The 2020 Budget will provide an additional 100 staff members to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) next year, as part of efforts to improve the agency’s governance and delivery of services, in line with the principle of efficiency, accountability and transparency.
Announcing this yesterday while tabling the budget in Parliament, Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng also said in a move to strengthen the individual integrity units at all ministries and agencies, the government had allocated RM10 million for risk assessment tests to be undertaken.
Further, as a measure to improve public confidence in the police, reforms would be introduced through legislation and the establishment of institutions such as the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC), while the Malaysian Ombudsman would replace the Bureau of Public Complaints with the aim of enhancing governance and delivery systems within government, Lim added.
As a measure to address custodial deaths and the abuse of detainees, an allocation of RM50 million has been provided to the Governance, Integrity and Anti-Corruption Centre for the upgrade of procedures and facilities for detainees, particularly through the installation of 11,500 closed-circuit television (CCTV) units at police detention centres and immigration entry points.
In this connection, a total of 115 initiatives had been introduced since the launch of the National Anti-Corruption Plan on Jan 29, with 15 per cent of the initiatives successfully completed and 78 per cent in the midst of implementation.
These initiatives included the requirement that all ministers, deputies and Members of Parliament declare their assets, Lim explained. — Bernama