theSun | FRIDAY MARCH 20 2009
speak up!
Jumping the queue, democratically
I’VE been spending some time
in Singapore lately, and on Abiding
numerous occasions after a
long dinner – when it’s raining, Times
and when the bus stops are too by Tunku ‘Abidin Muhriz functions) were able to set
far or too full – I’ve proceeded
circuitously to a taxi stop. Initially, I
thought there weren’t enough taxis on
the island, because I have taken taxis
in many developed cities but queues
for taxis in Singapore are on average
longer than any other and progress
very slowly.
The prohibition on embarking any-
where forces people to congregate at
the approved stops (it is illegal for taxis volved, without which the new regime
to stop along the major thoroughfares),
but the second trend, I have just con-
cluded, is largely due to the widespread
practice of booking of taxis while in the
queue. The practice is to arrive at the
stand and, if the queue doesn’t slither
quickly enough, to reach for one’s
mobile. The effect is that nearly every
subsequent vehicle is “on call” and
people embark them from different
points of the queue, while those at the
front, who have waited 20 minutes to
avoid the additional S$3 booking fee,
get increasingly flustered.
Having also just read of the disquali-
fication of the chief minister of Malacca
from the contest for the deputy presi-
dency of Umno for vote-buying carried
out by his agents, I was reminded of
the concept known as “speed money”.
In the study of corruption this is the
phenomenon where things get done
more quickly (or at all) upon payment
to an authority or series of authorities.
There is a school of thought which
argues that if corruption is going to
occur, better it be centralised than
decentralised. In the USSR, bribes were
monitored by the Communist Party
but following its collapse,
little Napoleons free from
central authority (but retain-
ing monopolies over certain
their own rates, which led to
gross inefficiency. Similar arguments
have been made for Indonesia.
The trick therefore is to ensure that
when powers are delegated to other
bodies because of decentralisation or
other reforms, the opportunities for
rent seeking (ie extortion) are mini-
mised. Several ingredients – ethics,
transparency, legal force – are in-
will be condemned as being worse
than the one it replaced. Recently the
Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commis-
sion was criticised over the handling
of a case, and now the actions of the
Umno disciplinary board are also
being questioned in the blogosphere.
Of course many critics too will have
political interests. Like in post-Soviet
Russia and post-Suharto Indonesia,
it will inevitably take time for new
institutions to fully develop, adjust and
be trusted by the people.
In May 2007, my employer at that
time sent me on a month-long mission
to Ulaanbaatar. Malaysia was then
prominently in the front pages of the
Mongolian dailies, and the immigra-
tion officer spent a good 10 minutes
reading my passport (it might have
been quicker to use my alternative
travel document issued to staff who
need to travel to countries their pass-
ports won’t allow). I was working on
reform of the civil service there – the
problem was that many civil servants
were avid members of political parties
who were shunned by (or refused to
work with) the government when
TELLING IT AS IT IS
Acting Editor-in-Chief: Chong Cheng Hai
Consultant Editor: Zainon Ahmad
Executive Editor: Lee Boon Siew
Deputy Editor: Patrick Choo (Production),
Editor: R. Nadeswaran (Special Reporting and Investiga-
tion)
the other side won, which was often.
So huge numbers of people were be-
ing paid to work for the state even
though their first loyalty was to their
political party. It made me appreciate the
British model we adopted where civil
servants are trained to work with the
government of the day regardless of
which party supplies it.
Still, political parties everywhere
are always prone to corruption. In
the United States, the exchange of
large sums of money is legitimised or
hidden within the complex machinery
of lobbying, and in the UK, scandals
like the “cash for peerages” fiasco (a bit
like the alleged sale of Datukships but
involving probably more money and In the study
arguably cooler titles) have emerged of corruption
where donors to the Labour Party sud-
denly end up in the House of Lords. this is the
That is why it is essential that notphenomenon
only the original party of freedom, of where
our Merdeka – but all Malaysian politi- things get
cal parties – democratise themselves, done more
subjugate themselves to the grassroots, quickly (or
and decentralise decision-making at all) upon
while ensuring any new bodies are payment to
subject to the same legal force that they
an authority
are. If the parties don’t abide by the rule
or series of
of law then there is little hope that they
will promote it in government. authorities.
When the practice of extra payments There is a
for benefits is openly legitimised and school of
made transparent – like the circum- thought
vention of Singaporean taxi queues which
– we can have an honest debate about argues that
it. But when the governance of our na- if corruption
tion is kept under the lid, rumours and is going
innuendo dominate, and we all suffer.
to occur,
better it be
Tunku ’Abidin Muhriz is director of the centralised
Malaysia Think Tank (waubebas.org). than
Comments: letters@thesundaily.com decentralised.”
13
Sun Media Corporation Sdn Bhd (221220-k)
Lot 6, Jalan 51/217, 46050 Petaling Jaya.
General Manager, Advertising and Marketing: Charles Peters Tel (General): 03-7784 6688
Senior Manager, Production: Thomas Kang
Senior Manager, Distribution Channels: Joehari Abdul Jabbar Tel (Editorial): 03-7784 6688 Fax: 03-7785 2624/5
Email: newsdesk@thesundaily.com
Tel (Advertising): 03-7784 8888 Fax: 03-7784 4424
Email: advertise@thesundaily.com
thesun says
No witch hunt,
please
THE hearing by the Select Committee on
Competence, Accountability and Transparency
into the misuse of funds by the Association of
Wives of State Assemblymen and Members of
Parliament in Selangor (Balkis) is timely. While
all kinds of claims and counter-claims have been
made by all and sundry, the hearing, hopefully will
put an end to or confirm rumours and speculation
of extravagance.
It can be viewed as a groundbreaking move
which will enable the public to get an insight into
the workings of a voluntary welfare body and
how state-owned companies use or misuse their
funds allocated for charitable projects.
All this while, the public have been reading
and listening to one side – the accusers in and
out of the state assembly. So much has been said
and written with all kinds of claims and accusa-
tions but never had the parties which had been
implicated given their side of the story. When the
committee sits on Monday, it will give an opportu-
nity for those who have been implicated to tell the
truth before a panel of state assemblymen.
While the focus has been on recent revela-
tions that Balkis members went on a holiday to
Disneyland in Tokyo and then to Hongkong and
Seoul, there’s a far more important issue – the
transfer of almost RM10 million from its accounts
on the eve of the general election. The committee
must also address this issue as part of this money
came from state-owned companies, which means
Selangor taxpayers.
While opening the hearings to the public and
media and having it telecast live via webcast, the
committee should not be seen as a vehicle to
embarrass the previous Balkis committee. The
hearings must be held within the ambit of the
procedures that govern such hearings and it
should not be used as a platform to go on an ex-
ercise in vengeance or revenge. On the contrary,
it is imperative that the first of such hearings be
viewed as being conducted fairly – without fear
or favour. Wavering from such principles will only
bring about accusations of a witch-hunt.