PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) should fight corruption instead of going after those who expose wrongdoings, says social activist Tan Sri Robert Phang.

Phang said going after whistleblowers may discourage the public from exposing wrongdoings.

“This will only lead down one path: more corruption. Suing someone who has exposed some wrongdoing is not the right way to go about it.

“MACC chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki should not have filed a defamation suit against anti-graft activist Lalitha Kunaratnam.

“Instead he should have come out immediately to explain what had occurred,” Phang told theSun.

He wondered how the public could place their faith in the anti-graft body when its head failed to satisfactorily explain the share transaction (issue) but filed a legal suit instead.

Phang said we need to have our faith in MACC restored and the only way to do so is for Azam to go on garden leave while an independent body conducts an investigation into the issue.

He said we also need to go further by placing MACC under the purview of Parliament to allow proper scrutiny of its actions.

Phang, who was a former adviser to the MACC corruption prevention panel, said the fight against corruption is an ongoing effort and we cannot have people in charge of MACC suing whistleblowers.

He pointed out that the Whistleblower Protection Act 2010 gives protection to those who expose wrongdoings. “What is the use of the Act if the MACC head can file a defamation...

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