LETTER | Malaysia's 'unholy matrimony' must be dismantled

LETTER | There is a deeply entrenched “unholy matrimony” in Malaysia that must be tackled and dismantled decisively if we are serious about combating corruption to the letter.

This must be addressed by the Madani government in what appears so far as a serious battle with corrupt conduct prevalent in the country.

The culture of connectivity between politicians, businesspersons and civil servants is the axle of deep-seated damage and ills to the country.

At the fulcrum of this unholy relationship are business opportunists who wield financial muscle.

They bait opportunistic politicians who operate on a Machiavellian philosophy, with obliging civil servants who don’t refuse the “envelopes” dished out by businesspersons.

In short, it is a corrupt culture that has rooted so deeply that we have over time come to deem this unholy matrimony as “biasalah” (normal).

If we are to free the country from this bondage, we need to reconstruct the following frameworks.

Firstly, this practice of businesses courting politicians must stop.

Inviting ministers and MPs, for example, to officiate business functions is of no benefit to businesses except to showcase influence or to entice obligations. That is the hidden truth.

Politicians must be banned from having business interests of any sort, either directly or through remote means like using proxies.

Either politicians and civil servants choose to serve the rakyat strictly on a salaried package or leave political turfs or public service and go into business. There is no middle path to this long-entrenched practice.

Secondly, civil servants must not become beneficiaries but remain as servants to the government. They are paid to serve king and country and not profit from businesspersons.

Holding businesses at ransom with delays and getting files moved as long as private payments or "greasing the palms" is done must be punished with immediate termination of such compromised servants.

Separate politics from business

Transferring errant civil servants is no mark of compassion but merely tolerating crime.

Thirdly, businesses must be kept out of ministers' offices. The systems of good governance of over six decades surely are capable of addressing all business needs within the confines of rules of laws.

Today, as we keep counting the growing number of charges and allegations being levelled upon politicians, it is no surprise if we discover that the deep wounds inflicted on the citizenry are due to our refusal to disband this unholy matrimony between businesses, politicians and civil servants that persists.

Hopefully, important quarters within the Madani government made possible by a unity of political blocks will re-visit and do a retreat on this opinion shared here.

Meanwhile, trade unions, professional bodies and institutions committed to good governance and best practice standards must converge and put the heat on to crush the “unholy matrimony” between our business, politicians and the civil service.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.