FIGHTING THE MENACE OF THE SOCIETY: PURSUING THE CORRUPTS

In 2021, Transparency International ranked Malaysia 62 out of 180 countries in the world, and the perceived level of corruption in the public sector was recorded at 63.30% as compared to 17.06% in the private sector. Historically, the effort to prevent corruption in Malaysia began in 1950 with the introduction of the Prevention of Corruption Ordinance (POCO) 1950 to replace the previous laws of the Federated Malays States (Enactment No. 23 of 1938), the State of Johore (Johore Enactment No. 14 of 1940) and the former Straits Settlements (Straits Settlements Ordinance No. 14 of 1937). Applying doctrinal research and adopting a historical and descriptive approach, the paper seeks to describe the history of the anti-corruption law and agencies created before and after independence focusing on the agencies’ organisational and structural development. There is also a brief discussion on the late Tan Sri Harun Mahmud Hashim who helmed the anti-corruption agency. Since independence, the government had tirelessly carried out efforts to combat corruption with the formation of the Criminal Investigation Department (Special Crime) and the Anti-Corruption Section (ACS) and then consolidated into one body called the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) with the passing of the Anti-Corruption Agency Act 1982. In 2008, the government unanimously approved the establishment of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) by replacing the ACA Act 1997 with the Malaysia Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2009, which came into effect on 1 January 2009. The MACC became an independent, transparent, and professional body to effectively and efficiently manage the nation’s anti-corruption initiatives