<![CDATA[1MDB scandal: reforms needed to avoid repeat of Najib-era corruption, says Malaysian graft-buster Abu Kassim]>
The one-year-old government of Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad has made major strides in tackling the corruption that nearly brought the country to its knees, but major legislative reform is needed to ensure the excesses of disgraced former leader Najib Razak are never repeated.
That was the verdict of Mahathir's top anti-corruption adviser Abu Kassim Mohamed, which was delivered during an interview with the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong.
The veteran graft-fighter said Malaysia's recent improvements in key governance and anti-corruption rankings " including a five-notch climb in the Rule of Law Index by the World Justice Project " was testament to the progress the new administration has made in fixing the damage inflicted on the nation's reputation by the multibillion-dollar 1MDB scandal.
Najib, defeated in last year's election, is currently facing trial for 42 criminal charges linking him to the alleged fraud. He denies any wrongdoing in the saga, which prosecutors say resulted in the government being plundered of more than US$4.5 billion between 2009 and 2014.
"One very important factor is strong leadership and a commitment towards a no-tolerance approach to corruption," said Abu Kassim, director general of the National Centre for Governance, Integrity and Anti-Corruption. "Today we have that with the new leadership, and that has a ripple effect."
A one-time chief of Malaysia's anti-corruption enforcement agency, Abu Kassim was in Hong Kong for a symposium organised by the city's Independent Commission Against Corruption.
Malaysian PM Mahathir Mohamad. Photo: Kyodo
He suggested the Mahathir administration still has its work cut out in fighting corruption. One area of focus is the civil service, where political leaders say some "bad apples" loyal to the previous administration continue with old habits.
"Bad apples are everywhere, it doesn't mean you have to put up with them," Abu Kassim said.
One of the proposals of his agency " set up by Mahathir to advise on long-term anti-corruption strategy " involves a new law specifically targeting high-ranking officials and politicians.
"If you abuse your power to cost losses to the government, or you use your power for personal gain, you need ... to be dealt with a law targeted against that," Abu Kassim said.
Another of his proposals is for the country to split the role of the chief prosecutor and the attorney general. Currently, the Mahathir-appointed attorney general serves as both the government's chief legal adviser, and the country's number one prosecutor.
"There can be a little conflict of interest ... the prosecutor general must be able to focus purely on his prosecutorial duties," Abu Kassim said.
The government has previously said a feasibility study on the proposal to carve out the attorney general's prosecutorial powers will be tabled to a cabinet committee by the middle of this year.
Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam at a symposium organised by the city's Independent Commission Against Corruption. Photo: Nora Tam
Abu Kassim also hopes for legislative reform in the area of political donations. Currently, there are no set guidelines monitoring political donations.
In the 1MDB scandal, for example, Najib has claimed the nearly US$1 billion found in his personal accounts were a legal political donation from Saudi monarchs. Riyadh has demurred in backing up this claim.
Abu Kassim, who was replaced as the chief of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) a year after the scandal broke, also urged tightening of laws to ensure the executive cannot sack key enforcement officials when under investigation.
In 2015, Najib in one fell swoop purged the MACC deputy chief, attorney general, police special branch chief and four ministers, who had questioned him about his involvement in the 1MDB scandal.
"We diagnosed that as one of the key issues ... and we are looking into amending the constitution, so that in the future appointments of very important positions in the country like the attorney general, the MACC chief, and the auditor general are done by parliamentary select committee," Abu Kassim said.
This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (SCMP).
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