PUTRAJAYA: The majority of arrests for corruption in the last three years involved those aged 40 and below, according to data obtained from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).
MACC deputy chief commissioner (prevention) Datuk Shamsun Baharin Mohd Jamil said most of them also had steady jobs and were financially stable.
“They were greedy, they wanted to lead lives of luxury, use luxury cars…that’s why they took bribes,” he told reporters after an appreciation ceremony for television channel Astro Oasis on its collaboration with MACC in anti-corruption efforts.
The ceremony was held at the MACC headquarters here yesterday.
Shamsun Baharin said based on MACC’s statistics, 1,045 of the 1,092 detained since 2013 till this year for crimes of corruption were those aged 40 years and below.
This development, he said, was very worrying as the age group comprised those who were considered leaders of the future.
He said arrests of civil servants under the age of 40 for corruption had also increased, namely 206 people last year as compared to 136 in 2014, and just 96 in 2013.
Accordingly, Shamsun Baharin said the commission was planning to use the television show, ‘Pencetus Ummah’ on Astro Oasis, featuring youths aged between 18 and 41 to deliver messages of integrity, particularly in dealing with corruption.
“They understand their peers better, so maybe this will be more effective in conveying information related to punishment for corruption and so on, to provide awareness to the audience, particularly Muslims,” he said.
He said a total of nine participants in the ‘Pencetus Ummah’ show would be involved in a special seven-episode, anti-corruption segement from Oct 27 to Dec 8.
To nip the problem in the bud, Shamsun Baharin said the MACC had also launched a campaign against corruption in schools and universities.
“This year, we also included prevention of corruption in the syllabus for Year Six pupils and will include it in the curriculum for secondary school students in stages to create awareness
on the evils of corruption within each individual from the very beginning,” he added.
Cooperation between the MACC and television station Astro Oasis includes spreading the message on anti-corruption and building solid integrity among Muslims nationwide.
MACC and Astro Oasis will also broadcast content to discuss various aspects of personal integrity, corruption and its prevention by highlighting exemplary stories from today, right up to the time of Prophet Muhammad and his companions.
Also present were MACC community education division director Abdul Samat Kasah and Astro Oasis general manager Ahmad Fuad Mat Ali. — Bernama