Corrupt offenders should receive caning, life imprisonment as punishment

SHAH ALAM - Corrupt offenders should be subject to caning and life imprisonment to curb the escalating issue of corruption in the country.

Selangor Rasuah Busters committee member Zairudin Hashim said that harsher penalties were necessary as the nation faced an increasing threat of corruption.

He said that combating corruption requires not only legal measures but also cultural approaches.

"To foster awareness, all officials including management need to be more conscious of governance in the administration of companies or institutions.

"Additionally, collaboration between authorities such as the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and non-governmental organisations (NGOs), as well as corporate organisations should be established as it has the potential to comprehensively combat corruption," he said when contacted by Sinar.

Previously, the media reported the arrest and remand of three individuals, including a senior officer of the Perlis Islamic Religious Department (JAIPs) and an imam of a mosque in Kangar, to assist in investigations regarding the receipt of bribes totalling more than RM1 million in marriage registration management in Perlis from April 2022 to June 2023.

The mastermind was believed to have collaborated with the mosque imam and his son, who acted as a consultant in managing marriage affairs in the northernmost state of the country.

He suggested that to maintain the image and trust of stakeholders and customers, civil servants must reject the culture of corruption entirely.

"A holistic corruption control system should be implemented for every sector to ensure that the integrity culture continues to be strengthened," he said.