National 'circuit breaker' can stop corruption becoming norm - Rafidah

The circuit breaker was a composite of various factors including a widespread understanding of corruption and an educative process, forging an anti-corruption culture and penalising the corrupt, she said.

"If all these are in place, it will slow down in a shorter time and become an aberration, meaning once in a blue moon, not a culture. Our greatest fear should be, once it becomes a culture, a norm where everyone is doing and validates it," said the former international trade and industry minister.

Speaking at a ‘Leadership Dialogue: Where is Malaysia Heading’ at the second Malaysia Anti-Corruption Forum here today, Rafidah said combating corruption should be a collective effort involving everyone as the menace had become pervasive.

Rafidah said there was a need to weed out and penalise the corrupt as they were sometimes mollycoddled and labelled as superior.

"Eradicating corruption calls for an understanding of what is right and wrong. For example, some say as long as you are not caught by the police, theft is not an offence. This is wrong.

"If you received a bribe in whatever form, it is wrong in the eyes of the law. It’s wrong to receive, to give although not arrested,” she added.

To educate people, she said corruption should be regarded as disgusting, shameful, unforgivable, sinful and must be rejected.

"If we have this understanding, I think it is easier to combat (corruption) because our young people, children and grandchildren will grow up remembering that they should give priority to putting in efforts, not receiving money the easy way. This is a question of values,” she said.