We have to BERSIH-kan Malaysia

Asia Sentinel reports : Sultan Azlan Shah had spoken . A former Chief Judge of our land he had mentioned some important points that properly reflect the opinion of Malaysians. Below is an important excerpt:

Nothing, the sultan said, “destroys more the confidence the general public, or the business community has in the judiciary than the belief that the judge was biased when he decided a case, or that the judge would not be independent where powerful individuals or corporations are the litigants before him. Confidence in the judiciary may also be eroded where the business community perceives incompetence in decision-making. A judgment in a banking or commercial transaction that is contrary to the established norms or which is incomprehensible in its reasoning is bound to give rise to suspicion and loss of confidence.”

It does not take rocket science to know that His Majesty was talking about the Walk of Justice and the Lingam Tape, two associated most controversial events concerning Malaysian Judiciary at the very least in this decade.

Indeed, His Majesty had said it right. If the public has no confidence with the justice system, it would be best to remove the source that affected the problem. Since the current Chief Justice Tun Ahmad Fairuz's contract is expiring (today, if I am not wrong), let him go. Employ a new one.

Isn't that solution easy? Why does the government intend to beat around the bush and raising all kinds of denial on the wish of the People and the Monarch? Just let him go. Did I miss anything? Is there any hidden, unspoken reasons on retaining him?

In fact, Comparative Study: Records of "Justice" shows that Sultan Azlan Shah was more productive than the current figure. Most Malaysians were pleased with the performance of Sultan as the Chief Justice. His words should be heard and heeded.

In the meantime Farish A. Noor of The Other Malaysia wrote the article, Malaysia: The people are fed up . He spoke of a continuation from the Walk of Justice by the Malaysian Bar.

The march’s organisers aim to gather 100,000 citizens at the Merdeka (Independence) Square of the city and then march on to the national palace to present their petition to the King (Agong) himself, calling for the Monarch to intervene and look into their complaints about the poor governance of the country on issues ranging from corruption to abuse of power by the leaders of the ruling UMNO party and the government.

As Latheefa Koya of the People’s Justice Party notes: “BERSIH’s march marks a crucial point in Malaysian history where people from all walks of life, and not just political parties, demand free and fair elections in Malaysia. By doing so they are in fact calling for greater participation in the democratic process”.

The King has already signalled that he is prepared to receive the petition, while other rulers such as Sultan Azlan Shah of the state of Perak have publicly bemoaned the state of the judiciary in Malaysia.

Malaysiakini reported this : Perhimpunan 10 Nov: Bersih temui polis KL Khamis ini . The organisers have just informed the police on this up-and-coming massive gathering.



(More details from Bersih official site)

As a concerned citizen, I need to save Malaysia my homeland. One needs to be brave to achieve something good for the nation.

Hah, Oh Dear?! RM 100 Cash Reward to Stamp Out Cop Bribery?!

I read with much enthusiasm the piece of news which has no official news source origin, but displayed in these websites:
1) Google Groups: Careful if u wanna bribe M'sian police
2) Whatever: Can an RM100 Prevent Bribing The Cop ?

"
Cash reward for cops who arrest anyone trying to bribe them

KUALA LUMPUR: A cash reward of up to RM100 and a letter of commendation will be given to police personnel who arrest anyone who attempts to bribe them.

Acting Inspector-General of Police Datuk Musa Hassan said the reward would be for Traffic, Criminal Investigations Department and Narcotics Department police personnel. He added that the reward was to spur policemen to uphold the integrity of the force. "The reward offer is also to let our men know that we appreciate them for their honesty and loyalty. "We also hope to inculcate in our men that accepting bribes is a very serious offence and does not pay," he added. In Kuantan, Pahang police chief Datuk Ramli Yusuff said the cash reward would be double the bribe offered and up to a maximum of RM100. Ramli told Bernama that the reward would be paid after the person who offered the bribe had been charged and the case concluded in the courts. "I will personally hand over the reward to the police personnel concerned," he said, adding that the incentive would be paid from the Pahang Police Fund. Earlier, at the monthly parade held at state police headquarters, Ramli said L/Kpl Bakri Pandak Ahmad of the Kuantan traffic police was rewarded with RM100 last month for arresting a man who had offered him a RM50 bribe ....
"

I hope the mentioned news is not true. Bribery is rampant in Malaysia. As reported by Malaysiakini, a traffic cop allegedly taking bribe was caught on video. In this digital age, it is so easy to record bribery offenses. One can just use any average handphone cameras The image of Malaysian police force will be tarnished if the video is exposed on Youtube.

Nevertheless, this solution may work although it is not an ethical way of doing it. The Singapore police force administration did not offer such rewards to the police but bribery is almost non-existent there.

A commentator in Japan Today even wrote harshly, "First of all, a cash reward in of itself is a form of bribe (irony alert)". Even if there is argument that the reward should not be considered as a bribe, the solution has evoked much misunderstanding on the role of a police.

A police's job is to catch offenders. They should not be encouraged to catch offenders who eventually bribe so that they can get cash rewards. It gives people the wrong idea of joining a police force. It makes the police force sound "commercial" rather than for "justice".

Furthermore, this is not a permanent solution. The answer is simple on why it is regarded as temporary. Once you take away the RM100 reward, the bribery scene returns.

Another point to note is, the cash rewards will only work for traffic fines under the amount of RM 100. Let's analyse.

Scenario 1
Let's say you are a traffic offender fined RM 100. You offer a bribe of RM50. If I were the police officer, I will report you to ACA. RM 100 cash reward is definitely more appealing than RM50 bribe.

Scenario 2
Assuming the fine is RM 100 and the bribe is RM50. Although the cash reward is more appealing, as a police officer I would probably take the bribe. Why? I have to go through the hassle of reporting you, wait for the court charge you, wait for the officer to approve the cash reward. We know how troublesome and "efficient" the departments handling this, don't we? This may take days, or even weeks and months.

I might as well, take RM50 and then catch another offender and get another RM50. It can happen in one day, easy and quick.

Reward? Nah.. too troublesome. If I take the bribe, both I (as a police officer) and traffic offender will be "happier" people.

In Malaysia it is all about convenience, right?

Scenario 3
Assuming the fine is more than RM 200, the traffic offender gives me RM 100. I, as an evil officer prefer to take the RM 100 bribe. Cash reward? No, no, no. I do not want to make the public and me unhappy with all that hassle. This applies for all scenarios where traffic fines are more than RM 100.

Scenario 4
The fine is RM 300. Me, evil police officer normally get a RM 100 bribe from offenders. Now, I demand a "hike" to RM 150. I will tell those offenders if they pay me RM 100, I will report them for cash rewards instead. Bribery becomes worse.

As you can see, this temporary solution may only work for scenario 1. Please be reminded that I used the word "may work". Malaysians in general prefer "convenience". Police officer in Malaysia are Malaysians. In my opinion, those police officers who are corrupted would prefer Scenario 2 than Scenario 1.

It is typical of Malaysia to solve a "disease" from the context of "symptoms" rather than from its "root". If Singapore can do it, perhaps we should be decent and employ better diplomacy to approach and learn from them.

If the news mentioned is indeed valid, I will feel rather disappointed with the management of the police force. I urge them to think deeply and carefully before providing a permanent and workable solution. Malaysian police force cannot afford another blunder in its already tarnished reputation. The police force needs to gain more confidence from the public.