Gifting Mandarin Oranges With Expectations Of Favour Could Be A Form Of Bribery, MACC Says
However, it is based on the intentions of the giver.
By Justin Tan — 14 Feb 2018, 04:34 PM
On Tuesday, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) said that giving gifts in the form of food can be considered as bribery depending on the intentions of the giver
Sinar Harian reported Kedah MACC director Datuk Mohd Fauzi Mohamad as saying that giving a gift with the hopes of getting something in return is a form of crime.
"When you give angpows, oranges or hampers with the intentions to get something in return, that's bribery," he said at the press conference of Gerakan Memerangi Rasuah 2018 (GEMPUR 2018).
GEMPUR 2018 aims to educate civil servant to refuse any offer or bribe.
However, he stressed that it is hard to judge a person’s intentions and also said it is unfair to equate giving oranges during Chinese New Year as bribery
“It is tough to prove a person’s intentions. Furthermore, if the intentions are just to share the festivity, it is unfair to label it as a bribe,” he added.
A quick check on MACC's website showed that civil servants are prohibited from accepting gifts during festive seasons
According to paragraph 5 of the Service Circular No. 3 of 1998, public officials are prohibited from accepting any gift in any form such as hampers, Mandarin oranges, angpow packets and other forms of gifts from any person that is associated with the official duties of the officer.
Meanwhile, one netizen opined that the idea of giving food in return for big projects is illogical and urged MACC to focus on bigger issues
Other netizens, on the other hand, questioned how would MACC categorise handouts like rice, oil, and petrol which were given to people by political parties
