Forget The Greeks, Beware Of Malaysians Bearing Gifts.

The culture of presenting gifts has become part of Malaysian culture and difficult to be removed despite its danger of leading to corruption, said Perak Executive Councillor Datuk Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir.

He said that as such, the receivers must be wary of the intentions of the givers of the gifts.

"Presenting gifts is part of the culture in the country. If we are sceptical of the givers' intention, then do not take them," he said.

Zambry was among three speakers in the opening programme of the sixth season of the Debat Perdana talk-show, which was aired live Tuesday night over Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM)'s TV1 channel.

The two other speakers were International Movement For A Just World (Just) president Dr Chandra Muzaffar and DAP National Deputy Chairman Dr Tan Seng Giaw. The show was moderated by Datuk Johan Jaafar.

Zambry's views were echoed by Dr Chandra who said that both receivers and givers must be clear in their intentions when giving or taking the gifts.

Tan, who is also the Member of Parliament for Kepong, said efforts to curb graft must be accompanied by leadership by example. He said the people might perceive it as an acceptable practice if political leaders also did the same. As such, stern action must be taken to make it clear to the people that the government was not encouraging corruption, he said.

"There is only one type leadership, that is by example. The people see what leaders do, and they follow suit," he said. (Bernama)

***** We must also ask why people present gifts in the first place. It is a 'lubricant' of sorts which 'smoothens' the way in any deal or process involving the government. The baksheesh mentality has long taken root in our soil, involving a majority of the civil service and almost all politicians. The government and its lax control and lack of political will to control graft or to punish its ardent practitioners is largely responsible for the current sad and sorry state of affairs. As it stands, we can teach the ancient and modern Greeks a thing or two about the finer art of bearing gifts.
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