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By Mihar Dias (C) Copyright December 2022
There is an audio recording by a gentleman named Imraz Iqbal forwarded by a colleague at G25, who reported of an incident he experienced when buying mandarin oranges from a street vendor often fleeced by City Hall officers.
Based on his conversation with a fruit vendor at Jalan Kucai nearby NSK, Imraz alleged that corrupted officials are extorting money out of this particular vendor and others who are trying to eke out an honest living on the streets.
The audio has gone viral and Imraz is on a war path to wipe out corruption amongst the City Hall enforcement officers. Try listening to his audio message and judge for yourself on the merits or demerits of the report and decide whether you would like to join him in his attempt to wipe out this deadly disease in our country, starting with enforcement staff.
He is right. The government has changed but the bureaucracy is unfortunately lagging behind and not keeping up with the aspirations of the new leadership. The agencies that support the government of the day go merrily along like nothing has happened. There seems to be a disconnect between the government and the agencies that manage the daily operations of the country.
Yes, Imraz is right we do have a new PM but many agencies are run more or less by the same people. All GLC Chairman were removed as soon as the new cabinet took over, but senior management remain unchanged. What more the enforcement officers on the streets? That's their source to supplement their earnings and they are certainly not going to give that up easily.
Imraz may get the attention of the MACC or even the Prime Minister himself with his report and his audio. Investigators would visit the vendor in question, who may or may not reveal names of the culprits. Imraz cannot ensure that the vendor gets a licence to operate because in all likelihood, that location is probably not even gazetted for vendors.
It's a dog eats dog world we live in. The officers probably play the game because the vendors subscribe to their demands to stay in business. This form of corruption goes on without anyone to monitor.
Corruption thrives because most people tend to look the other way as we do not want to invite trouble. Until, of course, it hits you in the face like what Imraz had experienced.
His anger affects people like Nik Azmi who is calling for a peaceful anti corruption rally, urging the rakyat to rise up against the menace. On his Facebook page he says he is planning a rally dubbed "PEOPLE'S POWER TO ERADICATE CORRUPTION in 2023" (KUASA RAKYAT MENGHAPUS RASUAH 2023). Contact Nik Azmi if you need more details.
Nik Azmi is right, reporting is not good enough because the reports might end up on the desk of bureaucrats and they die there. So he says "We need to get a draft memorandum of sorts to present to Anwar to show our support and force him to act against the corrupt, in the past, present and future and the rakyat's support for him to do this without fear or favour."
I wish Imraz and Nik Azmi the best of luck and will lend them a helping hand when I return from my overseas vacation.
Lastly, to the mandarin orange vendor and others in the same predicament stay safe. I hope and pray no harm will come to you once the investigation begins.
Mihar Dias is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav.
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