Take action against corrupt individuals regardless political party, C4 tells Anwar

SHAH ALAM - Former officials who were charged with abuse of power and misused of their positions in government should not escape criminal proceedings.

Action should be taken without delay regardless of their political party or any parliamentary support. This comes after the appointment of the 10th Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Center to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4) further said the new government does not need to look any further than the National Anti-Corruption Plan (NACP) 2019.

“C4 Centre has long campaigned for reforms as a matter of priority and urgency.

“The guidelines in the NACP provide a comprehensive overview of the areas that require reform and that would bring Malaysian law and policy closer to fulfilling its obligations under the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC),” it said in a statement.

Apart from that, the Procurement Act had oversight over public procurement processes and government expenditure; amendments to the Whistleblower Protection Act that would grant more protection to whistleblowers from persecution, both by public and private bodies.

It said the Freedom of Information Act to allow the public greater access to information relating to government administration, alongside repealing the Official Secrets Act and an Asset Declaration Act to compel government leaders to publicly declare their business or financial interests.

“The above are instrumental in the task of public confidence-building, demonstrating to Malaysians that there is no place for corruption in the new administration, that no one can escape justice, and that support to govern cannot come from patronage and money politics.

“C4 will continue to foster open government policies at various levels of administration through public sector reform and increasing public participation in anti-corruption discussions,” it said.

In the meantime, C4 also congratulated Anwar for his recent appointment as the 10th Prime Minister in Malaysia upon being elected through the 15th General Election (GE15).