Call for firms to sign integrity pledge

KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Anti- Corruption Commission (MACC) has made a call to government-linked companies and private companies to sign the corporate integrity pledge in a bid to create a corruption-free business environment, said MACC deputy chief commissioner Datuk Sutinah Sutan.

She said the signing of the pledge will not be imposed but the Commission would encourage companies to do so willingly, which would reflect a mutual consensus between both parties in fighting corruption.

Sutinah said this move would also instill confidence in foreign investors as it creates a more competitive business environment.

She said one of the important features of the pledge is the option to sign the Integrity Agreement which can be used by companies when dealing with procurement projects.

If the agreement is signed between two parties, it is an assurance that parties offering and accepting the project would not engage in any form of corrupt practice for the duration of the process and they are to report to the MACC should there be any attempt to do otherwise.

Sutinah stated that the MACC is ready and willing to cooperate with participating companies to ensure that their operational processes are corruption-free and also resolve potential incidences of corruption should they occur.

She said while there are companies with high ethics, which would rely on their actual capabilities to obtain a contract, there were also those who choose to bribe as it is perceived as the easier method.

She reminded that it is an act of corruption regardless of its severity because of the motivations which drives the act.

The MACC was mandated to lead the fight against corruption as one of the seven National Key Results Areas (NKRAS) of the Government Transformation Programme (GTP).