Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad will present Transparency International Malaysia's National Integrity Medals posthumously to two former ministers and a national bank governor in June.

The recipients are the late Tan Siew Sin, Dr Ismail Abdul Rahman and Ismail Mohamad Ali. Their family members will accept the awards at a dinner function.

The Kuala Lumpur Society for Transparency and Integrity said the trio were honoured in recognition of "their exemplary contributions to national integrity in the course of their stewardship of political, social and economic institutions".

"They are truly an inspiration to society and should be promoted as role models to younger generations who are often faced with ethical dilemmas," said its president Tunku Abdul Aziz Ibrahim in a statement.

Tan was a former MCA president, finance minister and chairperson of Sime Darby Bhd. He died in 1974.

Ismail Abdul Rahman, who passed away in 1973, was a former deputy prime minister and home affairs minister.

Ismail Ali was a former Bank Negara Malaysia governor and Mahathir's brother-in-law. Upon his retirement, he became the chairperson of Permodalan Nasional Bhd and later Sime Darby Bhd. He died in 2001.

Raising awareness

The Kuala Lumpur Society for Transparency and Integrity was established in 1998 to promote integrity by raising the levels of awareness and understanding of the damaging effects of corruption.

The awards are meant to raise consciousness o­n the importance of integrity in both personal and public life and are presented to individuals and institutions that have demonstrated their determination to fight corruption in all manifestations.

The dinner, scheduled for June 26 at an undecided venue, is expected to attract some 1,000 guests.