PETALING JAYA (July 9): Police scored four on a scale five – five being most corrupt – in a list of institutions, a public survey conducted by Transparency International-Malaysia (TI-M) found.
This was revealed in the graft watchdog's Global Corruption Barometer (GCB) survey which was conducted from September 2012 to March, this year.
However, when asked if the survey results indicated a necessity for an Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC), TI-M's new president Datuk Akhbar Satar declined to comment.
TI-M has been a strong advocate of institutional reforms, particularly as the police force's lead position as the most corrupt institution in two surveys in a row – the previous one in 2010.
The GCB is conducted biennially and is based on 1,000 surveyed on public experience of bribery and corruption. The survey was done through computer assisted telephone interviewing.
Placed behind the police are political parties which scored 3.8 out of five, in the public opinion perception index.
This was followed by the category of public officials/civil servants and Parliament/Legislature which stood at 3.3.
The results also found 39% of the respondents thought the level of corruption had increased, compared to the 37% in 2011.
However, 47% felt the height of graft remained the same while only 14% believed that it had decreased.
This had also translated to the decline in perception of Putrajaya's effectiveness in combating corruption to 31% compared to 49% in 2011.
According to statistics, 79% avowed to report an incident of corruption while an impressive 87% agreed that ordinary individuals can make a difference in fighting corruption.
Correspondingly, those which admitted to paying a bribe in the poll remained at a relatively low 3%.
The Malaysian statistics, however, paled in comparison to the global ranking where 27% respondents said they have paid bribes, meanwhile the number stood at 36% in Indonesia and 18% in Thailand.
However, Akhbar conceded that the respondents may have not been all that truthful on owning up to having paid bribes.
"The barometer survey asked people if they had come into contact with identified service providers in Malaysia and for each of these service they have engaged, they were asked if they had paid a bribe - 12% have paid the police, 8% in the judicial system and 3% in the education system," said Akhbar who presented the results.
"These results indicate that the incidence of petty corruption continues to remain at low levels demonstrating the rakyat's abhorrence to corruption and commitment to make a difference.
"However, the more dangerous form of grand corruption involving collusion and state capture continues to be a cause for concern," he said.
Akhbar, a former Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) official, said to achieve the government's 70% aim in its fight against corruption by 2015 "much more needs to be done."
He also called on the government to nab the "big fish" and asked for a thorough review and reform of the police force and political parties which are viewed as being corrupt.
"Enhance the autonomy and independence of investigative agencies such as the MACC and the Enforcement Agencies Integrity Commission (EAIC)," he said as well as a better protective framework for whistleblowers. fz.com
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