PETALING JAYA, 20 Jan 2009: The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC)’s recent inaction over a RM300 “gift” to journalists covering the Kuala Terengganu by-election does not bode well for reforms towards a corrupt-free society, the Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ) said.
“This reflects the lack of initiative on the part of the MACC to respond to what is clearly an attempt to bribe journalists covering the by-election,” said CIJ executive director Gayathry Venkiteswaran, in a press statement today.
“Are we to accept this excuse from an agency that is to undertake a huge task of investigating corruption?” she added, noting that such an approach made a mockery of prime minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s promised reforms to tackle corruption.
The CIJ called for an investigation by the Election Commission, the police and the MACC to identify the perpetrators, and for action to be taken immediately.
The media freedom advocacy group was weighing in on the MACC’s decision not to investigate the case of a media centre staff who offered RM300 cash to journalists covering the Kuala Terengganu by-election.
The money, in a white envelope containing six RM50 bills, was distributed to more than a dozen journalists at the state information department’s media centre. The MACC said it would not investigate the matter, as “reporters who said they received the money at a media centre there could not identify the giver.”
However, police reports lodged by two journalists from online news outfit Merdeka Review contained the name of the officer in question.
In October 2008, information minister Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek boasted that there was no “envelope journalism” in Malaysia, where reporters and editor are paid to highlight certain stories.
“How ironic that the alleged bribery over the weekend has taken place within the state information department’s media centre,” Gayathry quipped. 
Eric says
MACC has shown its true colours.
1) Only ever catch ikan bilis, if you have to catch anything at all (as in the Umno Perak case).
2) Act as if you were a BN component member through selective prosecution (as in the above).
I guess we see what Abdullah meant by reforms: change of name from ACA to MACC for the same waste of our tax money.
vsp says
Immediately after the by-election, MACC sprang into action to convince Malaysians of its prowess, announcing that a senior Perak Umno official and two others would be charged for money politics in UMNO – involving sums of money ranging from RM200 to RM300!
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It really shows how useless the MACC is. It was during the KT buy-election where the million-ringgit action took place. Money rained down on Kuala Trengganu during the whole week. Many people who were there were surprised to find out that envelopes stashed with cash mysteriously appeared from nowhere even without having to ask for it. If you were a blind man who happened to be in KT on that week, you would not fail to smell the aroma of ringgit in your nostrils.
People who were not in KT throughout the period also did not miss the corrosive effects of the money politics that took place.
Yet the MACC was asleep and was derelict in its duty to investigate what everybody was growing increasingly furious about. How ridiculous of Abdullah Badawi to declare that with the setting up of the MACC there would be no more corruption.
Salak says
“This reflects the lack of initiative on the part of the MACC to respond to what is clearly an attempt to bribe journalists covering the by-election.”
If this is “initiative” what is it’s lack?
Pakatan Rakyat should never have lent its name to the scam.
MACC is but another CONDUIT of CORRUPTION!
Anonymous says
http://malaysiakini.com/news/96857
MACC probe still ongoing lah.
Salak says
“…However, police reports lodged by two journalists from online news outfit Merdeka Review contained the name of the officer in question. …”
Does that mean the PDRM and the Malaysian judiciary is useless?
We could save some money by dissolving the MACC.
Eric says
Picture of the police report at http://harismibrahim.wordpress.com/2009/01/21/macc-you-blind-or-what/