A total of 44 registered human resources departments have collaborated with 13 training providers to make 67 false claims from the Human Resources Development Fund (HRDF).

The false claims totalled RM1.17 million and so far 49 training providers, as well as eight fraud cases, have been referred to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) for investigations.

The government has allocated RM400 million for training to the HRDF.

To combat corruption and promote integrity among the 200 training providers registered with HRDF, both HRDF and MACC officials took a pledge at the fund’s head office in Kuala Lumpur today.

HRDF chief executive CM Vignaesvaran (photo above) said that through the pledge-taking ceremony, “we hope to further inculcate and strengthen integrity culture among the 17,000 registered employers and 3,500 training providers and our stakeholders.

“Our aim is to support the national aspiration to reduce fraudulent practices and corruption in Malaysia. This initiative is a continuation to HRDF’s very own Corporate Integrity Pledge (CIP) which was held last year.”

The pledge consists of five integrity thrusts:

  • To combat corruption;
  • Eliminate fraudulent practices;
  • To go against abuse of authority as a whole;
  • Increase efficiency in delivery system; and
  • To go beyond bureaucracy.

Vignaesvaran added that the HRDF would continue to work with MACC to create a zero-tolerance environment for corruption.

“We want to encourage our registered members and training providers to adhere to the principles of good governance while committing to meritocracy and transparency.”

Human Resources Ministry secretary-general Adenan Abdul Rahman and MACC's Inspection Consultancy Division director Mohamad Yusoff Akope also attended the integrity pledge-taking ceremony.

Vignaesvaran said the CIP signing ceremony would be organised nationwide with all HRDF registered employers and HRDF registered training providers.

In 2014, HRDF signed the CIP and adopted several strategies and approaches to strengthen good governance, including sharing business intelligence on irregularities and corruption with MACC.

HRDF continues to support MACC in investigations on fraudulent claims made by companies or private sector training providers that are registered with HRDF.

Since its inception, HRDF has evolved in its role from managing a sizeable fund to becoming a one-stop-centre for HRD solutions to the critical mass of Malaysian SMEs.

As a custodian and authoritative institution well positioned to offer robust and prudent solutions, HRDF continues to engage with multiple stakeholders of the industry to continuously re-discover its role as well as opportunities to build the nation’s human capital resources.

M KRISHNAMOORTHY is an international freelance journalist for several foreign television networks and newspapers. He is also a trainer in Media Relations and Crisis Communications. He has worked as a senior writer for The Star (15 years) and the New Straits Times (11 years).