Constitutional amendment, new legislation being considered for inclusion in NACS - Ramkarpal

KUALA LUMPUR: Constitutional amendment and introduction of new legislation are among the 10 initiatives being considered for inclusion in the National Anti-Corruption Strategy (NACS), the Dewan Rakyat was told today.

Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Ramkarpal Singh said that NACS, which is a continuation of the National Anti-Corruption Plan 2019-2023 (NACP), will be in line with the current government’s policies.

He said various aspects, including current trends, research findings from both within and outside the country, and input from stakeholders, will be taken into account in the formulation of the NACS in the effort to combat corruption comprehensively.

“This effort is vital to achieve our goal of being among the top 25 countries in global CPI (Corruption Perceptions Index) in the next 10 years.

“The CPI is not just about arrests and prosecution for corruption; it also involves strengthening democracy, political commitment, human rights, economic competitiveness, enforcement, and good governance practices,” he said during Question Time.

Ramkarpal said this in reply to Kalam Salan (PN-Sabak Bernam) who wanted to know the latest status of the NACP and the next move to ensure that NACS will be a joint comprehensive effort to achieve the best position in the CPI.

Meanwhile, Ramkarpal said 68 out of 111 NACP initiatives were fully implemented as of the second quarter of this year.

“The MACC (Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) will continue to monitor the implementation of NACP initiatives until the end of its period this December,” he said, adding that the government is optimistic that 91 per cent of the initiatives could be completed by the end of this year.

-- BERNAMA