It may be cheaper to pay a bribe than a heavy traffic fine, but the MMC for Public Safety, Michael Sun, warned that both the official and the citizen would be prosecuted for the offence.
But if you decide to be an upstanding citizen instead, you can become an anti-corruption ambassador.
“Never give money to any officer, or any City official including me, or offer any kind of benefit so the official does or does not do his or her job,” he said. Sun said the culture of taking and giving bribes should be stopped and that if there is no supply, demand will quickly fade.
True to this, the Public Safety Department will before the end of October roll out an anti-corruption ambassador programme.
“We have devised a strategy where we will hand out identification discs the same shape and size as a license disc to supporting citizens. It will have a serial number and a clear message displaying that you are an ambassador for anti-corruption,” he said.
When a potentially corrupt officer approaches and sees the disc, it becomes the first obstacle before asking or taking a bribe. AN officer could also report a person if he was offered a bribe.
“We will conduct a roadshow to promote this. The more ambassadors that spread the word, the closer end of this market is.”