By Md Izwan
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 7 ― The move towards competitive open tenders for government projects and acquisitions was proof of the transparency and good governance practised by Putrajaya, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said today.
The deputy prime minister said the nation’s achievement was recognised by AT Kearney, an international firm that ranked Malaysia in their top 10 nations with the best direct foreign investment index for 2012.
“This is a positive development which simultaneously gives a sign of growing confidence of foreign investors and entrepreneurs.
“It is proof that Malaysia is a sustainable and profitable destination for them to conduct business,” Muhyiddin said during the closing of the International Association of Anti-Corruption Authorities (IAACA) seminar here today.
The deputy prime minister expressed pride at a report from Transparency International that said 49 per cent of Malaysians in 2011 felt the government’s campaign against corruption was working, up from 29 percent in 2009.
“The Malaysian government has launched campaigns to combat corruption; to ensure that this is effective, we must also fix the system and change our style of governing.
“One proof that the prime minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s efforts in stopping corruption is through the Budget 2013 announcing a RM276 million [allocation] for the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC),” Muhyiddin said.
He also asked member nations of the IAACA to take Malaysia as an example and work together to successfully implement the 2012 Kuala Lumpur Declaration signed during the recently concluded sixth conference.
During his speech at the launch, Najib said Putrajaya acknowledged the need for co-operation with the international community in order to continue efforts to stop corruption in Malaysia.
Combating corruption is a stated priority of the prime minister, who included it in the National Key Result Areas (NKRA) under the Government Transformation Programme (GTP), activating the MACC and establishing an anti-corruption court.
Last year, Malaysia achieved 60th place in the Corruption Perception Index (CPI), a drop of four spots compared to the year before.
It only scored 4.3 in the research into public sector corruption among 183 nations. Malaysia was also third among ASEAN nations, behind Singapore (9.3) and Brunei (6.3).
