This article first appeared in The Edge Malaysia Weekly on March 17, 2025 - March 23, 2025

Malaysiakini journalist B Nantha Kumar was charged at the Shah Alam Court last Friday with accepting a RM20,000 bribe from Pakistani Muhammad Zahid as inducement to remove and also not to upload further articles on migrant worker syndicates on the Malaysiakini news portal.

Nantha claimed trial. If convicted, he could face up to 20 years’ jail and a fine of at least five times the amount of the bribe accepted.

As Malaysiakini managing editor Ng Ling Fong pointed out, Nantha is innocent until proven guilty. So, let’s leave the court to decide whether there really is a case against him.

Nantha has come under the limelight not only because of his arrest but also because of his articles alleging corruption and breach of immigration laws relating to Malaysia’s migrant worker recruitment process.

Will the anti-graft commission and Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA) conduct further investigations into his allegations, especially as he has given considerable details in his reports? The arrest of Nantha will in no way stop the rampant corruption that undeniably exists in the worker recruitment process, loud protestations notwithstanding.

Bluntly put, efforts to crack down on unlawful practices by any party in migrant worker recruitment are crucial. This is beyond losses in tax revenue, as a corrupt recruitment system only adds to business and household costs. The negative multiplier effects on the economy are manifold.

As there is no smoke without fire, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission and MoHA must investigate the allegations made in the articles and make public its findings.

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