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Mahathir launches plan to make Malaysia corruption-free in five years

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Mahathir launches plan to prevent corruption

PUTRAJAYA: Make Malaysia a corruption-free nation in five years.

That is the goal of the five-year National Anti-Corruption Plan (NACP), which Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad launched yesterday.

He said the plan was not meant to punish wrongdoings of the past, but to prevent corruption from happening in the future.

"Those who have to face this plan are members of the current administration and those who will serve in the future.

"We hope the NACP, over the next five years, will be able to curb the culture of corruption in the country.

"We are aware this is not something that could be easily achieved, but we have to start by placing policies as foundation to form a culture and system that is based on good governance and integrity," said Dr Mahathir, at the launch of the plan at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre yesterday.

The plan was developed by the Governance, Integrity and Anti-Corruption Centre (GIACC), which was established last year about a month after Pakatan Harapan took over administration.

The plan has 22 strategies and 115 initiatives, with focus given to six main sectors: politics; public procurement; law enforcement; public sector administration; legal and judiciary; and corporate governance.

"The plan is a warning to all, including myself, the ministers and others," said Dr Mahathir .

Also present at the launch were Chief Secretary to the Government Ismail Abu Bakar, GIACC director-general Abu Kassim Mohamed and Cabinet ministers.

Dr Mahthir said: "(You) cannot expect me alone to do it, or only the GIACC. And, it is also not the responsibility of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) or certain agencies, to shoulder the responsibility of (ensuring corruption-free) governance and integrity.

"It is the responsibility of all quarters… to inculcate good values and to (instil) hatred towards corruption among our children."

He said it would be "more meaningful" when leaders can achieve integrity and do not abuse their powers, the New Straits Times reported.

In a related development, Transparency International's Corruption Perception Index 2018 showed that Malaysia has gone up one place to 61 out of 180 countries.

Malaysia's rank was 62 out of 180 countries in 2017 and 55 among 176 countries in 2016. Denmark was seen as the least corrupt, followed by New Zealand, with third place shared by Singapore, Finland, Sweden and Switzerland.

Transparency International-Malaysia president Akhbar Satar said the country could improve its rankings if the government provided leadership and a strong will to drive the message of zero tolerance for graft through solid action.

"We will be able to see significant changes if the government keeps implementing anti-corruption measures and walks the talk, making sure there is no direct negotiations in the awarding of contracts," he said.

"For this year, it is still too early because the government took over about seven months ago." - THE STAR

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