commissioner (prevention) Datuk Shamshun Baharin Mohd Jamil.
He said, the appeal was made after MACC's finances were slashed in the 2017 Budget announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
"The allocation for MACC is RM216 million. Last year it was RM251 million and in 2015 it was RM294 million.
"We need extra funds so we can continue with all the plan we've put in place," he told the reporters when met at a public forum organised by the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (Ideas), titled "Supporting the MACC in Fighting Corruption in Malaysia".
Also present at the forum were Transparency International-Malaysia (TI-M) president Datuk Akhbar Satar, Centre to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4) executive director Cynthia Gabriel and a few other representatives from several non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
Echoing similar remark was Akhbar, who said that MACC may have the power to act against those who are corrupt, but without sufficient funds, it would be difficult for the agency to operate at the most optimum level.
"That is why we suggested for the funding of MACC to be distributed by the parliament, and not the government," he said.
Yesterday, during the announcement of Malaysia's Corruption Perception Index (CPI) 2016, Akhbar said that the government made a mistake for cutting the MACC's budget.
However, Shamshun said it should not be a big issues as MACC wasn't the only agency affected.
"In fact, other agencies and ministries too faced the same situation as we did," he added.
On another note, Shamshun also called on Malaysians to help the MACC in its war against corruption, adding that the people shouldn’t be afraid of lodging a report with the agency if they suspect corrupt practices were taking place.
He assured that whistleblowers will be protected under the Whistleblower Protection Act 2010, which protects its informants from disciplinary actions.
"If we do not get any information, it would be difficult for us to take action."
The Whistleblower Protection Act 2010 was passed in May 2010 and came into force on Dec 15 the same year.
The act protects whistleblowers who lodge a complaint to an officer from an enforcement agency of corrupt practices in the public and private sectors.
This includes the police, the Customs Department, the Road Transport Department, the Immigration Department of Malaysia and MACC.
Other agencies include institutions such as the Securities Commission, Bursa Malaysia and the Companies Commission of Malaysia.
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