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The RM64 million bogus FSFM scam should be a “wake-up” call to ACA that public confidence in integrity of officials and institutions have reached such an all-time low that it has become a prevalent belief among Malaysians everything can be bought with a price whether  rank, title, degrees,  immunity for crime or corruption, etc Media Statement by Lim Kit Siang (Petaling Jaya,  Thursday): The police believed that the bogus Federal Special Forces of Malaysia (FSFM)  had been crippled following the arrest of more than 95 percent of its 40 senior leaders at the federal and state levels, including the self-proclaimed “four-star general”  FSFM chief Nor Azami Ahmad Ghazali.  The police have arrested 76 key members of the bogus FSFM, including 34 of the illegal movement’s State commanders since the crackdown  on the group under  Ops Impian last Friday.   The commanders and deputy commanders detained so far included contractors, consultants and businessmen who held the rank of “brigadier-general”, “colonel” and “lieutenant-colonel”.  Some were also “directors” of management, planning, intelligence and investigation of the organization headquarters in Kuala Lumpur. Police have received  more than 2,500 police reports from FSFM members who surrendered after they realized that they were cheated by their leaders.   There are many aspects about the FSFM scam which warrant thorough investigation and a proper public accounting, such as: Firstly, what  political patronage or official support FSFM had received that it could operate for so long and quite openly?  Perlis Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim has said that a FSFM leader claiming to be a “brigadier-general” met him a day before the illegal group was uncovered. The question is how many Ministers, Mentri-Mentri Besar, Chief Ministers and officials had been approached and given their patronage and support to the FSFM? Secondly, the question of gullibility.  A director of the Science, Technology and Environment Ministry holds the post of 'commander' in the movement while the Pahang “commander” was believed to be a professor at one of the public higher learning institutions in the country. How many of the 8,000 members (including leaders)  who had been recruited into the FSFM believed that they had joined a bona fide security or civil defence organization with links to the government and how many of them knew that it was a bogus outfit? Thirdly, implications about the integrity of public officials and government institutions.  It has been reported that the bogus organization could have raked in RM64 million from the sale of military ranks and insignias to about 8,000 people it recruited, at RM 8,000 for second lieutenant, RM16,000 for lieutenant and RM25,000 for captain, and bigger sums for higher ranks. The RM64 million bogus FSFM scam should be a “wake-up” call to the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) that public confidence in the  integrity of officials and institutions have reached such an all-time low that it has become a prevalent belief among Malaysians that everything can be bought with a price whether  rank, title, degrees,  immunity for crime or corruption, etc  It should in fact be regarded as a terrible indictment of the failure of the ACA to create a culture of integrity in public office and the sanctity of public institutions with zero tolerance for corruption.   This deplorable state of affairs highlighted by the FSFM scam must  not be the mere concern of the ACA, but all Malaysians who still cherish the aspiration that public integrity and a culture of zero tolerance for corruption should become an integral part of Malaysian public life and institutions.   This will be the thrust of a memorandum that the DAP is drafting on the ACA and corruption in Malaysia which will be presented to the ACA on Monday.   (31/7/2003) * Lim Kit Siang, DAP National Chairman