Zaid sees broken institutions as real cause of graft

 

Zaid Ibrahim says public institutions must be free of corruption to ensure a stable government.

PETALING JAYA: Former law minister Zaid Ibrahim has called for recognition that “broken public institutions” must be repaired to give meaning to the fight against corruption.

“Our public institutions are corrupt,” he said, adding that it would not do enough good to just punish tainted individuals.

He was commenting on former chief justice Abdul Hamid Mohamad’s call to Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Barisan Nasional (BN) adviser Najib Razak to step down from their positions to clear BN of the taint of corruption linked to them.

“Just changing and punishing individuals won’t make much difference,” Zaid told FMT.

“Individuals come and go, but if you want a stable and less corrupt government, the institutions must be free of corruption to keep everyone in check.”

He said the core problem was that institutions in the country were blemished and not operating in accordance with the law.

“There are institutions that should not engage in business and money-making ventures such as timber and telcos. There are people in institutions that should not be buying shares or going on fancy trips.”

He said it was important for vital institutions such as the police and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to be overseen by independent commissions that would be answerable to Parliament.

“Let’s not avoid the issue by talking about what is convenient – Zahid and Najib. Or Umno bashing. Talk about the elephants in the room.

“Talk about how Parliament must by law confirm all key appointments such as the MACC chief commissioner, the inspector-general of police, the chief secretary to the government and the Bank Negara governor among others,” he said. - FMT