By Daniel John Jambun, Borneo’s Plight in Malaysia Foundation (BoPiMaFo)
KOTA KINABALU: Borneo’s Plight in Malaysia Foundation (BoPiMaFo) takes serious note of the proposal involving discussions between the Chief Justice and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) regarding the expansion of MACC Cadet Corps programmes in schools as part of early anti-corruption education.
We state clearly:
Anti-corruption education is meaningless if the institutions preaching integrity are themselves facing a crisis of public confidence.
1. INTEGRITY CANNOT BE BUILT ON SELECTIVE ENFORCEMENT
Sabahans are not against anti-corruption education.
Sabahans are against double standards.
The real issue is simple:
How can schoolchildren be taught about fairness, ethics, accountability, and integrity when the public itself increasingly questions whether anti-corruption enforcement is applied equally to everyone?
The credibility of anti-corruption institutions is not built through school cadet programmes.
It is built through fearless, impartial, and consistent enforcement.
2. THE PUBLIC HAS NOT FORGOTTEN THE ARM HOLDINGS CONTROVERSY
The public recently witnessed controversy surrounding statements linked to the Arm Holdings investigation involving the Ministry of Economy and Rafizi Ramli.
Questions were raised after remarks reportedly suggested possible charges against certain individuals even before investigations were fully completed and while witnesses still remained to be recorded.
This created serious public concern regarding due process, prosecutorial neutrality, and the appearance of prejudgment.
When anti-corruption agencies appear eager in some cases but cautious in others, public confidence suffers.
3. THE SMM SCANDAL REMAINS A MAJOR TEST OF MACC’S CREDIBILITY
At the same time, Sabahans continue asking:
What happened to the Sabah Mineral Management (SMM) corruption scandal?
The public has already witnessed:
– leaked recordings,
– explosive allegations,
– discussions involving mining licences,
– claims of political connections,
– and repeated national controversy involving Sabah’s mineral sector.
The evidence publicly circulating was serious enough to shock the nation.
Yet until today, Sabahans still do not see enforcement action proportionate to the gravity of the allegations.
This is precisely why public confidence continues deteriorating.
Sabahans increasingly fear that anti-corruption enforcement depends not merely on evidence — but on political convenience.
4. THE DISCUSSION BETWEEN THE JUDICIARY AND MACC MAKES PUBLIC CONFIDENCE EVEN MORE IMPORTANT
BoPiMaFo further stresses that when anti-corruption initiatives involve discussions between the nation’s top judicial leadership and the MACC leadership, institutional credibility becomes even more critical.
The Judiciary represents justice, impartiality, constitutional confidence, and public trust.
Therefore, any anti-corruption initiative associated with both institutions must be accompanied by visible public confidence that enforcement itself is independent, fair, and free from political selectivity.
Otherwise, the danger is obvious:
Children may eventually grow up believing corruption laws are enforced differently depending on political position, influence, or proximity to power.
That would be catastrophic for national institutional integrity.
5. MALAYSIA DOES NOT LACK ANTI-CORRUPTION SLOGANS — MALAYSIA LACKS CONSISTENT ENFORCEMENT
Malaysia has had decades of:
– integrity campaigns,
– anti-corruption slogans,
– ethics programmes,
– school awareness campaigns,
– and institutional branding exercises.
Yet corruption scandals continue emerging repeatedly at the highest levels.
Why?
Because real integrity cannot be manufactured through propaganda.
It can only be earned through equal enforcement without fear or favour.
BoPiMaFo therefore states firmly:
Before MACC teaches schoolchildren about integrity, MACC must first restore national confidence that anti-corruption enforcement applies equally to all Malaysians.
Without that, anti-corruption education risks becoming not moral leadership —
but institutional hypocrisy.
