The Corrupt Officer in Kuala Lumpur

There is the account of a journey by car in the heart of Kuala Lumpur, the driver a Singaporean citizen driving in Malaysia, stopped by a police officer who demanded to see a Malaysian licence. Told that the driver held only a Singaporean one, valid under the agreement recognising international drivers, the officer was unmoved: he required the driver to come to the police station regardless. The driver protested that he knew the law, that a licence of this kind was valid — to no effect. Caught in the middle of the road, in traffic, to be diverted aside would have meant losing four, five, six hours; a family left worried, a business meeting missed, a client interview lost. Asked what he intended to do about it, the officer made his meaning plain: come and see me — meaning, put something inside the licence and hand it over, and he would fix it, and let the driver simply pass. The officer was corrupt, and this — rushwah — fetches the curse of Allah (swt); a Muslim gives no rushwah, and takes none.