By Julian Tan
THE word “cartel” has crept into our national conversation over the past few months and it is not something to be proud of. It started with an exposé on the “meat cartel” involving a syndicate that has been importing non-halal meat into the country and passing them off as Islamic-friendly. The activity has been going on for decades with the money trail leading all the way to the top of the civil service.
Subsequently, Malaysians were shocked with the revelations by the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) that renegades in the force were out to topple him and install a top cop who is more amenable to the ways of the crooks, than law enforcers.
Barely have Malaysians gotten over the shock, came another revelation on Datuk Seri Nicky Liow, who is now on the run over a spate of crimes, including money laundering and Macau scams that ran into billions of ringgit.
The founder of Winner Dynasty Group, 33, fled after being tipped off by top bureaucrats about an impending raid. Preliminary police investigations show that the fugitive who is now on the Interpol watch list has cultivated a network of contacts that led all the way to the top in the police force and other government agencies.
The latest “cartel” that is in the news is one involving a ring that “corners the market” to monopolise government procurements worth billions of ringgit. This criminal ring has informers deep within the civil service tipping the perpetrators from the ceiling price to project specifications.
As much as we rejoice over the crippling of such syndicates that have siphoned off billions in taxpayers’ money over the decades, most Malaysians know that these activities are just the tip of the iceberg.
In no time, the crooks will be back plying the trade in different guises or masterminded by different crime lords.
What is most perplexing is the lack of political will to stamp out corruption in the civil service that has become rotten to the core. On the one hand, some politicians have little incentive to overhaul a public procurement system riddled with loopholes, especially one that gives leeway to political interference.
For these people, it gives leeway for them to build their warchest or enrich themselves in a crony-capitalist ecosystem that has been entrenched for decades.
On the other hand, politicians are too busy politicking to plug the leakages in the public procurement system that requires a systemic overhaul. Based on news reports, politicians appear to be obsessed with trying to retain their supporters like MPs or entice opposing lawmakers to switch sides, including secretly recording phone conversations of their enemies.
It’s either that or they are poking fire with racial-religious sentiments to score brownie points in time for the next general election, likely to be called this year.
In the midst of all these, our lawmakers devote little to no effort to fighting corruption, save for some window-dressing exercises that hardly leaves a dent in the corruption that has crept to the core.
At the end of the day, it is the politicians who have allowed the cartels to flourish, through their action or lack of. – April 21, 2021
Julian Tan is a FocusM editorial contributor
The views expressed here are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
