THE Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) has slammed the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) for posting a video advertisement on its social media platform showing how corruption takes place at a clinic.

MMA president Dr Koh Kar Chai said MACC’s awareness video giving an example of how bribery may take place at a clinic to obtain a medical certificate is an insult to the sanctity and image of the medical fraternity.

“The government agency should have used other examples to convey its message. As doctors, we feel deeply offended by the post, which should be taken down immediately,” Koh said in a statement today.

The video was posted on MACC’s Facebook page and on Twitter.

At the time of writing, the video has garnered more than 6,000 views on Facebook and more than 750,000 views on Twitter.

Koh said doctors in the country went through a lot of sacrifices, especially working tirelessly in fighting the Covid-19 epidemic and during the recent floods, and claimed such a video was demeaning to them.

“Have they forgotten our sacrifices for the country in battling our fiercest enemy, which is the SARS-CoV-2 virus that has claimed 31,591 lives?

“Recently, many of our doctors were also up to their waists in floodwater, sending aid to victims even while their clinics were destroyed by the floods.

“These are just some of the examples of our undying passion and commitment towards providing care to the people,” he said.

Koh told MACC to “clean their own backyard” first before picking on others. He also demanded that the ant-graft agency issue a public apology.

“The MMA demands that MACC issue a public apology for the video, which we feel is done in poor taste. And while they are at it, clean up their own backyard,” he said.

“From the long thread of comments by netizens in response to the video, it appears that MACC has issues on its own reputation to address.”

Yesterday, Shahrum Nizam Bahanuddin, a senior MACC officer, pleaded not guilty to misappropriating RM29 million worth of items seized by the agency.

Last week, Edmund Terence Gomez, a member of MACC’s Consultation and Corruption Prevention Panel resigned after the panel and the advisory’s board failed to take action against chief commissioner Azam Baki over the latter’s alleged ownership of two million shares in companies. – January 5, 2022.