It's Not an Afterthought, Says ACA Deputy D-G


Source: New Straits Times)KUALA LUMPUR: The idea for the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) was mooted last year, and not after the results of the March 8 general election as suggested by certain quarters.



"I'm not being political here, but I just want to set the record straight that the idea was mooted in 2007 and not after March this year," said Anti-Corruption Agency deputy director-general Datuk Abu Kassim Mohamed.


"It was done due to the commitment of the prime minister and not because of the results of the general election.


"We wanted a reform (of the present agency) and this was what was discussed with the PM. But it took six months to study before anything could move.


"What should have been presented at the end of 2007 to the special cabinet committee could only be done this year. Maybe if we had been able to present to the cabinet committee then, the PM would have been able to announce the changes before the March election."
Abu Kassim said Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi agreed to the proposed reforms on April 16 and the issue was then brought to the attention of the cabinet committee, which gave its seal of approval on Aug 6.


On why Hong Kong's Independent Commission on Anti-Corruption had been chosen as a model for the MACC, Abu Kassim said many politicians, non-governmental organisations and other individuals had used the ICAC as a comparison to the ACA.


He said the ICAC was internationally recognised as one of the best, if not the best, corruption prevention and investigation agencies in the world.


"Their model is the best. But, if you check the records, you will see that the ACA investigates more cases and charges more people, including major figures and politicians, than the ICAC does."


(c) 2008 New Straits Times. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All rights Reserved.
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Malaysia PM's residence costs $2.5m a year




Responding to an opposition query, Badawi said RM6.01 million was paid annually to state-linked developer Putrajaya Holdings. -AFP -
Thu, Dec 11, 2008AFP



KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia's government drew flak Thursday after admitting it spent $2.5 million a year on the prime minister's sprawling residence in the administrative capital Putrajaya.






Responding to an opposition query, Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said RM6.01 million ($2.5 million) was paid annually to state-linked developer Putrajaya Holdings for the residence's rental and upkeep.






It costs another RM3.4 million a year to maintain the deputy premier's residence. Known as the the Seri Perdana complex, the premier's sprawling residence was built by former leader Mahathir Mohamad, who in 1999 was its first tenant.






The buildings are spread over 16 hectares in the centre of Putrajaya which lies south of Kuala Lumpur, comprising three blocks which include a reception area, banquet facilities and a residence.






Abdullah lives in the complex with his wife, daughter and son-in-law and their children.
"It is wasteful to spend so much money on renting the prime minister's house when the country is facing such tough times," said opposition parliamentarian Hatta Ramli from the Islamic party PAS.






"Even though the money is going back to a government-linked company, this should not be the case as the government should really own the building the prime minister occupies," he told AFP.






"What happens if the prime minister somehow gets evicted?" Chief minister of opposition-controlled Penang state Lim Guan Eng questioned the payment of rent to Putrajaya Holdings.
"We can understand paying maintenance, but rental does not make sense," he told AFP.






"This also begs the question as to who are the directors of the company and who gets all the profit made by the company." Putrajaya Holding's main shareholders are national energy firm Petronas, a state-owned trust fund and government investment arm Khazanah.









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Malaysia harmed by "corruption is king" reputation

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's reputation for being ridden by corruption is harming the country's prospects, Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said on Wednesday as a new anti-graft body was tabled in parliament. Abdullah also tabled legislation that will appoint a nine-member panel to advise the premier on the selection of judges, in a bid to address criticism that the judiciary is corrupt and incompetent. "It will give a level of confidence in these institutions, higher than before, and negative perceptions will hopefully be reduced as much as we can," Abdullah said of the two proposals.


"We have to deal with the perception by businesses and industry that corruption here is king, and the judiciary is unsatisfactory and is not credible as all of this will affect our competitiveness," he told reporters.


The Anti-Corruption Agency which is being replaced has been criticised as toothless, and the new version is being promoted as having more independence and greater accountability. However, activists say that the new commission should be also given the power to prosecute corrupt activities, currently the responsibility of the government.


Abdullah has been forced to agree to stand down in March and hand over to his deputy Najib Razak, after the government was punished in general elections this year over his failure to introduce promised reforms. The premier came to power in 2003 with grand plans to revamp the police and the justice system, and root out corruption from the ruling party, but his failure to act earned him a rebuke at the March polls. The Barisan Nasional coalition which has dominated Malaysian politics for half a century lost control of five states and a third of parliamentary seats in its worst-ever electoral performance. - AFP/de
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