Corruption In Government-Linked Companies - Act Quickly, Says Ex-President Of Integrity Institute Of Malaysia

The government should act quickly in checking corruption in government-linked companies (GLCs) because it can undermine the national economy, former president of the Integrity Institute of Malaysia (IIM), Tunku Abdul Aziz Ibrahim, said today.

He said one of the reasons for the failure in wiping out corruption in the country was due to a delay in taking action against dishonest executives of GLCs. Tunku Abdul Aziz spoke at a two-day conference of Malaysian student leaders organised by the United Kingdom and Eire Council for Malaysian Students (UKEC) here.

The topics on the agenda of the conference covered Malaysian economic issues, foreign policy, integrity and Vision 2020. It also touched on current issues such as the standard of education, social development (human capital) involving youths and students, economic development, democracy and human rights.

Tunku Abdul Aziz said that in the information technology era, the government should obtain information immediately to detect corruption involving GLCs. "Shareholders can also play a role by raising what may seem to be irregularities and use their authority to act against dishonest individuals in a company," he said.

Nevertheless, Tunku Abdul Aziz said, Malaysia was among countries which did not record a high rate of corruption compared to other countries in the Asian region. "Realistically, corruption cannot be wiped out totally but the government can keep it from becoming widespread through political will to stem it," he said.

***** Remember that not checking corruption, or worse, indirectly condoning or encouraging it can undermine the national economy. Bloggers who write about corruption or demand action on it don't damage the economy. The real traitors to the nation are those who are actively involved in corrupt practices and those who create the favorable circumstances in which corruption can flourish unimpeded and without fear.
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