PH govt restoring M'sia's image – PM
KUALA LUMPUR: Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said yesterday the government will continue to work towards restoring Malaysia’s image as a nation of integrity and improving that identity over time.
The Prime Minister said the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government, since coming to power in May last year, has taken various measures to enhance national integrity and governance.
“Since taking over (the administration), we have made sure that the country has a clean administration unblemished by personal interests that result in a loss for the country,” he said during the Ministers’ Question Time in the Dewan Rakyat which began its first meeting proper of the second session of the 14th Parliament yesterday.
He was replying to a question from Lim Kit Siang (PH-Iskandar Puteri) on what efforts the government has taken to transform the image of Malaysia from a kleptocracy to a nation of integrity.
Elaborating, Dr Mahathir said the efforts included setting up the Governance, Integrity and AntiCorruption Centre (GIACC) in the Prime Minister’s Department on June 8 last year for the continued monitoring of the implementation of relevant programmes so that their effectiveness can be seen by the people.
Dr Mahathir also said that the GIACC had set up two committees, namely the Cabinet Select Committee on Anti-Corruption (JKKMAR) and the AntiCorruption Committee (JAR).
JKKMAR coordinates the monitoring and evaluation of the effectiveness of all initiatives related to governance, integrity and anti-corruption by both the government and private sectors.
Thus far, among the programmes that have been implemented are improvements to the declaration of assets by members of the government administration and parliamentarians as well as the definition of ‘politicians’ who are inappropriate to be appointed as board chairmen or members of companies and governmentlinked companies (GLCs).
He said other measures include the improvement of the mechanism pertaining to the acceptance of gifts, entertainment and payment by members of the administration, and they are no longer authorised to issue letters of support.
Dr Mahathir said all initiatives would be enforced continuously to ensure that the government’s promises of integrity, governance and so on continue to be visible and have an impact on society.
He said the efforts implemented by the government have also started to gain recognition at the international level.
“In 2019, the GIACC will continue to monitor all initiatives under the Cabinet Select Committee on AntiCorruption and the implementation of the National Anti-Corruption Plan to ensure it will bring positive impact to the country.
“The GIACC will also hold a face-to-face meeting with any government agency to discuss matters related to governance, integrity and anti-corruption from time to time so that Malaysia will be known for its integrity and not corruption,” he said.