GTP 2.0 - Prime Minister's Office of Malaysia

GREatER PublIC aWaRENEss
oF CoRRuPtIoN
Bribery and corruption have remained pervasive, according to the
12th Global Fraud Survey conducted by Ernst & Young in 2012. The
survey, drawn from 1,758 interviews with senior decision-makers in
43 countries, revealed that 39% of respondents believed that bribery
or corrupt practices occur frequently in their countries.
“There is little question that the current economic situation has exerted
negative pressure on employees. One of the most troubling
findings of the survey is the widespread acceptance of unethical
business practices such as cash payments to win contracts and misstatement
of financial statements. The challenge is even greater in
rapid-growth markets, where a majority of respondents believe these
practices are common,” the report noted.
“In Malaysia, there appears to be a greater level of awareness of the
fight against corruption, and this seems to be in tandem with the
adoption of the Anti-Corruption NKRA in 2010,” said Ernst & Young
Malaysia advisory services partner Philip Satish Rao.
Rao said more than 80% of Malaysian respondents to the survey hold
the view that closer supervision by regulators and the Government
will help in the fight against corruption. On a positive note, 84% of
respondents believe that authorities are willing to prosecute bribery
and corruption cases.
“The level of awareness of bribery and corruption has increased with
the establishment of PEMANDU and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption
Commission. The higher number of cases being reported in the media
has also contributed to this,” he said.
“Within an organisation, various means can be used in the fight against
corrupt practices, including instituting whistleblowing hotlines, introducing
anti-fraud programmes such as training on anti-bribery
and anti-corruption policies, and setting a strong tone at the top, at
senior management level,” concluded Rao.
KEy lESSONS
5.3
The first three years of the GTP have been
challenging for the ANTI-CORR NKRA because
the fight against corruption requires a wholesale
change in mind-set about the way business is done
in Malaysia. It means changing the way corruption
has been policed in the past, changing the way
contracts have been bid for and awarded, and
changing the way corruption has been punished.
Corruption persists because it has been
ingrained, or normalised, within a culture as
the way that things simply get done. By being
normalised, it loses its negative connotations
and becomes part and parcel of the culture. In
recognition of this, the ANTI-CORR NKRA has
implemented foundational changes – ensuring
key enforcement agencies are themselves
incorruptible, addressing new corporate
contracts, etc. – that will serve to create a
strong platform to deliver innovative solutions
over the GTP’s remaining seven years.
86 Government transformation Programme—Annual Report 2012 Chapter Five 87
Government transformation Programme—Annual Report 2012 Chapter Five