A partner of the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition today urged the government to provide the Anti-Corruption Agency with more powers in carrying out its tasks.

Gerakan vice-president Dr S Vijayaratnam said that additional powers for the ACA will give the graft watchdog more clout and will facilitate speedier investigation and prosecution.

"One (such powers) would be to have the power of immediate arrest without having to depend too much on the police," he said in a statement today.