This is the text of the speech by Senator Paul Low, Governance and Integrity Minister, Prime Minister’s Office in launching MACC’s Convention and Team-Building Programme in Putrajaya today.

Salam 1Malaysia and a very good evening to all of you.

Firstly, please allow me to thank the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) for inviting me to launch the MACC Convention and Team Building Programme 2013. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all parties involved, for making this conference possible. Indeed, it gives me great pleasure to be a part of this significant event. May I also take this opportunity to thank you - Tan Sri Abu Kassim, honoured guests, and all participants.

I am privileged to be here tonight as your guest of honour and your keynote speaker. As the new minister with the portfolio for governance and integrity including eradication of corruption and abuses of human rights, my ministry is given the mission by the prime minister to bring about change and improvement in the government of today.

Change can only be made if there is a strong political will from the top and the prime minister has given me the assurance that I have his strong support. This is also evident by his emphasis and frequent reminder on the need to have good governance and integrity in cabinet meetings and also speeches both in and outside the government.

Some critics have given me 100 days to show results. Yes it is possible, but these will only be cosmetic changes in which I am not interested. So I am sorry to disappoint them.

Instead, I will strongly push for long-term solutions or even whole paradigm shifts that will penetrate much deeper to address the ROOT CAUSES of each issue.

These changes will be made through a series of integrity action programmes that will impact across all ministries involving all levels of government until it reaches the frontline agencies including the local government at state level. It is an ambitious and radical initiative but necessary if Malaysia wants to move to the high income economy and continue be a safe place for investments from both domestic and foreign sources.

We would like to see that governmental services are provided with efficiency and speed without the civil society - especially the poor - being pressured to pay bribes for services that should be provided free and without encumbrances.

Obviously, these radical changes cannot be achieved only by my ministry alone but it is essential for all ministers and civil servants be involved. While my ministry will be the driving force, the change will only come if everyone in the government takes ownership of every initiative that will be implemented.

azlan Particularly the minister and the secretary-generals or the director-generals of every agency must take the lead to set the direction and the tone.

To drive this change and transformation, my ministry will be working in collaboration with other ministries and agencies namely; Pemandu, the auditor-general, the Institute of Integrity Malaysia, Pemudah, and of course the MACC. We will also include in some cases outside experts including those from NGOs.

Six-month honeymoon period

When I was appointed as a minister, critics gave me a six-month honeymoon period with the government and they predicted that I will leave in frustration. Of course they did not know that I am prepared to go for the long haul because the transformation journey cannot be completed in a short period. As much as the initiatives to be taken may be radical, change must come gradually to ensure sustainability and this may require change in the eco-system in governance.

Some of it may be structural and others may require changes in the attitudes of all stakeholders covering even those outside the government such as the private sector. I am confident with the support of the PM, the deputy PM, Ministers and all civil servants the critics will be proven wrong. So let us work together for the better to make Malaysia great and respected.

If I may add some humour here; When I was only three days in office, I was already labelled as a lame duck minister because the critics expected me to play the role of a sheriff like in the wild-wild west, going around fighting corruption with both guns blasting.

Everyone seems to be like an expert in fighting corruption and expects me to do what they desire for themselves. Instead of wishing me well, they expect me to fail so that they can continue to find pleasure in condemning me or anyone and everyone no matter how sincere our motives are.

Sincerely, I wish they could have given me some encouragement as what I am doing will also benefit them and their children if I can raise the bar of good governance and integrity in the current government. Again, some are already predicting that soon I will move from a lame duck to become a Peking duck.

Therefore, while I am in office as a minister, my destiny will be determined especially by the civil service, and I pray that they will give me their fullest support and cooperation. Corruption is a problem that relates to the condition of our heart and how we view materialism.

azlan For too long we have accepted corruption as a way of life, but the rising awareness of the civil society and their increasing intolerance of corruption has placed a strong demand for the government to take heed of their wish for a corruption-free society.

Combating corruption requires strong enforcement institutions like MACC and the Judiciary. It is my duty working together with the PM to ensure that the MACC continues to get all the support it needs to become more effective each day.

Build a strong foundation of independence

Here it is appropriate to remind ourselves that MACC should gain a reputation of being feared for its relentless pursuit to bring those who practice corruption to be charged. In this regard, MACC should be built upon a strong foundation of independence from the executive branch of the government, uphold the Rule of Law and staffed by high calibre people with high levels of proficiency in their area of expertise.

The public wants to see the Rule of Law upheld, and zero impunity for abusers regardless of their position in government or society. Measures to fight corruption involve both strict enforcement of the law as well as puttingpreventive measures in place.

Your initiative on the Integrity Pact for our MRT Project is something commendable. Hence, in order to further increase public confidence in the government’s handling of its mega projects, I would like to urge for MACC to replicate the same Task Force that you already have for the MRT project to other mega projects in the future.

This should include projects under government procurement as well as the privatisation projects. Similar to the MRT project, companies will need to sign the full integrity pact and then have MACC, the auditor-general and an NGO to be an oversight body for the project.

NONE I know that tonight I am speaking to the staff of MACC and over the last five years even when I served as the president of Transparency International (TI) Malaysia, I have seen the improvement in the MACC under the leadership of Tan Sri Abu Kassim ( right ).

It is not an easy task for him but I believe that if each one of you in MACC has an attitude to serve diligently and with a genuine humility and desire to learn and improve, then all of you, together, will make MACC strong and gain more credibility.

Being an officer of the MACC, each one of you must be watchful of your own personal conduct and the level of integrity that is placed on you is higher than others. You are expected to shine above everyone else. Because of this high expectation by the public you are often criticised. But as men and women of strong character you must show endurance and perseverance. These are hallmark qualities of a dedicated fighter of corruption.

As someone who knows what fighting corruption entails I would like to encourage you all to be proud of what you are doing regardless of the negative perception that you all may experience at this moment. Let us all work together to prove the critics wrong.

Before I end my speech, remember this: “All the sacrifices and transformation efforts that you are doing now - ultimately, it is not the organisation that you are serving. It is for real people with a real need”.

Thank you.