Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely

Hantu Laut

The Parliamentary Select Committee on corruption must be out of their minds to suggest that more powers must be given to the MACC, particularly the power to prosecute.

There have been many complaints of MACC's Gestapo style interrogations against accused persons.A "carte blanche" could become extremely dangerous and could open doors to abuses and corruptions.

The MPs should not in their over zealousness of wanting to be seen to spring clean corruptions unconsciously create another monster that can go out of control.There have been one or two cases reported so far of MACC officers demanding bribes to close the file on an accused person.We may close one evil's box and open another.

In a civil society there must be check and balance, no one should be given absolute power, not MACC, not the Police and not the AG.There must be separation of responsibility to ensure justice prevails at all level.The Police and MACC investigate, the AG prosecutes and the Judiciary purveys justice.

We inherited a good system from the British and there is absolutely no reason to change what is not broken.The MACC should stay as an investigative body and the power to prosecute stays with the AG.Such arrangement stifle abuses of power and corruptions.

We should not be too enthusiastic to copy the ICAC of Hong Kong without looking at the history of its formation.

The ICAC was an offspring of the very corrupt Hong Kong police force which used to have an Anti-Corruption Branch within the force.Due to it ineffectiveness and suspected collusion with corrupt officers the then British Colonial government of Hong Kong disbanded the department and created the independent ICAC, reporting directly to the Governor, now the Chief Executive.

The ICAC was created primarily to clamp down on corruptions within government departments and the Hong Kong police force.

With the economic boom after World War II Hong Kong was awashed with money but the civil servants were poorly paid, thereby, resorting to corruptions to supplement their incomes.The ICAC, in its earlier days swoop down on entire police station and taking everyone in for questioning.

The MACC should employ the same shock tactic used by the ICAC against police officers suspected of corruption.

The Hong Kong ICAC has fair share of corruptions involving some of its officers but has since evolved to become one of the most effective anti-corruption agencies.

As Lord Acton said " absolute power corrupts absolutely." it would be negligent of Parliament to give absolute power to anyone.

Let the "status quo" stays.