Corruption

All Malaysian institutions of higher education should aim to produce useful and patriotic citizens of Malaysia who are committed to the ideals of united, just, democratic and progressive society where there is integrity and respect for human rights

By Kit

January 30, 2019

I believe that all Malaysian Institutions of higher education should aim to produce useful and patriotic citizens of Malaysia who are committed to the ideals of a united, just, democratic and progressive society where there is integrity and respect for human rights.

For this reason, all institutions of higher education should follow closely national developments which will pursue these goals.

One such development is the launching of the National Anti-Corruption Plan (NACP) to tackle corruption in the country for the next five years by the Prime Minister, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad yesterday.

The plan, developed by the National Centre for Governance, Integrity and Anti-Corruption (GIACC), incorporates 115 initiatives which cover six sectors, namely politics, law enforcement, public procurement, legal and judiciary, public administration and corporate management.

I believe that the NACP should be actively debated by our students in institutions of higher learning, not to involve students in partisan politics, but to actively cultivate not only an interest but an ownership in national developments in the country.

In fact, I am of the view that if we are serious about integrity in public affairs, to transform Malaysia from a global kleptocracy into a leading nation of integrity in the world, the NACP should be presented to Parliament for debate and adoption, so that it truly becomes an anti-corruption plan for the whole country for the next five years.

It is interesting that on the same day that the Prime Minister launched the NACP, Transparency International (TI) released its 2018 Corruption Perception Index (CPI), with Malaysia scoring an unchanged 47 points from 2017, but improving its ranking by one notch from to 61 among 180 countries.

When I first learnt of Malaysia’s ranking and score in the 2018 TI CPI, I was quite disappointed, as the last seven months after the historic decision of the 14th General Election on May 9, 2018 have been quite memorable and unprecedented in the effort to transform Malaysia from a global kleptocracy into a leading nation of integrity in the world – with the former Prime Minister charged in court for corruption and other criminal offences 42 times, four charges behind the former Deputy Prime Minister although the former PM is expected to beat the former DPM soon with the total number corruption and other criminal charges; former “heavy guns” whether Cabinet Minister, State Chief Minister or heads of public institutions like Felda and Tabung Haji hauled to court for corruption or other criminal charges.

I expressed my disappointment with Malaysia’s performance in the 2018 TI CPI to an influential observer of corruption trends in Malaysia, and he rightly pointed out that without the historic decision of the 14th General Election on May 9, 2018, both Malaysia’s 2018 TI CPI ranking and score would be worse than last year, probably plummeting to the lowest level for Malaysia in the 24-year TI CPI series since 1995.

He pointed out that the 2018 TI CPI ranking and score were a composite index from a combination of 13 surveys and assessments of corruption, collected by a variety of reputable institutions, most of which were done before May 2018.

But for Malaysia’s ranking and score in the 2019 TI CPI, he predicted: “I think next year big jump”.

We want this to happen, and that is why the NACP should not be a plan merely launched by the Prime Minister, but should be tabled in Parliament for adoption to be really a national plan which all stakeholders, including institutions of higher education and the college and university students in the country, take ownership.

This should set the country in the right direction towards the building of a New Malaysia we want to build after the 14th General Election on May 9, 2018.

(Speech by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang at the Southern College on allocation of RM2 million Federal Government allocation on Wednesday, 30th January 2019)

================================ Ucapan oleh Ahli Parlimen DAP Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang di Southern College pada Rabu, 30 Januari 2019: Semua institusi pengajian tinggi di Malaysia harus mempunyai matlamat untuk melahirkan warganegara yang patriotik dan berguna serta memenuhi ciri-ciri masyarakat yang bersatu padu, demokratik, progresif, malah mempunyai integriti dan menghormati hak asasi manusia

Saya percaya bahawa semua institusi pengajian tinggi di Malaysia harus mempunyai matlamat untuk melahirkan warganegara yang patriotik dan berguna serta memenuhi ciri-ciri masyarakat yang bersatu padu, demokratik, progresif, malah mempunyai integriti dan menghormati hak asasi manusia.

