“We are disappointed that misappropriation of funds, leakages and corrupt practices, as well as disclosure of the government’s classified information by serving and former public officials are still occurring.”
His speech was delivered at the opening of the first Parliament sitting of 2017, this morning.
Tuanku Muhammad said although these acts were carried out only by a few, it has the potential to erode the public’s trust in the civil service.
So he called for stern action to be taken against anyone found to have committed these offences.
“We laud the actions taken to bring the perpetrators to justice.
“People need to cooperate by not giving bribes, and refraining from possessing any unauthorised classified documents,” he said to a hall full of parliamentarians.
Transparency International’s 2017 Global Corruption Barometer published last week, showed that despite the actions taken by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), 60% of the Malaysians polled nationwide, said they believe the level of corruption has increased in the past one year.
The number has almost doubled since three years ago. A similar survey in 2013 showed that only 39% of respondents felt the level of corruption had increased. In 2014, the perception level was just 30%.