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KUALA LUMPUR: Former Inspector-General of Police Tun Mohd Hanif Omar has called for the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) to be independent of direct or indirect political control. With only 12 years to reach a developed nation status, Malaysia must always benchmark itself against the best countries, their achievements and best practices, he said. “The agency started off very well but had failed us increasingly these past 15 years,” Hanif told participants of the Khazanah National Development Seminar here yesterday. He said there was “a slight awakening” with the new ACA director-general (Datuk Ahmad Said Hamdan) but Malaysia could not afford its institutions to be predicated on personalities. “The system itself must be good, transparent and accountable,” he added. Currently, the ACA still comes under the Prime Minister’s Department. In his speech, “Malaysians Living Together – Rights, Responsibilities and Wealth Sharing”, Hanif said Malaysia also needed an independent judicial commission and an independent police commission on misconduct and corruption. Malaysia could be better off if the Attorney-General was also made accountable in some way, he added. “I think once these institutions are set right and function as they should, the other institutions will improve or will be easily made to improve,” Hanif said. Following these, the government would be in a better position to ensure the welfare and happiness of the people, he added. “The feeling today is that the government has failed to deliver effectively on a very important promise of transparency, accountability and anti-corruption, and our justice system suffers as a result,” Hanif said. On Malaysia’s affirmative action policy, he said it was still necessary but it should be on a need basis instead of a racial basis. He said the policy should probably be looking more in the direction of the Orang Asli and natives in the hinterland of Sabah and Sarawak as well as the poor among the Malays, Chinese, Indians and others. “The disadvantaged should be given a leg-up, otherwise the rich and privileged will sweep them aside,” he added. Hanif also revealed that former deputy prime minister, the late Tun Dr Ismail Abdul Rahman, had asked for a paper on affirmative action from the Special Branch (SB) of the police force. He said the SB was conditioned by its long battle for hearts and minds in the fight against the communists and opted for affirmative action based on needs and not on race. “By not making it racial, it would prevent the CPM (Communist Party of Malaya) from exploiting the issue,” he added. Hanif also acknowledged that a strong civil society could help to dissuade “any hanky-panky” in development and public projects. “By demanding publicity and accountability, fair play and environmental protection, they can make this country attractive to investors, particularly those with a strong CSR (corporate social responsibility) culture,” he said. http://www.theedgedaily.com/cms/content.jsp?id=com.tms.cms.article.Article_d46e43f3-cb73c03a-10df4e20-f2ccf801
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