In the past, corruption was clandestine, as in under the table, but it is on the table now, said Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who lamented that the scourge has become widespread in the nation.

However, the former prime minister claimed, no action was taken to curb corruption.

According to Mahathir, this is because the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) is “controlled by the corrupt”.

“It has become a common thing. Whenever power is given, corruption will happen,” he added in his latest blog posting.

Mahathir also pointed out that when elections take place, the voters wait for handouts.

“The biggest handout will determine who rules.

“This means, an administration based on the general election is a corrupt administration,” he said.

However, Mahathir admitted that corruption in Malaysia is nothing new, and has been in existence since the time of the Malay kingdoms, when it was dubbed makan suap.

He said it was this very practice that was exploited by the British to subvert and insinuate themselves into the administration of the kingdoms until they managed to take over.

However, the former prime minister noted, the British had put controls in place after they took over to ensure that the practice would not interfere with the administration of its colony.

However, the difference now is that after supposedly using graft to gain power in elections, those elected continued the practice unabated, until it led to the administration and welfare of the land being compromised to support this very expensive practice.

Mahathir lamented that with the enforcement agency responsible for fighting corruption slowly coming under the thumb of the powers-that-be, corruption would run rampant, both at the top and on the ground.