MODUL 4 | AGENSI PENCEGAHAN RASUAH DAN PEMERKASAAN INTEGRITI

Summary

This module explains the history, structure, responsibilities, and strategies of Malaysia’s Anti-Corruption Commission (SPRM/MACC), as well as the work of other institutions that promote integrity and good governance.

SPRM’s history and oversight

• The agency’s origins are traced to a study of corruption in Malaysia by Pakistani police official Shah Nazir Alam. His report was presented to the government on 26 April 1958 and recommended establishing a dedicated anti-corruption agency.
• Initially, anti-corruption work was divided among different bodies: an anti-corruption unit focused on public awareness, the police handled criminal investigations, and prosecutions were handled separately.
• A dedicated agency was established on 1 October 1967. The SPRM began operating in its current form on 1 January 2009.
• The SPRM’s headquarters is in Putrajaya and includes facilities supporting its daily operations, such as video-interviewing rooms and an online streaming radio channel.
• The agency is monitored by five independent bodies. These bodies oversee the SPRM’s performance, complaints, and investigations, and advise on public education. Their members include people from fields such as politics, the judiciary, academia, NGOs, and business.
• The bodies and processes mentioned include the Anti-Corruption Advisory Board, the Special Committee on Corruption, the Complaints Committee, and panels that monitor corruption-prevention work and operational reviews. The SPRM must report on its activities, and its annual report is presented to Parliament.

SPRM’s main functions

1. Receive information and complaints about suspected corruption or abuse of position.
2. Investigate suspected offences and attempts or conspiracies to commit them. Not every report leads to a formal investigation: the SPRM receives about 6,500–8,000 pieces of information annually, with roughly 1,000 resulting in investigation papers. It assesses reports carefully because opening a formal investigation can have serious consequences for those involved.
3. Review systems and procedures in public bodies and advise agencies on addressing weaknesses that could create opportunities for corruption.
4. Educate the public and build support for preventing corruption through campaigns, talks, publications, media, and community programmes.

The module cites high-profile investigations, including the 1MDB/SRC International scandal, as examples of cases handled by the SPRM.

Independence and prosecution

• The SPRM investigates corruption, but prosecution is separate. The Attorney General’s Chambers holds the power to initiate or discontinue most criminal proceedings.
• This separation of powers is presented as a safeguard against abuse, revenge, or personal motives, and as a way to support fairness and integrity in the justice system.

Three strategies for carrying out the SPRM’s work

The module groups the SPRM’s approach under three broad strategies, linked to sections of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2009:

• Enforcement

  • Receive and consider complaints about offences under the Act.
  • Detect and investigate suspected offences, attempted offences, and conspiracies to commit offences.

• Prevention

  • Examine the systems and procedures of public bodies to identify weaknesses that could enable corruption.
  • Advise and assist people or organisations seeking ways to prevent corruption.
  • Recommend changes to the systems, practices, or procedures of public bodies.

• Public education

  • Educate the public to oppose corruption and encourage public support for anti-corruption efforts.
  • Work with government bodies, private organisations, NGOs, and other groups to deliver programmes and spread anti-corruption messages.

Education and public outreach

• The SPRM uses schools, universities, media, and community programmes to promote integrity.
• AMAR is a student-focused initiative. It followed research indicating that some students might engage in corruption if given the opportunity. The module cites a 2002 survey in which 30.5% of student respondents reportedly said they could be involved in corruption under such circumstances. The programme was rebranded as AMAR in 2018.
• The Integrity and Anti-Corruption Course for higher-education students and anti-corruption content in school textbooks are presented as ways to embed these values in education.
• Other examples include school programmes developed with the Ministry of Education and an “honest shop” or kiosk pilot launched in 10 schools around Putrajaya in 2020 to teach integrity and ethical entrepreneurship.
• The SPRM also uses social media, online streaming radio, cultural and arts programmes, and community outreach. The module mentions efforts to address gaps in awareness among Chinese communities and to reach young people, rural residents, and older groups.

Other integrity and governance institutions

• IIM promotes awareness of integrity and ethics among the private sector and civil society, and runs education programmes to strengthen an integrity culture.
• EAIC monitors the conduct and integrity of enforcement-agency personnel and receives and investigates complaints about misconduct or abuse of power.
• The National Audit Department audits government finances and performance to help ensure public funds are managed efficiently and transparently.
• These institutions are presented as complementary parts of Malaysia’s wider system for strengthening accountability and good governance.

Speakers and sources featured

• Speaker: An instructional narrator; no individual narrator or interviewee is identified.
• Institutional sources and bodies mentioned: SPRM/MACC; the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2009; the Attorney General’s Chambers; Parliament; the Ministry of Education; IIM; EAIC; and the National Audit Department. Shah Nazir Alam is mentioned as the author of an early study on corruption in Malaysia.