PUTRAJAYA: The National Governance Planning Division (BPGN) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) is prepared to undertake the responsibility of coordinating various plans under the 2024-2028 National Anti-Corruption Strategy (NACS) to be launched in the middle of this year.
NACS, which focuses on the effectiveness of preventing corruption and improving governance and integrity in the administration of public services and government-related companies, will be implemented to replace the 2019-2023 National Anti-Corruption Plan (NACP) 2019-2023 which ended last year.
BPGN director Datuk Abd Aziz Aban said the division continues to monitor the 111 initiatives under the NACP, with 77 per cent of them, or 85 initiatives, completed.
The remaining could not be completed as they require more discussion or engagement because they involve new laws, he said, adding that the Covid-19 outbreak and the changes in the government during the period were also contributing factors.
In a special interview with the media, recently, Abd Aziz said among the achievements of the NACP was the drafting of a Bill that led to the establishment of the National Anti-Financial Crime Centre (NFCC), in addition to the formulation of 45 new regulations or circulars and 23 amendments of regulations or circulars under the plan.
The BPGN was established on April 18 last year, and absorbed into the MACC following the dissolution of the National Governance, Integrity and Anti-Corruption Centre (GIACC), which was previously under the Prime Minister’s Department.
Abd Aziz said that the NACS document development process involved coordination and feedback from various stakeholders, including the highest to the grassroots.
This is in line with YAB Prime Minister’s Directive No. 1 Year 2018 Series 2 No. 1 Year 2019 regarding the Implementation of the National Anti-Corruption Plan which outlines the parameters of governance, integrity and anti-corruption covering six national priority sectors, he said.
The six sectors are political governance, public sector administration, public procurement, legislation and judiciary, law enforcement and corporate governance.
“Focus Group Discussion and interview sessions in the form of a qualitative study were conducted to obtain the views of stakeholders on the issue of corruption and weaknesses in governance and integrity.
He said proposals on strategy and reforms to strengthen NACS are welcome from all parties to create efficient and high-integrity governance in the country.
He also said that the gathering of proposed strategies and reforms to be drafted in NACS is expected to have a significant impact and result in the eradication of corruption in the country.
“Indirectly, these suggestions and ideas are expected to contribute to increasing the Corruption Perception Index (CPI),” he said.
The YAB Prime Minister’s Directive No. 1 Year 2023 which was launched at the beginning of this year by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim emphasised the need to strengthen governance to fight corruption and to ensure that such activities do not occur in the government’s administration under him namely the unity government.
Touching on the CPI, Abd Aziz said the MACC is confident of achieving the target of being ranked 25th in the world for the next 10 years.
Meanwhile, Abd Aziz said a round table discussion regarding the CPI Special Team, which was established to find a way to improve the perception index, such as the terms of reference, structure and direction, was held last December.
“The proposed structure and terms of reference of the Malaysian CPI Special Team will be presented at the Cabinet meeting in the first quarter of this year,” he added.— BERNAMA
