KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 5 — Sultan of Selangor, Sharafuddin Idris Shah Alhaj, has called for prompt action and harsh penalties in corruption cases, proposing setting up a special court to speed up proceedings.
In an exclusive interview with The Star, His Royal Highness said that corruption cases could have been curbed long ago if there had not been delays in the court proceedings, which led to the practice spreading into “a disease” within the government service.
The Selangor Ruler said some cases took many years to resolve and suggested that a special court and stricter deterrent laws could be the answer to combat corruption.
“People involved in corruption must face severe punishment. If the punishment is not severe, it will not be effective.
“You can see that in Vietnam and China, if there is corruption, they tembak (shoot). They kill the wrongdoers and not just give 20 or 30 years of imprisonment,” said the Selangor Ruler as reported by the English daily, adding that the current number of corruption cases is more worrisome than in the past.
His Royal Highness cautioned that as subordinates imitate the dishonesty of their superiors, corruption has become entrenched.
“In other words, it’s a case of a small monkey following the big monkey,” said Sultan Sharafuddin.
His Royal Highness went on to say that, except for possibly lower-ranking police officers, he did not think that most individuals involved in corruption were poor and in need of money.
“The ‘big’ ones, they are not poor. To them, ‘those who are up there are doing it, so I’ll do it too’.
“Government servants see the politicians doing it, and they think they can do it as well. They also say, ‘the KSU (ministry secretary-general), who is my boss, is doing it; the politicians who are ministers are doing it, so I will also do it’,” he said.
Meanwhile, Sultan Sharafuddin stated that, apart from being involved in graft, the current police force has also “lost its plot.”
Speaking from experience, he said that the police seem less supportive of the general public than they were then, as they are now being controlled by a “ghost hand.”
“I hate to say this, but I think something like a ‘ghost hand’ remote controls them. Ghost hands cannot be seen. The police should be more for the public and not take sides,” he said.
The Selangor Ruler also said that the police must ensure that cases are solved swiftly and efficiently, as the public has lost faith in them due to lengthy delays and failure to meet expectations
“They can do it. I know because I was in the police. Nothing is impossible, as they can do it,” he added.
His Royal Highness served as a civil servant upon his return from the United Kingdom in 1968.
In addition to working in the Kuala Lumpur police contingent, the Sultan also served in the Kuala Lumpur district office and the Selangor state secretariat.
