Sept 2012-Mar 2013 - Transparency International Malaysia

(L) Josie m Fernandez, TI-M Secretary-General, and (R) Exco-memberMajor (Rtd) Rozni HashimIn relation to financial defence corruption risk, the percentageof the budget allocated to secret items is unknown.Malaysia has good mechanisms of protection againstpersonnel corruption risk. The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Act2009 covers civilian and military personnel. The WhistleblowerProtection Act 2010 encourages whistle blowing although itsprovision is limited and its effectiveness, questionable.In Malaysia, political corruptionvulnerability is high as there is nodefence and security committee,and parliament’s role in the sectoris limited.In terms of operations corruption risk, there is no informationto indicate that corruption risks in contracting on operationsare guarded against through guidelines or training.Defence and security procurement corruption risk is regulatedby general procurement legislation but there is a lack ofpublic evidence that it is adhered to.Following are TI-M’s recommendations to reduce corruptionin the defence sector for Malaysia:• Implement the Freedom of Information Act• Change the process on secrecy/confidentiality(when security is really necessary)• Publish the defence policy and the defencebudget, and encourage public debate• Implement anti-corruption tools in defenceprocurement, and work with the MACC• Demand high standards for defence contracts(national/international)• Include analysis of corruption issues inoperations• Work with civil society, and be open with thepublic.As this defence anti-corruption index may impact ourCorruption Perception Index (CPI) score, TransparencyInternational Malaysia called on the government to addressthe corruption risks in this sector through the reformsproposed above. nA WALK AGAINST CORRUPTIONIn 2005, the United Nations Assembly designated9 December of each year as the International Anti-Corruption Day to raise awareness of the issue ofcorruption. To commemorate the Anti-Corruption Day2012, TI-Malaysia organised our inaugural Anti-CorruptionDay walk at Lake Gardens.Opened to the public, the walk saw over 200 people acrossall age groups come lend their support in the fight againstcorruption. Starting in the early morning on a Sunday,participants met at the Panggung Anniversari to register andcollect their free caps and t-shirts. Participants of the walkwere invited to write their thoughts on the issue on the Wallof Corruption throughout the event.To kick off the event, Datuk Paul Low, president of TI-Malaysiaspoke of the struggles faced by Malaysians in our daily livesdue to the impact of corruption on the nation. He and JosieFernandez, secretary general of TI-Malaysia then led the 3kmpublic walk around the Gardens. On their return, participantswere rewarded with nasi lemak and chocolate buns. n17