The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission must act on Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein's claim that corruption is among the reasons for the repeated border security breaches in Sabah, says Transparency International Malaysia (TI-M).

TI-M president Akhbar Satar ( left ) said this in reference to Hishammuddin's explanation for the failure of the Eastern Sabah Security Command (Esscom), which has resulted several cross-border kidnappings since last year.

"TI-M calls upon the MACC to act immediately, quickly and thoroughly to investigate any proof presented by the defence minister and Esscom that hints at corrupt practices.

"TI-M further calls for the immediate removal of personnel involved to nip corruption in the bud," Akhbar said.

The MACC has said it viewed Hishammuddin's claim seriously and offered to meet with the defence minister on the matter.

Akhbar said Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak also needed to address the problem of low integrity, graft and information leaks among security and defence personnel.

In light of this development, Akhbar also called on the Defence Ministry to adopt open tenders for its procurement processes.

He pointed out that according to TI-M's Government Defence Anti-Corruption Index, Malaysia's band ranking plummeted from D (High risk of corruption) to F (Very High risk of corruption).

“Defence sector corruption is dangerous in that it undermines military effectiveness and the purchase of poor equipment places the lives of troops at risk," Akhbar said.

He also stressed the need for a bi-partisan oversight on Malaysia’s defence budget.