Chief secretary to the government Ali Hamsa has responded to Transparency International chief Jose Ugaz's scathing speech, which touched on the allegations against Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak.

He took issue with Ugaz's remark that Malaysia is facing a corruption crisis, and stressed that Malaysia is committed to fighting graft.

"The statement, among others, alleged that Malaysia is facing a corruption crisis.

"This indirectly casts doubt on the integrity of the Malaysian civil service," he added in a statement today.

Ugaz's speech, which was delivered at the 16th International Anti-Corruption Conference (IACC) in Putrajaya, also drew flak from Multimedia and Communications Minister Salleh Said Keruak.

In his press statement, Ali, however, did not address the main issues mentioned by Ugaz (photo) with regards to unanswered questions about the US$700 million that made its way into the prime minister's personal accounts.

Ugaz had pointed out that recent weeks saw the attorney-general suddenly replaced, the 1MDB task force disbanded, and MACC officers arrested or transferred, as well as newspapers suspended for reporting on the matter.

"These are not the actions of a government that is fighting corruption," Ugaz noted.

Integrity commitment

Ali instead pointed to Malaysia's plus points.

“Malaysia is ranked 50 out of 175 countries in Transparency International's 2014 Corruption Perception Index and second among countries in South East Asia after Singapore. In Asia Pacific, it is ranked ninth,” he pointed out.

Ali further said Malaysia had instituted various incentives to counter corruption including the establishment of the Institute of Integrity, a government transformation programme, as well as town hall sessions with the media to discuss the annual auditor-general's report.

Other initiatives included the appointment of integrity officers and having integrity units within all government departments and a special task force to facilitate transparent business.

“Such policy and actions undertaken by Malaysia to manage and maintain integrity reflects the government's commitment towards enhancing trust and confidence in the public service,” Ali said.

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