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By P Gunasegaram
The appointment of the new MACC Commisioner, Abdul Halim Aman, which will take effect on May 13, 2026, just does not inspire confidence in the commitment of the Madani government and Anwar Ibrahim to fight the corruption plaguing our country.
One would have expected that with all the problems facing the outgoing commissioner, the PM could have taken the opportunity to recommend the appointment of a much more well-known person with proven, impeccable qualifications to show he was serious.
But what he has chosen is a relative lightweight who has made no major impact during his long tenure in the judiciary, rising only to the position of a High Court judge after 41 years in the judicial services.
This new insipid appointment comes some 10 months after the appointment of a new chief justice, who inexplicably jumped 34 other Court of Appeal and Federal Court judges, the appointment of Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh, skipping many other potentially better candidates.
That and this appointments, damage Anwar’s reputation, sidelining others much more highly regarded, leaving open to speculation why he would make such tame appointments for two of the positions most under the public glare.
A demanding job
One wonders what is that is exceptional about Abdul Halim that he is brought out of retirement at the ripe old age of 69 to the demanding job of heading the MACC, currently facing the brunt of public rage over its outgoing commissioner.
Azam Baki is currently the subject of an investigation over share trading and allegations that the MACC and him are part of a “corporate mafia” which was highlighted by a long and detailed Bloomberg report.
What outstanding qualifications does Abdul Halim have to deal with some of these major allegations made against MACC and bring its image up from its current depths? How has he shown that he is capable of such action?
Looking at his profile (below), does not show any outstanding qualities despite a 41-year career in the judicial service, reaching the level of High Court judge in 2007, and remaining there for some 16 years.
Profile: Abdul Halim Aman, 69
7th Chief Commissioner of the MACC
Education: LLB (1982 - Universiti Malaya), LLM (1996 - University of Hull)
1982 - Federal Counsel, Attorney General’s Chambers
1983–1990 - Magistrate & Registrar, Johor & Malacca
1990–1992 - Sessions Court Judge, Tawau & Sandakan, Sabah
1993–1995- Senior Federal Counsel- Inland Revenue Board/ AGC
1996 - Official Assignee, Department of Insolvency
1997–2002 - State Legal Adviser,Pahang
2003-2004 Head of Research, Office of the Chief Justice
2005–2007 Judicial Commissioner, Temerloh & Kuantan
2007–2023 High Court Judge, Penang, Johor Bahru, Shah Alam
2023 - Mandatory Retirement, Judiciary of Malaysia
May 13, 2026 Chief Commissioner, MACC
Source: Wikepedia, news reports
He retired as a High Court judge in 2023, three years ago, only to be brought back as head of MACC.
Qualities required
What are the qualities that an MACC Chief Commissioner should have? First, the person must likely have the ability to understand, investigate and charge high-level corruption at all levels, which is a major problem in the country. Anwar admits as much.
Surely, Abdul Halim does not fit the bill, not because he has a tainted past or anything like that, but his background is not the right one for the job. Even as a magistrate and judge, his major judgments were made in the criminal area, not in corruption cases.
Second, if the candidate comes from a different field, he must have shown exceptional ability in that area so that he has the intellectual capacity, stamina and grit to quickly learn the business and move forward. We can’t see that in Abdul Halim’s case.
Third, the person must not only have exceptional integrity but must have demonstrated that she/he is prepared to take steps to defend that in the face of strong pressure in any form - public, political, religious or racial - and stay above the fray.
Considering that Abdul Halim did not rise to that level where his abilities would have been tested and that he is already in retirement means that he is not a suitable candidate for this hot seat which requires outstanding proven ability, unquestioned and demonstrated integrity and honesty, and the grit to withstand pressures and perform nevertheless.
Why not Maimun?
This is an appointment for a person with strong investigative skills in addition to the three qualities we mentioned earlier. Would it not have been more appropriate to get someone who has done good services in the other enforcement arms such as the police, judiciary and even within the MACC itself.
Some names that come to mind who appear to have been not considered at all include former Chief Justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat who, at 67, is actually two years younger than Abdul Halim.
If anyone should be brought out of retirement it is she. Give her a 3-year contract and I bet not a single Malaysian would doubt that she would make the MACC more clean than it has ever been and put the right people in place to make major changes in fair and efficient enforcement above all.
There are other names if there is a will to find the right people to bring real, positive change. All that this appointment demonstrates is that there is no commitment and the powers that be have no intention of changing the status quo.
(P Gunasegaram says that just as fish rot from the head, real sustainable change can only come from the top. Our leaders have been miserable failures.)
P Gunasegaram (t.p.guna@gmail.com) 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. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
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