Lim Kit Siang for Malaysia

http://blog.limkitsiang.com/

“Big results” delivered by anti-corruption NKRA in past 32

months are all negative
Today is International Anti-Corruption Day – a day designated by the United Nations General
Assembly on 31st October 2003 when it adopted the United Nations Convention Against Corruption.

When Datuk Seri Najib Razak became Prime Minister in April 2009 and announced the first of his
1Malaysia Transformation Plans – the Government Transformation Programme (GTP) – top priority
was given to the war against corruption, which was listed as one of the seven NKRAs (National Key
Result Areas).

What has Malaysia got to show on the anti-corruption front on the 8th International Anti-Corruption
Day, bearing in mind Najib’s assurance that GTP is aimed at delivering big results fast in the public
service that were most important to the people.

What are the “big results” on the anti-corruption NKRA that had been delivered in the past 32 months
of the Najib administration?

“Big results” have indeed been delivered by the anti-corruption NKRA in the past 32 months but they
are all negative, viz:

• The worst Transparency International (TI) Corruption Perception Index (CPI) ranking and score for
Malaysia in 17 years, placed No 60 out of 183 countries with a score of 4.3 out of 10.

• Utter failure of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), which replaced the former
Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) in 2009, and purported to be modelled to be another Independent
Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) of Hong Kong – despite being given huge annual budgets of
over RM200 million;

• Related to two deaths at MACC premises – Teoh Beng Hock in July 2009 and Ahmad Sarbaini
Mohamed on April 6, 2011.

• The grand total of four politicians arrested for corruption in 2010 as compared to 23 in 2009.

On the occasion of the International Anti-Corruption Day, Malaysians are entitled to ask whether
MACC which took over from ACA in 2009 is an utter waste of public funds.

What has happened to the five-year National Integrity Plan launched in 2004 targetting Malaysia to be
ranked at least No. 30th in TI CPI with a score of 6.5 by the year 2008?

Parliament approved a RM202.2 million budget for MACC for 2011 and all it has to show is the
country’s lowest CPI ranking of No. 60 and lowest-ever score of 4.3.

In 1996, Parliament approved a budget of RM29.4 million for the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) and
that was the year when Malaysia was ranked No. 26 and achieved the highest CPI score of 5.32 in the
past 17 years.

Malaysians are entitled to compare the budgets given to ACA in 1996 and to MACC in 2011, and the
TI CPI of Malaysia in these two years, and to ask why MACC which has been given a budget almost
seven times given to ACA in 1996 and with greatly increased staff and resources, had brought
Malaysia’s TI CPI in 2011 to the lowest ranking of 60 and score of 4.3 when in 1996 we could be
ranked No. 26 with a score of 5.32?

page 1 / 2
 Lim Kit Siang for Malaysia
http://blog.limkitsiang.com/

It would appear that the bigger the budget and more staffing and resources given to MACC, the more
corrupt Malaysia has become. Where have the increased RM172.8 million in the anti-corruption
budgets between 1996 and 2011 gone to?

The annual budgets allocated to ACA till 2008 and MACC from 2009 (below) are not puny sums but
they have not achieved their objective of fighting corruption in Malaysia, giving proper cause for a full
and special audit by the Auditor-General to find the reasons why:

Year Annual Budget (RM)

1994 28.6 million

1995 29.9 million
1996 29.5 million
1997 32.4 million
1998 32.2 million
1999 38.2 million
2000 41.8 million
2002 63.8 million
2003 67.7 million
2004 70.4 million
2005 76.4 million
2006 99.1 million
2007 148.1 million
2008 146.7 million
2009 162.1 million
2010 156.8 million
2011 202.2 million
2012 211.2 million

Can Najib explain this strange phenomenon, resulting in his administration perceived as the most
corrupt, whether in CPI ranking or score, as compared to the five-year premiership of Tun Abdullah or
22-year premiership of Tun Mahathir?

Can the Prime Minister continue to be silent on Malaysia’s lowest-ever CPI ranking and score? If
Malaysia’s 2011 CPI had achieved an incremental increase say of 4.6, Najib would not be so mum
but would be the first to crow and claim credit with full fanfare on television, radio and the printed
media.

All the more why Malaysians want the Prime Minister, the Cabinet and the MACC to explain why
despite given record budgets approved for MACC (RM211.2 million for 2002), there is not only so little
to show in anti-corruption but the country had gone backwards and overtaken by other countries not
only in the Asia-Pacific but by other OIC and African countries.

page 2 / 2

Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)