LEE Kuan Yew once said in a parliamentary session in 1987 that the effectiveness of the country’s system to check and punish corruption rested, first, on the law against corruption; second, on a vigilant public ready to give information on all suspected corruption; and third, on an anti-corruption agency which “is scrupulous, thorough, and fearless in its investigations”.

But the strongest deterrent “is in a public opinion which censures and condemns corrupt persons”. In other words, “in attitudes which make corruption so unacceptable that the stigma of corruption cannot be washed away by serving a prison sentence”.

Addressing the parliament speaker, Lee said:

“Sir, there is no way a minister can avoid investigations, and a trial if there is evidence to support one.”

Lee’s speech in an august institution of the state was said to reveal the statesman’s zero tolerance of corruption. 

Eight years later, when the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) was first launched in 1995, Singapore ranked third out of 41 countries, with a score of 9.26/10.  

Lee had, by then, resigned as prime minister in November 1990 but continued to serve as senior minister (November 1990-August 2004) and mentor minister (August 2004-May 2011).

Malaysia, on the other hand, ranked 23^rd in 1995 with a score of 5.28/10 – thirteen years after Dr Mahathir Mohamad sloganised “Bersih, Cekap dan Amanah” (Clean, Efficient and Trustworthy). It was a powerful slogan with the aim of changing the way Malaysians did things.

Have we, particularly being “amanah”?

Since 1995, Singapore has always ranked in the top 10 in the CPI. Malaysia ranked 37^th out of 133 countries with a score of 5.2/10 in 2003, the year Dr Mahathir stepped down as prime minister. Last year, the island state ranked fifth out of 180 countries with a score of 83/100, down by two scores. Malaysia ranked 61^st with a score of 47/100, down by one score. 

It’s year end, and time to reflect, particularly, on whether we are a public which censures and condemns corrupt persons with such an attitude which makes corruption so unacceptable that the stigma of corruption alone serves as a deterrent. – December 29, 2023.

* Hafiz Hassan reads The Malaysian Insight.