KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 21 — The government’s firm stance in fighting corruption at all levels, including the grassroots, has not only improved the country’s image in terms of the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) but has also garnered international recognition, the Dewan Rakyat was told today.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said this was evident when Qatar requested that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) collaborate in designing an anti-corruption programme for Islamic countries.
“The government of Qatar has requested a huge team, involving a minister and the MACC, to collaborate in designing an anti-corruption programme for Islamic countries, and this task has been assigned to the MACC.”
Anwar said this in reply to Datuk Awang Hashim (PN-Pendang) about the achievements of the Madani government after two years in power, including efforts to combat graft, during Ministers’ Question Time.
Malaysia has improved its position in the CPI released by Transparency International in 2023, scoring 50 points, up from 47 points the previous year.
Prior to this, Transparency International Malaysia president Muhammad Mohan said the improvement was partly due to the ongoing efforts by MACC and the Attorney-General’s Chambers in charging high-profile politicians, as well as the independence of the judiciary.
Meanwhile, Anwar said the claims of attempts to obstruct the MACC’s graft probes into the super-rich and politicians are completely false.
He explained that although the MACC faces various challenges in handling cases involving people with many supporters, the commission continues its investigations regardless of their status.
“I know it’s not easy… It’s difficult to fight corruption when it involves the super-rich group because they have many supporters.
“However, I have been informed by the MACC that their investigations will continue, including the case involving assemblymen in Sabah, and that the assemblymen involved would also be called (to facilitate investigations), so it is not true to say there were attempts to obstruct such investigations,” he said.
Anwar said this applies to other prominent figures because the country cannot be safe if efforts are not taken to combat and prevent corruption from its roots.
In this regard, he called for the cooperation and support of all parties to achieve the government’s goal of fighting corruption at all levels and emphasised that there should no longer be any perception that enforcement actions and prosecutions in such cases are politically motivated.
Meanwhile, Anwar said a detailed report card for the Madani government would be made public at the administration’s second anniversary celebration, held from tomorrow until Sunday at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre.
— Bernama
