PETALING JAYA: The Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission (EAIC) must be empowered with enough powers and resources to be effective, said Centre for Combating Corruption and Cronyism (C4) Director Ahmad Farouk Musa. He said the EAIC was seen to be relatively ineffective. He was commenting on a New Straits Times report that enforcement agencies had failed to provide explanations for 90 per cent of the complaints lodged by the public against errant personnel, especially those from the Road Transport Department and the police. EAIC Chairman Yaakob Md Sam said in most cases, the agencies’ wayward personnel would get off with a mere slap on the wrist from their superiors. Farouk said that civil society groups had pushed for the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC), but instead the EAIC was formed, which he said seemed to be a watered-down version of the proposed IPCMC. Farouk said that the EAIC needed to be empowered with wide powers and resources, similar to other internal affairs bodies in countries like Britain and Hong Kong. “The EAIC must be able to receive complaints directly from the public and act on them by carrying out investigations and prosecuting guilty parties. “Until we do this, problems and incidents stemming from the actions of errant officers will not stop as there will be no independent body to act against the errant officers,” he said, adding it was crucial for internal affairs bodies to be able to strike fear into would-be errant officers. Transparency International-Malaysia President Akhbar Satar, meanwhile, said a change of mindsets was needed. He said that department heads were ultimately responsible for their own officers and must mete out appropriate punishments against errant officers. “Department heads must realise that by being too lenient with the few bad apples, they will only be tarnishing the image and credibility of their own institution and the rest of the officers.” As for the officers themselves, especially those on the front line, Akhbar said they had to understand that being a public servant meant serving the public with passion. “They must be friendly. They must know how to talk to the public, be knowledgeable and show the public that they can help them.” In this respect, Akhbar said the authorities should provide better training to officers, especially for those on the front lines, in dealing with members of the public.

Source: Free Malaysia Today