He was commenting on Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) deputy chief commissioner Ahmad Khusairi Yahaya’s statement that unscrupulous enforcement officers were using their position to secure bribes from foreigners and that the situation had become “increasingly chronic and worrying”.
Asked about the root cause of corruption among law enforcement officers, Joseph said: “Impunity.”
He said “many think they can get away” because of flaws in the system of punishment.
Joseph, the director of the Pusat Komas human rights NGO, also said foreigners who opted to refrain from lodging police reports made the choice because they feared repercussions.
“Therefore, protection must be afforded to them so that they will not be penalised by authorities, such as by having their work passes cancelled or having another investigation paper opened against them,” he said.
Malaysian Corruption Watch president Jais Abdul Karim agreed with Joseph, saying enforcement officers found guilty of misconduct by their own agencies were hardly ever charged in court.
“The corrupt officers are only slapped with warning letters or minor disciplinary action like short-term suspensions,” he said.
“As a result, they hold no regrets over their action. I believe they should just be sacked.”
Among the corrupt officers Khusairi hit out at on Monday were those who collected bribes on an ad-hoc or regular basis from people smuggling workers into the country, those carrying out illegal mining and fishing activities, and smugglers of prohibited and controlled goods
Khusairi also condemned enforcement officers who would solicit bribes at the country’s borders to speed up the exit and entry processes for foreigners who overstayed, were involved in crimes, blacklisted, or did not meet entry requirements.
Asked about a long-term solution, Jais said it was high time for all law enforcement officers to be made to wear body cameras, adding that stern punishments must be imposed on those who did not comply.
“If they can get away with this at airports, which have sophisticated surveillance and security systems, what more at entry and exit points along the borders,” he said.
“That’s why body cams are really needed.”