For many of us who are living for the future, 2020 was supposed to start off with high-strung hope for a better Malaysia, as politicians of yesteryears were facing trials for the endemic misdoings of their political career.
The fish always rots from the head Once upon a time, when our country leaders showed just how illustrious it was to embrace corruption as a prestige, many officers of the law were impressionable, so monkey see, monkey do. And for middle men to feed those appetite and ego easily with bribes in cash, automobiles, luxury products, etc.
1) Crackdown of Macau scam operations
The menace behind the Malaysian-based Macau scam who was arrested but escaped with help from the very authorities who took him in for investigation, was quite a hit as illustrative memes. Behind all that comic relief, we were perturbed by the fact that bribes can buy a way out of trouble.
2) Immigration officers conduit for human trafficking
After the fiasco of the Immigration Department’s involvement in human trafficking operations at entry points of airports not too long ago, nothing can be much worse than our very own decadent immigration officers breaching our homeland security, once again! This time, immigration officers found other ways to `cari makan’ – accepting commissions for stamping the passports of migrant workers, allowing them to stay in Malaysia or receiving a fee for a stamp which allows the blacklisted passport holders to leave Malaysia
3) Glovemakers making unprecedented profits, but failed at human rights
Several glove makers in the country have allegedly infringed laws when it came to the health and safety concerns, and squalid living conditions of migrant workers. Had it not been for the Health Ministry’s enforcement of lockdown SOPs, would the way this accommodation was set up not be `discovered’? Employment of migrant workers at production lines is not new news, surely not so of the accommodation provided to them. Is it enforcement of the law that is lacking, or simply enough gratifications to compel audit officers to look the other way?
4) Fake halal certificates on imported meat
Tip-offs of senior officers in some government agencies who had been receiving bribes and sexual services in exchange for not intercepting a `meat cartel’ importing meats from countries not sanctioned by Malaysia for many years led to quite a panic amongst the public. This is unimaginably disgusting and unforgiveable.
It is too darn easy to point fingers at both disintegrating senior and lower paygrade government officials, but let’s be real. There lie the immoral, disreputable businessmen who are keeping the corruption candles burning bright yet.
Corruption is retarding us back into a third-world country, hurting our economy and impairing our chances at earning our well-deserved keeps for a better livelihood. 2020 is just like another year that has pried our eyes opened to unfortunate circumstances where we as a nation of people with good judgment, are forever having to pay the price for.
Redacted of expletives for a more pleasant read. Share this post.
Comments