PUTRAJAYA (July 10): The practice of corruption is so widespread in the previous administration that the government may be crippled if all those suspected of bribery in the civil service were terminated, said Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. 

Speaking at a press conference at the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) today, Dr Mahathir has come out to justify the termination of some civil servants, after the Pakatan Harapan government came into power.  

One of the biggest difference in battling corruption between his two tenures as Prime Minister, is the instances of corruption presently seen in the civil service, he said. 

“There was not so much corruption previously,” Dr Mahathir added. “We cannot terminate everyone we suspect because otherwise, we will have no government machinery to operate [with]”. 

“When I became Prime Minister [the first time], the government machinery was as clean as it can get.  

“Currently, we find that because Datuk Seri Najib [Razak] promoted corruption — he said “cash is king” — the government machinery is also implicated and we have to choose and filter before we take [any further administrative] action,” Dr Mahathir said.  

One of the earliest actions taken by the Pakatan Harapan government after defeating Barisan Nasional in the May 9 general election was to reform government agencies to eliminate corruption and to cut down operational costs, amid high national debt. 

This includes termination and restructuring of agencies such as the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD), downsizing of workforce such as in the Prime Minister’s Office and particularly, the decision not to extend contracts of employees deemed as “political appointees”.  

Dr Mahathir also said it is not a problem if the salary level of civil servants were slightly lower than their private sector counterparts.

“It is not too low,” Dr Mahathir said. “Did you know that some of those working with GLCs get paid as much as RM7 million per year?

“The government provides a house; pays for the electricity, water; gives you transport; provides you with credit allowance — everything was paid for,” he said.  

The Edge, quoting sources, had reported in June that the Council of Eminent Persons had requested for details of salaries of some top executives in government-linked companies, as the government intends to make changes in their appointments and remuneration.