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New Straits Times : 20
April 2008
Independent ACA right move, says Gerakan
GEORGE TOWN: An independent Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA)
will more effectively combat corruption and boost
integrity in the public service, acting Gerakan
president Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon said.
Koh said having an independent ACA would realise the
goals of the National Integrity Plan launched by Prime
Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi in 2004.
"It will also give greater confidence to people when
they want to report corruption cases.
"This will also show the seriousness of the Barisan
Nasional government in fulfilling a key promise in our
manifestos in the 2004 and 2008 elections," Koh said in
a statement, welcoming the ACA's proposal to be an
independent body.
Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri
Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz said on Friday the ACA had
submitted a proposal to Abdullah to allow it to operate
along similar lines as Hong Kong's Independent
Commission Against Corruption.
Koh said Gerakan had long called for an independent ACA,
especially since a workshop and a series of discussions
were held in the 1990s.
He said the party's founding president, the late Datuk
Professor Syed Hussein Ala-tas, was an academic
authority on the study of corruption.
"Therefore, Gerakan will continue to pursue and support
all measures to combat corruption, including
streng-thening the ACA as an independent body."
Meanwhile, Transparency International Malaysia (TIM) in
Kuala Lumpur agreed that an independent ACA would allow
for greater transparency and was in line with PM's
announcement of the setting up of a judicial
appointments commission.
TIM president Tan Sri Ramon Navaratnam said besides TIM,
other non-governmental groups had also advocated an
independent ACA to make it more efficient and effective.
"The public will have more confidence in ACA as an
independent agency and have more faith in the
government's commitment to combating corruption."
Navaratnam, who hoped for a speedy implementation of the
proposal once it was approved, said the ACA commission
should be made up of credible people.
"The commission can monitor the agency and ensure
complaints against corruption are addressed.
"The advisory board will ensure the agency operates
effectively.
"All these measures will promote ACA's integrity and
accountability," he said.
He added that this would improve Malaysia's rating in
the Transparency International Corruption Perceptions
Index.
Malaysia was ranked 43rd with a score of 5.1 in the 2006
index, which is considered as the borderline figure
which distinguishes countries that do and do not have a
serious corruption problem.
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