MACC launches Gerah, 3J campaign in fight against ... - theSundaily
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Working together: Dzulkifli (third from left) and Wong (centre) sharing a light moment with The Star team after launching the 3J Campaign at Menara Star.Star teams up with MACC for 3J drive
It is an arduous task but the battle against corruption involves all Malaysians.
For that reason, Star Media Group has partnered with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) for the nationwide “Jangan Hulur, Jangan Kawtim, Jangan Settle” (Don’t Give and Don’t Settle) 3J Campaign.
“The battle is neither quick nor easy. But with public support, this fight will end with us winning and our integrity intact,” said Star Media Group managing director and chief executive officer Datuk Seri Wong Chun Wai.
The Star, he said, would be focusing on the youth as they were the “most crucial group”.
Speaking at the launch of the campaign at Menara Star yesterday, Wong cited an MACC study conducted last year among students which found that 16% of students in institutions of higher learning were willing to offer bribes.
The number was worrying as it had gone up from the 10.7% rate in 2015, he said.
To educate the next generation on values like integrity, The Star will be going all out to highlight the message of the campaign.
Other than spreading the word via Twitter and Facebook, Wong said it would be combining its media platforms such as The Star newspaper, The Star Online and StarTV as well as its Bahasa Malaysia news portal mStar and radio Suria FM.
Suria FM, which is part of the Star Media Radio Group, will broadcast the campaign message to the public via its road show team – the Suria FM Wheelers.
The month-long 3J Campaign came under the umbrella of the nationwide Gerakan Revolusi Anti-Rasuah or Gerah campaign, which was launched at the MACC headquarters in Putrajaya yesterday.
MACC chief commissioner Datuk Dzulkifli Ahmad said the battle against corruption and abuse of power would fail without a concerted effort.
“This is why I believe the fight should be our journey, our cause and our war together,” he said.
Dzulkifli voiced his hope for Malaysians to come together under the 3J Campaign and play an active role in battling the “cancer of corruption”.
He said the words “hulur, kawtim and settle” are synonymous with corruption and the MACC used these terms so that the people were aware of the aim of the campaign.
“We hope this will pave the way for the people to say no to corruption and to create a society that has the courage to stand up and fight not only against corruption but the corruptors too,” he said.
Dzulkifli said he made a bold promise to Malaysians earlier this year when he vowed that the MACC would make one arrest every week, but this had been delivered so far, he added.
He also commended the media for its role as “an important watchdog over corruption” and its effort in exposing such cases.
MACC – two campaigns and a swoop
Ready for war: MACC chief commissioner Datuk Dzulkifli Ahmad (centre) and his officers pledging at their headquarters in Putrajaya to wipe out corruption.
PETALING JAYA: Two anti-corruption awareness campaigns were launched nationwide and, to show how serious the fight against corruption is, a swoop on corrupt Immigration officers was carried out too.
An aide of a chief minister, who is a Datuk, was also arrested and is expected to be charged today.
Sources said two senior immigration officers based in Complex ICQ Padang Besar, Perlis, were detained at about 11am yesterday under Ops Lavish.
The suspects, aged 35 and 37, were summoned to the Kedah Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) office on suspicion of accepting bribes in relation to the approval of expatriate passes to hire skilled and professional workers. Also arrested was a 48-year-old contractor.
The contractor is believed to have abetted in the dealings since 2015 and acted as a middleman to transfer a huge sum of money into several bank accounts.
The amount involved was said to be over a million ringgit.
MACC deputy chief commissioner (operations) Datuk Azam Baki confirmed the arrests.
The anti-graft officers also seized four luxury cars, a high-powered bike, a fixed deposit account with RM1mil, 13 luxury bags and 13 watches worth RM130,000.
All three suspects will be investigated under Section 17(a) of the MACC Act 2009, which carries a jail term of up to 20 years and five times the amount of bribes involved.
It is learnt the 37-year-old suspect, while taking charge of the expatriate services division in the Putrajaya Immigration Department, carried out the dubious dealings.
He was the division head from Feb 2015 to Dec 2015 and tasked with supervising, approving and cross checking all applicants information in the data system.
Within the short period there, he was said to have approved 339 applications involving 18,626 applicants.
“Some applicant companies were said to be non-existent.
“Initial investigations showed the suspect took a minimum of RM1,500 per applicant from agents as an inducement to approve their applications,” said a source.
Checks also showed that the suspect’s wife had played a role in the dealings by using her registered companies to issue cheques and to transfer money.
The latest move signalled a clean up of the Immigration Department by the anti-graft body.
In March, at least 10 immigration officers who took up to RM5,000 each to allow illegals to enter Sarawak were nabbed. Six of them were women.
Early this year, four Selangor immigration officers were rounded-up to assist in investigations into dubious applications for international passports, causing losses of over RM1mil.
In Malacca, the former special officer to Malacca Historical City Council’s mayor implicated in a corruption case was arrested at 7.30pm yesterday at the Malacca MACC office.
The 56-year-old suspect faces 11 charges under the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act and another four under the Penal Code.
On Nov 28, the officer was arrested to help with a probe over alleged corruption and money laundering.
The MACC also seized more than RM100mil from the officer, comprising cash, assets and several vehicles.
Source: The Star/ANN
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