The Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) has urged the mass media to play their role in creating a society that "abhors corruption" by raising public awareness about the malaise, according to a report today.

Pahang ACA director Rahim Mustakim said a study by the agency showed that the public awareness about corruption in the country was low and that many Malaysians did not realise their actions could be considered corruption.

Why people bribe

Rahim reportedly told members of the press at a gathering in Pahang last night that people usually fell prey to corruption in order to avoid punishment or to earn rewards.

"We frequently hear about road users trying to bribe the authorities after committing traffic offences, to avoid being summoned," Bernama quoted him as saying.

He cited another example where a football goalkeeper was bribed with RM9,000 to lose a match several years ago.

The goalkeeper's wife was said to have found out about the bribe and refused to allow him into the house, which forced the goalkeeper to report the matter to ACA, said Rahim.

"This is our challenge (to get people to report to the authorities) in creating a society that abhors corruption," he said.

According to the same report, National Narcotics Agency director Wan Ibrahim Wan Ahmad has urged the media to play their part to fight drug abuse and make Malaysia free of drug problems by 2015.

Educate society

He told a seminar o­n media involvement in drug abuse prevention that the media could educate society o­n drug abuse rather than just reporting drug busts.

He said there are 235,000 drug addicts in Malaysia, constituting o­ne percent of the country's population.

The agency hoped to reduce the number by half over the next five years, he said.

He added 70 percent of the country's 50,000 HIV patients are drug addicts as many of them shared needles.

Wan Ibrahim also urged the private sector to employ former drug addicts so that they do not revert to drugs.

"Some 70 percent of those released from rehabilitation centres went back to drugs," he said.

He said such problems could be avoided if society accepts former drug addicts who might become good citizens again.