PUTRAJAYA, June 10 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today expressed deep disappointment over persisting malpractices within government agencies, leading to wastage and corruption. Anwar emphasized the urgent need for department heads to take greater responsibility and eradicate the culture of ignoring misconduct, highlighting the limitations faced by agencies like the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) in combating corruption alone.
Anwar announced stringent measures, including withholding promotions for department heads complicit in overlooking corruption during performance reviews and directing enforcement agencies to act swiftly on concrete evidence of misconduct. He urged department heads to demonstrate leadership by promptly reporting any irregularities and proposed bolstering anti-corruption efforts by assigning additional officers to relevant agencies.
Anwar emphasized that if responsibilities become overwhelming due to entrenched bad practices, stepping down is a viable option. He vowed to expedite decisions to ensure prompt reporting of misconduct, emphasizing the imperative of safeguarding the nation’s future and cautioned that even more drastic measures will be taken to ensure a clean government image.
