Corruption trend among youth on the decrease — Wan Azizah

KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail yesterday said that the corruption trend among youth in the country is on the decrease, proving that more and more young adults realise the consequences of such an offence.

The deputy prime minister said although she did not have the full data, she was informed by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) that the number of corruption cases involving youth for the past five years had dropped compared to previously.

“It means that our youths are getting more and more exposed and they now understand the problem,” she said after witnessing the presentation of the Malaysia Book of Records certificate to the MACC for the organising of the “Walk Stop Talk: Six Hours Quarter Million Messages” programme yesterday.

Also present were Federal Territories Minister Khalid Abd Samad and MACC chief commissioner Datuk Seri Mohd Shukri Abdull.

Dr Wan Azizah, however, expressed her worry about the number of youth offenders, which had surpassed the total number of corruption convicts.

She said from 2013 and May this year, a total of 2,238 or 55.2 per cent of corruption convicts were youth or young adults and this statistics was indeed worrying as youths were leaders of the future.

Dr Wan Azizah, who is also Women, Family and Community Development Minister, said she also viewed seriously the crime rates among women as the MACC statistics showed that 700 investigation papers were opened, 453 women were arrested and 183 were charged in court between 2012 and January this year.

She said history showed that corruption had been the cause of destruction of several great governments and Malaysia almost had the same fate.

“However, the voices and the power of the people (used in GE14) had changed the landscape,” she said.

As such, she said it was time for all the people in the country to play their roles in rebuilding the nation towards the new Malaysia under the Pakatan Harapan government.

The “Walk Stop Talk: Six Hours Quarter Million Messages” was organised simultaneously across the country yesterday with the aim to spread the anti-corruption message to the public.

The programme organised by the MACC with cooperation fom the Malaysian Institute of Teachers Education (IPGM) and Kuala Lumpur City Hall sought to get a quarter million people to sign the anti-corruption petition in six hours and make it to the Malaysia Book of Records. - Bernama