MACC Advisory Board endorses member’s remarks
PUTRAJAYA: The remarks of a Malaysian Anti- Corruption Commission ( MACC) Advisory Board member was intended to be constructive in ensuring the punishment fits the crime within the criminal justice system in the country.
Anti- Corruption Advisory Board chairman Tunku Abdul Aziz Tunku Ibrahim in a statement yesterday said the board fully endorsed its member Datuk Mohd Noor Abdullah’s remarks.
He added that the comment was a sentiment shared by the overwhelming majority of those who want more done to fight corruption, the most dangerous and debilitating social condition that has become a grave national concern.
“Any punishment that does not act as an effective deterrent is no deterrent at all. It is at best derisory and at worst, an insult to the majesty of the law,” he said.
On March 28, Mohd Noor, a former Court of Appeal judge commented on the sidelines of the board’s press conference on what he considered to be hopelessly inappropriate sentencing by the courts in corruption cases which did not reflect their severity and impact on society.
He said Tun Arifin Zakaria, then Chief Justice, since retired, was visibly upset by the comment that “judges were soft” and he considered that reference to be based on nothing more than “generalisations.”
Tunku Abdul Aziz said members of the Board were independent and not employees of the government and perform their duties professionally.
“We believe we have the passion and professional expertise to help MACC and the country confront corruption decisively. In this connection, we do not toe any particular line, however inconvenient to the authorities. We respect no holy cow. In our work, the primary consideration is to find new and practical ways of preventing the further spread of corruption,” he said. — Bernama
Any punishment that does not act as an effective deterrent is no deterrent at all. It is at best derisory and at worst, an insult to the majesty of the law. Tunku Abdul Aziz Tunku Ibrahim, Anti-Corruption Advisory Board chairman