The Malaysian Insight

MALAYSIAN Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief Dzulkifli Ahmad was not kidding when he told crooked officials, “Just you wait”.

On his 100th day in office, Dzulkifli went on national TV to pledge continued action against “protected individuals”  who practised systemic corruption.

He has made good on that pledge, if the number of high-ranking and prominent figures arrested since he became anti-graft chief is anything to go by.

But the MACC chief is not done. Not by a long shot. He made another promise today to keep up the war on corruption as long as he is in power.

“This is only year one. I still have a few more years,” he told the media in Kuala Lumpur today.

Dzukifli took over the helm from former MACC chief Abu Kassim in July last year.  In the 10 months on the job, he has become one of the most feared figures for the corrupt everywhere, whether they are in the civil service, the armed forces, in public office or the corporate sector.

Among the high-profile arrests under his belt are the former special officer to the Malacca mayor over money-laundering; Penang Zakat Centre officers over embezzlement of tithe funds;  and a “Tan Sri” who is a contractor appointed by the Drainage and Irrigation Department over submission of fraudulent claims.

Most recently, MACC cracked down on crooked police officers in Malacca allegedly running a protection racket for illegal vice dens in the state. So far, nine cops have been rounded up, and more arrests may follow.

Perhaps the most well-known arrests are those of Rural and Regional Development Ministry secretary-general Mohd Arif Ab Rahman and his son in January. MACC also seized millions in cash, gold bars and luxury watches and handbags from their homes, as well as assets such as cars and plots of land in the Klang Valley.

To those who have accused the MACC of going easy on corrupt politicians, Dzulkifli said: “Be patient”.

“It just in a matter of time. I never break my promise. When I say I will take action, I will do it. 

“We will do it one by one. It takes time.” – May 24, 2017.