All Malaysian cabinet ministers, save for one, have refused to volunteer for Transparency International's (TI) latest programme which called on them and their deputies to pledge their personal commitment in fighting corruption.

In a statement, president of the corruption watchdog's local affiliate, Tunku Abdul Aziz Ibrahim, expressed disappointment that rhetoric aside, only one minister and nine deputies signed the TI integrity pledge form, out of the 66 sent out in April.

The rose among thorns was Second Finance Minister Nor Mohamed Yakcop while the nine deputies were energy, water and communications' Shaziman Abu Mansor, information's Donald Lim, youth and sports' Ong Tee Keat, housing and local government's Robert Lau, domestic trade and consumer affairs' S Veerasingam, science, technology and innovation's Kong Cho Ha, tourism's Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, finance's Tengku Putera Tengku Awang, and Joseph Entulu Belaun of the prime minister's department.

Notable abstainers were Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi - who has frequently pushed an anti-corruption agenda since assuming office last year - and his deputy Najib Abdul Razak.

Abdul Aziz pointed out that when his organisation closed their first deadline for the return of the integrity forms on April 14, only three deputy ministers had responded.

Assuming that the dismal response could have been due to the March general election, TI re-issues the forms with a fresh deadline - April 30.

Menteris besar next

"It is a pity that not more ministers, including the prime minster and deputy prime minister, had considered it necessary to declare their anti-corruption commitment publicly," said Abdul Aziz.

"It would have been a source of great happiness to the citizens of Malaysia to know that their leaders were prepared to back their rhetoric with a signed document," he said.

TI's voluntary declaration, among others, calls on government leaders to make public their pledge that he/she would not "... under any circumstances be a party to corruption, defined as the abuse of entrusted power for personal gain."

The organisation launched the integrity form signature drive following Abdullah's vocal and well-received pledges on rooting out corruption. The BN's transparency agenda was also outlined in its election manifesto for the March 21 polls.

However, in wake of the general election and the Barisan Nasional's landslide victory, interest groups and the opposition have expressed their skepticism over the prime minister's promises, pointing out that his 93-member cabinet still included those tainted by corruption allegations.

TI said that it plans to also pursue its anti-corruption integrity form initiative with state leaders - menteris besar, chief ministers and state exco members - to get their commitments on paper.