your say 'It is equivalent to buying a new bus and putting the same old reckless driver on the wheel and expecting different results.'

MACC shows off basement interrogation room

Ferdtan: Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), you can have all the expensive audio and video recording equipments for the interrogation of suspects. But the problem is, when accusations of any offence against officers of the agency, the machines or tapes suddenly malfunction.

It is not the peripherals that can restore the reputation of MACC - it is the people who work in the agency, especially the directors. It is the integrity of the human beings that counts - not machines.

Nik V: It takes more than state-of-the-art interrogation rooms and fancy equipment to restore the reputation of MACC. What really needs to be overhauled and changed is the MACC directors and personnel.

This is equivalent to merely buying the newest bus and putting the same old reckless driver on the wheel and expecting different results.

Cala: MACC director of investigation Mustafar Ali, trust is not a piece of pizza which you can order through the Internet.

Under tremendous public pressure, you've installed special rooms for the interrogation of witnesses/suspects. The hardware is there, or on the way, to make MACC more accountable.

Is the man on the street felt more at ease with you? Does he trust you now? No, Mustafar Ali. Why? Where is the guarantee that MACC boys would not bully the witnesses/suspects to death outside those special rooms?

You surely miss the main point. Whatever ‘culture' you have takes years to build and it will take that many years to be erased (Williamson, 2000). For years to come, every action of yours will be closely observed.

Trust will not arrive at your doorstep simply because you ask for it.

Anonymous: Kalau ada duit, hardware boleh beli. Tapi software, apa macam?

SusahKes: "MACC director of investigations Mustafar Ali said a similar system had been adopted by the anti-graft authorities in Hong Kong."

Well, that's what they first said when they formed the MACC - that it will be modelled after the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC). And what do they have to show for it today?

Anyway, with all the missing CCTV recording sequences and what-nots, I am not impressed with this new, supposedly state-of-the-art interrogation room.

Boiling Mud: As usual, these clowns always miss the point. Explain to the fuming public how dungeons that carry a price tag between RM140,000 and RM160,000 each will improve the MACC's credibility.

MACC can adopt any system from anywhere in the world, be it Scotland Yard or Hong Kong, or even Zimbawe, but without the correct mindset and professionalism acceptable to a civil society, it will always be the same MACC with the same rot.

Anonymous_3ee4: RM160,000 each for 36 rooms? That's RM5.76 million down the drain. I hope there are no windows.

Mr Bean: For that amount of money, you can buy a three-bedroom flat. This is a complete waste of public funds. MACC's top priority should be to regain the public's trust and prove to the rakyat that they are professional and competent enough to fight corruption without fear or favour.

Fellow Malaysian: At RM150,000 per room for a say 12'x12' size, this works out to be over RM1,000 per sq ft. The rate is equivalent to the cost of buying a high-end penthouse property in the Kuala Lumpur City Centre area. I believe the RM150,000 cost does not even include the building cost.

FedUp2010: That's madness! Maybe the MACC should first do an investigation into this ‘basement interrogation room' contract and prove to the public their efficiency before embarking on bigger cases.

Provide us the breakdown of the costs and the actual Bill of Quantities (BOQ) with rates and unit prices. If they are really transparent then provide this information immediately.

Werewolves: Mustafar, it is not the rooms that need upgrades - it is the quality and integrity of the MACC staff that need to be upgraded. They must be fair in their interrogations/investigations, regardless of the status, position and political inclinations of the suspects. Can they do this?

Malaysiasakit: If MACC were truly reformed, it should show us they are no longer subservient to the powers-that-be. There is no point showing us your renovated basement, which is merely cosmetics.

Abil: What we need are MACC officers of integrity and principles who do their job without fear or favour. Let us see whether they can get the big fishes ripping off the rakyat's wealth.

Rooms with padding and all the audio-visual system is not going to do the job. We hope they will sincerely work for the rakyat, not for some politicians.

Fairness for all: What difference does it make when you tamper with your CCTV recordings? You would be able to do the same with these recording instruments.

In Customs officer Ahmad Sarbaini's case, it was clearly stated that the CCTV recordings were tampered with and parts of it were missing. The only way to solve this problem is to bring in a whole new, reliable and honest team.

AnakPinang: Are these rooms supposed to make them more efficient? MACC's integrity is at stake because of the behaviour and attitude of its directors and officers. No amount of money spent on refurbishing rooms is going to change public perception.

Onyourtoes: You know what, the only impact of Teoh Beng Hock's death on MACC was for some contractors to become richer.

Instead of looking into the whole work culture, the value and the worldview of MACC officers, they instead installed state-of-the-art rooms and equipment to show that they are transparent and honest in their investigation.

They failed to see that it is MACC officers, many of them racists, parochial in their thinking, extremely bias, partisan politically and rudimentary in investigation skill that is causing all the problems.

Do you know how a nincompoop thinks - yes, when one of your witnesses or suspects fell from the window from the high floor, let's move investigation underground.

I think mediocrity has really taken its root deep in this country. They may wear uniform with lots of pips and crowns on the shoulders, but they are cavemen all the same.

Mamakputra's Stooge: There are bound to be some bad hats whilst the majority are generally good and law abiding. MACC needs to get rid of the bad hats no matter how high up the hierarchy they sit in order to regain the people's trust.

The testimony of the two MACC officers who revealed the blatant lies of Hishamuddin Hashim and two others are to be commended and encouraged, and I hope the people in power within MACC will promote or reward them for the honesty and integrity instead of sidelining them.

Oscar Kilo: Very good. Now it's time to start interrogating corrupt BN politicians.

 

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