Dewan Rakyat: Fight Corruption More Holistically, Right Up To Grassroots Level

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 20 (Bernama) -- The first day of the debate on the Motion of Thanks for the Royal Address in the Dewan Rakyat today saw a majority of Members of Parliament (MPs) urging the government to enhance efforts to combat corruption in a more holistic and comprehensive manner, including through the introduction of more systematic laws.

Wong Chen (PH-Subang) stressed that efforts to fight corruption in Malaysia required more comprehensive and systemic legal reforms, in line with the decree by His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, who described corruption as a huge threat to the country, especially when it has also found its way into the armed forces and has the potential to threaten national security.

He said that although the MADANI Government recorded an improvement in 2023 Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index, its progress stalled in 2024 and risked further deterioration in 2025.

The situation, he said, proved that the existing approach is insufficient to overhaul the endemic culture of corruption.

"One of the main factors for the slow progress is the failure to change the structure of corruption through legal reforms that support transparency and accountability, including weaknesses in the asset declaration mechanism, which is currently only made to the Prime Minister and not to the public openly,” he said.

As such, Wong Chen proposed that asset declaration be implemented comprehensively, involving all ministers, MPs, state assemblymen and senior civil servants, including their immediate family members, and followed by a detailed audit by the National Audit Department to ensure the transparency and credibility of the process.

"The government should introduce the Unexplained Wealth Orders (UWO) law as practised in the United Kingdom, which enables assets that cannot be explainedto be seized through civil action without the need for criminal proof beyond a reasonable doubt, thus making the UWO a game changer in combating high-profile corruption cases,” he said.

He emphasised that the implementation of the UWO and the comprehensive reform of anti-corruption laws would only be successful if there is a clear political will among MPs, while describing the last two years of the government's administration term as a critical period to carry out the changes needed to revive institutional integrity and the people's confidence.

Meanwhile, Rushdan Rusmi (PN-Padang Besar) stressed that the issue of corruption is not merely about individual misconduct, as it has a serious impact on national security, institutional sovereignty and people's confidence in the administrative system.

As such, he said that efforts to fight corruption cannot be selective or seasonal, but must be carried out comprehensively, consistently and free from any political influence.

Echoing the same sentiment was Mohd Nazri Abu Hasan (PN-Merbok), who said corrupt practices must be tackled with full integrity and without compromise to avoid the public from having negative perceptions of double standards, especially in high-profile cases.

He said investigations into corruption cases must be conducted with firmness, irrespective of the rank or position of the individuals involved, as failure to do so will only lead to such practices becoming more prevalent, thus endangering the country's future.

"Article 8 of the Federal Constitution clearly states that everyone is equal before the law; as such the law cannot be harsh on the weak and lenient on the powerful,” he said.

The issue of corruption was also raised by several other MPs, including Datuk Siti Zailah Mohd Yusoff (PN-Rantau Panjang), Chong Zhemin (PH-Kampar) and Muhammad Fawwaz Mohamad Jan (PN-Permatang Pauh), who hoped that the government would take the war against corruption right to the grassroots level.

The Dewan Rakyat sitting resumes tomorrow.

-- BERNAMA