This comes after Malaysia failed to improve on its ranking and score in Transparency International’s annual corruption perception index.
Edmund Terence Gomez of Universiti Malaya renewed calls for MACC’s independence to be institutionalised by removing it from the PMD.
While Putrajaya had said it would study the implications of doing so and placing MACC under Parliament’s jurisdiction, Gomez said this was a key reform the unity government should have prioritised soon after coming to power.
“This delay raises serious questions as to whether Anwar Ibrahim’s government is serious about reducing corruption. This major institutional reform is imperative to help move this agenda forward,” he told FMT.
Gomez believed that Malaysia’s stagnant 2024 CPI ranking was partly because of the perception of selective prosecution, which he said can be alleviated by separating MACC from the PMD.
He pointed to a number of high-profile cases where the accused were granted a discharge not amounting to an acquittal, which was also cited by Transparency International Malaysia (TI-M)
“This suggests that MACC does not seem to have the ability to act without fear. This is something that has to be and can only be addressed once the prime minister has no jurisdiction over MACC
“However, the prime minister appears reluctant to ensure that MACC is made totally independent from the executive side of the government,” he said.
There have been multiple calls over the years for the government to guarantee MACC’s independence by removing it from the PMD’s purview. In June 2024, Anwar said Putrajaya would study the implications of a proposal to place the agency under Parliament.
Anwar has also repeatedly vowed to ensure MACC’s independence, saying it was free to investigate anyone regardless of their status despite being under the PMD.
Last week, the prime minister said the government would continue to bolster MACC as an “independent body”, but simply reiterated that the agency has been given “full authority to act without hindrance, fear our favour”.
In September, the Prime Minister’s Office had to deny claims that Anwar had ordered MACC to investigate former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, his sons, and his long-time confidante, the late Daim Zainuddin.
The PMO also denied instructing MACC chief Azam Baki not to investigate share purchases by Anwar’s former political secretary, Farhash Wafa Salvador Rizal Mubarak.
Grand and petty corruption
Gomez acknowledged that MACC has been working hard to combat corruption, particularly among enforcement officers, but said there was a major difference between grand corruption and petty corruption.
“Petty corruption is about everyday corruption involving, for example, the customs department, the police and the immigration department. The real issue, one which is of concern I think to most Malaysians, is grand corruption.
“When we talk about grand corruption, we are talking about people who hold positions of power or influence in the government, who perpetrate acts of corruption but are not held to account,” he said.
Separately, Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs acting CEO Aira Azhari agreed with TI-M’s assessment that the government lacked urgency in addressing corruption, pointing to several glaring absences in reforms.
Aira said Putrajaya needed to table the much-awaited Political Financing Bill and get it enacted before the next general election, and also called for the new asset declaration format for senior public officials and MPs to be expedited.
She said another major reform that was lacking was the separation of the roles of the attorney-general and public prosecutor, which gave rise to perception of political interference in the judiciary or in the prosecution.
“This particular reform is critical for addressing the root causes of corruption,” she said.