THE Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) can do with better interview techniques and intelligence gathering instead of relying on old methods of interrogation, said new chief Latheefa Koya.

“This is an era of information technology and we need to move beyond gathering evidence with strong-arm tactics. More training is needed on how to obtain evidence and information,” she said today on www.MACC.fm, the anti-graft agency’s broadcast channel.

“With better ways of gathering evidence, we can show the suspect that he has no choice but to cooperate with us. 

“And this will enhance our prosecution rate and we need not show that we are only capable of arresting people,” said the 46-year-old in her first public interview since her appointment last month.

Latheefa was responding to a question from MACC publications chief Norizan Abdul Samah on how she plans to improve the anti-graft agency’s operations.

During the 40-minute interview on the MACC radio station, Latheefa said one of her missions was to help educate the public on MACC’s preventive role.

“This is not an agency merely for complaint and neither is it a punching bag for politicians. I hope to educate the public that MACC’s role is not just about arrests and charges but also about prevention.

“We need to tell the public about the types of corruption that exist in the country and the consequences of corruption,” said the former human rights lawyer. 

Excerpts of the interview:

Q: Your appointment came as a surprise to everyone. What made you decide to take up the job?

Latheefa: I was as surprised as anyone when the offer to become MACC chief came. I took a long time to decide, but in the end, I felt I had no choice to but accept the responsibility.

Q: Your appointment came during the Raya celebrations. What are your thoughts on that?

Latheefa: I had hoped that the announcement would be made after Raya celebrations but I was told to collect my appointment letter on the eve of Raya (June 4). This, of course, became a hot topic during the holidays. My family and friends were equally shocked and it was a very different Raya for all of us.

There was a lot of mixed feelings at first as it took a couple of weeks for the feeling to sink in. But there was no time to dwell on it as I had to give an answer quickly. 

Q: How different is it from heading Lawyers For Liberty to an enforcement agency? 

Latheefa: I had been a defence lawyer for 17 years and that’s very different from what I am about to do now which is to work on the prosecution end. But corruption (involves) fundamental rights and it’s important to have a society that is free from corruption.

Everyone is entitled to live in a society that is corruption-free. 

Q: Your appointment drew a lot of comments from the media and political pundits. Will this affect your credibility as MACC chief?

Latheefa: I had expected the comments and reactions when I decided to accept the post because it was an extraordinary appointment. I am not faulting those who think this is something strange. 

The perception that I was a politician wasn’t wrong because I was one. But in the past year, I have been more active with LFL and (being) a lawyer than being a politician. I did not take part in the party elections and neither did I contest in GE14. I have also never been an active politician although I had been a member for 15 years.

There’s a need to understand this context.

And when I decided to accept this appointment, I took steps to resign from the party. Personally, I have stopped politicking for a long time. 

I don’t think it will affect my credibility as people will evaluate my performance in MACC.

Q: What’s your vision and mission?

Latheefa: As an outsider, I hope to give a different perspective. Many are not aware of the duties and scope that MACC plays. I think this is my role. 

MACC perhaps has not highlighted too much of its work in the past and the public is unaware of what it has done. 

What needs to be done is to improve the perception of MACC. The agency has done many things but not much is known to the public. – July 5, 2019.