The government should increase the allocation provided to the MACC to boost its efforts to fight corruption, says Transparency International Malaysia president Akhbar Satar.
He said this was because the MACC had resolved many major cases of corruption.
“So, it would not be wrong to provide a bigger budget to strengthen the MACC,” he told Bernama after attending the Anti-Corruption Summit 2018 in Kuala Lumpur today.
Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng is scheduled to table Budget 2019 in Parliament this Friday.
On the summit, Akhbar said it was the best platform to work with other countries on a solution to combat corruption.
“We will hold discussions with other countries with low and good Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) to find a solution to the problem of corruption.
Akhbar (photo) said last year, Malaysia was at 62nd place out of 180 countries in the CPI compared to 55th place in 2016.
Meanwhile, TI-M secretary-general Muhammad Mohan said that under the administration led by Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, issues involving corruption had been taken seriously from all aspects, including government servants.
He said the government would take stern action against the corrupt parties, both receiver and giver, hence facing the consequence and punishment once found guilty.
Muhammad said procurement had been identified among the most vulnerable elements that helped expose corruption activities, while culture and religion had been addressed as the major challenges to combat corruption.
Muhammad pointed out that issues related to undocumented migrants also had been identified as among the serious problems in Malaysia that were linked to corruption.
Touching on the Corporate Liability Provision of the MACC 2009 that would take place in 2020, he said more awareness, learning and education were needed to emphasise on this provision.
It was reported that the government has proposed amendments to this act that would make corporations liable for the corrupt practices of its associated persons.
Meanwhile, when met after closing the summit, Economic Affairs Minister Mohamed Azmin Ali said the government welcomed the proposal to introduce a new act on legislation against economic sabotage as it would help spur Malaysia's economy.
He said the proposal, suggested by the national Governance, Integrity and Anti-Corruption Centre (GIACC) would also be able to curb the selling of contracts and import permits licence (APs).
Themed 'Good governance and integrity for sustainable business growth,' the one-day event was organised by TI-M.
It attracted some 500 participants and a list of local and international speakers, including Immigration Department director-general Mustafar Ali, former PetroSaudi International executive Xavier Andre Justo and Anti-Corruption Advisor UNODC - South East Asia and Pacific Francesco Checchi.
- Bernama
