Malaysia’s top bureaucrat says corruption is down in civil service as fewer convicted in graft cases

SINGAPORE: The decrease in Malaysian civil servants convicted in corruption cases in recent years shows there is integrity in their work culture, said the country’s top bureaucrat, tackling the view that corruption is rife in its ranks.

Mr Mohd Zuki Ali, chief secretary to the federal government, said the number of corruption-related convictions among civil servants since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic has been declining.

He said there were 74 convictions in corruption cases out of 1.48 million civil servants in 2020. The number dropped to 70 the following year, and fell to 21 in 2022, Mr Zuki said in a May 22 interview with Malaysian daily, Utusan Malaysia.

He added that while the government took disciplinary action against 8,556 underperforming civil servants in 2022, only 140 civil servants were taken to court that year for power abuse or corruption. 

Mr Zuki, quoted by the Malay Mail, also noted that a total of 493 government officials were sacked in 2022 compared to 239 in 2021 and 165 in 2020, making a total of 897.

“This shows that civil servants still practise a work culture with integrity to ensure good and transparent governance in the public service,” said Mr Zuki.

However, he added that “the government takes a serious view of this small group (of civil servants involved in corruption cases) that can damage the image of the public service and will not tolerate misconduct involving integrity.”

In tackling misconduct and weaknesses in the civil service, Mr Zuki highlighted the establishment of the Special Cabinet Committee on National Governance, chaired by prime minister Anwar Ibrahim and managed by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission’s (MACC).

His comments come as the spate of political and public figures involved in the MACC anti-graft crackdown continues.