Don't laugh, this is what our Bernama has to say :: "Malaysia is set to be Asia's premier training and referral centre for the war against graft with the setting up of the Anti-Corruption Academy."

Anti-Corruption Agency Director-General Datuk Zulkipli Mat Noor when presenting his paper entitled "Total War Against Corruption" (sic) at the 9th Public Service Conference at the National Institute of Administration, said ::

"This academy [The Anti-Corruption Academy] is important as it will be the first in the Asia Pacific region. At any one time, it will be able to host 200 to 300 trainees not only from the ACA but also officers from foreign anti-corruption enforcement agencies."
With regards to the academy teaching staff ::
"We may employ retirees...including foreign officers from Korea and Hong Kong who will be able to teach investigation techniques."
In order to enhance oour very own ACA capacity and capability ::
"We plan to add 70 enforcement officers this year". [The present ACA work force is 1,300]

It looks like we do have a thing or two to teach the foreigners about anti-corruption but then why are we thinking of hiring foreign retirees to do this. So again, it looks we need foreigners to teach us a thing or two. Maybe our ACA should heed the advice given recently by the former head of the Hong Kong-Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) Bertrand de Speville. de Speville listed out four important criteria in battling corruption :: 1. political will, 2. a proper plan, 3. resources and 4. public involvement. So just beefing up the force in numbers and such a ridiculously small increment of 70 ie 5% of the personnel would lead nowhere. Our toothless ACA must firstly be answerable to the people ie via Parliament and not be beholden to the executive. It should be given the fangs to do its work ie it must be able to charge offenders on its own and not via the AG office. The political will must be there and not just when elections are impending and forgotten after the results are out.
Parliament must be kept abreast of the on-going investigations especially those of prominent cases. A time frame must be given for investigations to be carried out and completed and should not go on and on and on eg the Perwaja case. The ACA should not expect every complainant to take a long march in order to get investigations going. If no effective measures are taken our ACA can forget about its dream of Malaysia being Asia's Premier Anti-Corruption Centre, the answer is not just another ACA [Anti-Corruption Academy], there must be more. If not its dream would just remain an Impossible Dream.