Under a democratic system the costs, however, began to rise. Politicians had to get
themselves elected, and the scale of vote-buying rose very rapidly. Ambitious
politicians needed a war chest to build a faction of followers in order to become a
minister. Those who wanted to become prime minister might have to simulate an
ATM, spilling out money at the cost of a few buttons. The costs of preventing being
found out also started to become significant. The Counter Corruption Commission,
established in the late 1970s, can only catch small guys among bureaucrats as the law
did not cover politicians. But the media was freer and was instrumental in exposing
corruption problems and issues; and the civil society, including NGOs and academics
were more vocal.