Atas dasar ini, semua institusi pengajian tinggi harus mengikut secara dekat perkembangan isu yang beraspirasikan perkara ini didalam negara.

Salah satu perkembangan tersebut adalah pelancaran Pelan Antirasuah Nasional (NACP) bagi membendung gejala rasuah di negara ini sepanjang tempoh lima tahun akan datang oleh Perdana Menteri, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, semalam.

Pelan berkenaan, dibangunkan oleh Pusat Governans, Integriti dan Anti Rasuah, Jabatan Perdana Menteri (GIACC), yang mengandungi 115 inisiatif anti rasuah merangkumi enam sektor iaitu politik, perolehan awam, penguatkuasaan undang-undang, pentadbiran sektor awam, perundangan dan kehakiman serta tadbir urus korporat.

Saya percaya NACP harus dibahaskan dan dibincang secara aktif oleh pelajar-pelajar kita yang sedang menuntut di institusi pengajian tinggi, bukan untuk menyerap mereka ke dalam politik kepartian, sebaliknya bagi membolehkan mereka memupuk bukan sahaja minat terhadap perkara berkenaan, malah menyemai semangat pemilikan dan kenegaraan di kalangan mereka terhadap perkembangan yang berlaku di negara ini.

Saya berpandangan jika kita serius tentang integriti dalam hal ehwal awam, untuk mentrasformasi Malaysia daripada kletokrasi global kepada negara terkemuka dalam soal integriti, maka NACP harus dibentangkan di Parlimen untuk dibahaskan dan seterusnya diterapkan, supaya ia benar-benar menjadi pelan antirasuah untuk negara bagi tempoh lima tahun akan datang.

Pada hari sama Perdana Menteri melancarkan NACP, Transparency International (TI) mengeluarkan Indeks Persepsi Rasuah (CPI) 2018, yang menunjukkan Malaysia kekal mendapat 47 mata sejak 2017, namun kedudukan negara meningkat satu anak tangga kepada 61 daripada 180 negara.

Ketika saya mengetahui kedudukan dan skor Malaysia dalam TI CPI 2018, saya berasa agak kecewa, kerana dalam tempoh tujuh bulan setelah peristiwa bersejarah Pilihan Raya Umum ke-14 (PRU14) pada 9 Mei 2018, banyak peristiwa manis dan sebelum ini tidak pernah berlaku terjadi – antaranya peristiwa bekas Perdana Menteri didakwa dengan 42 pertuduhan di mahkamah atas kesalahan jenayah dan rasuah.

Saya melahirkan rasa kecewa tersebut kepada pemerhati trend rasuah berpengaruh di Malaysia, dan beliau mengeluarkan kenyataan yang tepat bahawa tanpa peristiwa bersejarah 9 Mei 2018, kedudukan dan skor Malaysia akan menjadi lebih teruk berbanding tahun lalu, malah mungkin jatuh menjunam ke tahap yang paling teruk dalam sejarah Malaysia sejak laporan itu pertama kali dikeluarkan pada 1995.

Jelas beliau, kedudukan dan skor TI CPI 2018 ditentukan berdasarkan kepada 13 tinjauan dan penilaian daripada pakar, yang mana dikumpulkan daripada pelbagai institusi dan kebanyakannya dilakukan sebelum Mei 2018.

Beliau meramalkan yang kedudukan Malaysia akan bertambah lebih baik dalam TI CPI 2019.

Kami mahu ia direalisasikan, dan atas sebab itu NACP tidak harus menjadi sebuah acara yang dilancarkan oleh Perdana Menteri semata-mata, sebaliknya harus dibentangkan di Parlimen untuk diterapkan supaya ia menjadi pelan nasional yang mana semua pihak berkepentingan, termasuk pelajar institusi pengajian tinggi, kolej serta universiti di negara ini dapat sama-sama terlibat dalam menjayakannya.

Ini memberikan hala tuju tepat kepada negara untuk membentuk Malaysia Baharu seperti yang diidam-idamkan kita selepas PRU-14.