Corruption a ‘big problem' despite Malay religiosity, says G25 member
G25 member Johan Ariffin Samad wants the authorities to decouple religion from politics, saying it would help the country's battle against corruption.
PETALING JAYA : Religiosity has proven to be an insufficient deterrent against corruption, a member of the G25 group of prominent retired civil servants said, citing a 2020 survey by anti-graft group, Transparency International.
According to the survey, 71% of Malaysians felt that government corruption was a 'big problem'.
Malaysians, according to the 'Global Corruption Barometer for Asia 2020', viewed Parliament, the police and the government as institutions most likely to be corrupt.
G25's Johan Ariffin Samad noted that these institutions are 'overwhelmingly dominated by Malays' who, by definition under the Federal Constitution, must be Muslim.
'Despite outward displays of faith, rampant corruption continues to erode Malaysia's institutions and future.
'This raises a difficult but necessary question: how can a society which prides itself on religious and moral values tolerate such widespread corruption within its own ranks?' he said at a recent event in Penang.
Johan said the country must 'decouple' religion from politics to help in its war against corruption.
Malay leaders, he said, often project a keen sense of religiosity, yet consistently score low on clean governance measures.
He added that these politicians would use race and religion, two concepts which are deeply intertwined, to 'shield, justify or deflect wrongdoing'.
Malays, on the other hand, remain entrenched 'in a feudal mindset, where loyalty to race, religion, and rulers supersedes critical thinking and moral accountability', said Johan.
'Where does Malay loyalty truly lie? To justice? To religion? To the constitution? Or merely to race, status and symbolism?'
Johan said both Sabah and Sarawak have decoupled religion from crime.
Recent cases of alleged corruption involving the issuance of mining licences in Sabah, for instance, have been addressed strictly as matters of potential criminal wrongdoing.
'There are no attempts to justify or excuse them on religious grounds.'
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