By Yusoff A. Shariff
FOR it to be independent, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) should be placed under Parliament, said Lim Eng Guan on Friday (30 Sept).
Being under the Prime Minister, the Bagan MP claimed that the MACC is not independent.
“The MACC must be accountable to Parliament, especially when the MACC chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki had allowed MACC to be used as a political weapon against opposition MPs and those who oppose the government,” Lim told the media in George Town, Penang .
He said this in response to Azam saying that the MACC would not be independent if it needed to get permission or take instructions from lawmakers in Parliament before acting.
On Azam’s statement that Penang had the most number of corruption cases among civil servants, Lim demanded that he backed that claim with proof so that the state government could act.
“In my 10 years as the Penang chief minister, corruption cases among civil servants were low because we practised the CAT principles of good governance for competency, accountability and transparency,” he said.
He said that the open tender system practised by Penang had reduced the likelihood of corruption.
“Penang is the only state to be praised by Transparency International and each year, it is praised by the auditor-general,” he said.
-BTS Media
