MALAYSIAN Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief commissioner Dzulkifli Ahmad today witnessed the signing of the Corruption-Free Pledge by the opposition-led Penang government, saying it was a meaningful event from him as he is from the state.

“I was born in Kepala Batas. ‘Saya anak Pulau Pinang’.

He said that was why he had been so anxious that Penang was taking so long to sign the pledge. 

“Fortunately, it is not the last state (to sign),” said Dzulkifli.

The pledge has been an issue between the Pakatan Harapan administration and MACC after Dzulkifli criticised the state for not signing it.

“The pledge was also my brainchild. I would be embarrassed if my own state was not signing the pledge,” Dzulkifli said at the pledge signing ceremony this morning at Komtar.

Dzulkifli congratulated the state and praised the administration for including the elected state and parliament reps in the pledge.

He said the pledge was the first step in the battle against corruption.

“Commitment is important. The pledge gives the signee a personal sense of responsibility and ownership”.

Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, who led the pledge taking, said the IBR Plus 10, Lim said, was the first such pledge in Malaysia.

He said the state administration believed that inking a pledge meant nothing without the political will to fight corruption.

“That was why we wanted to add the 10 concrete measures to fight corruption in the pledge, making it the IBR Plus 10.

“We have to convince the people, and correct the negative perception that the state government is not helping them and is just out to rob them.”

The 10 measures include requiring the chief minister and exco members to declare their assets, implementing open competitive tenders, protecting whistleblowers, acting against leaders who live beyond their means, and refusing personal donations. (https://www.themalaysianinsight.com/s/8161/)

Over the last month, Dzulkifli and the Penang administration had traded barbs in the media, with the MACC chief asking the state why it had not inked the pledge and why it needed to be invited to do it.

Penang leaders hit back, saying they understood the signing of the pledge was voluntary. Lim also asked MACC why it was picking on Penang when other states had also not signed the pledge.

Later in a press conference, Dzulkifli acknowledged the 10 integrity measures Penang had added into the standard pledge prepared by the commission.

“We have no problem with it. It shows the state’s commitment in fighting corruption, and we hope the state will follow the measures,” he said.

Dzulkifli said he would be in Kelantan next week to witness the PAS-led administration sign the pledge next.

That would leave Selangor, the other Pakatan-controlled state,  as the only state that has signed the pledge.

“I am waiting for Selangor to fix a suitable date to sign the pledge. Then we are done with the state governments. Next, we will look at the state and federal agencies,” he said.

Asked if political parties would be asked to sign the pledge, he said MACC “had not come to that”, but urged parties to make sure the candidates fielded in the coming polls were clean. – August 4, 2017.