Cabinet committee backs recommendation for more transparent guidelines on licences, permits

KUALA LUMPUR (Bernama): The Special Cabinet Committee on Anti-Corruption agreed in principle Thursday (June 25) with the recommendation of the Malaysia Productivity Corporation (MPC) for all ministries and agencies that issue permits and licences to come up with guidelines for licence applications that must be published online.

Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said the move was decided at the committee's meeting Thursday to establish a more transparent mechanism in the management of permits and licences, to enhance integrity and to prevent corruption.

Besides this, to strengthen discipline in the civil service, Muhyiddin said the committee has also agreed in principle for a comprehensive study to be implemented to improve compliance with reports from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission and the Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission (SIAP).

"Realising the need to establish policies to ensure integrity in the digital environment, the meeting also agreed with recommendations made by Cyber Security Malaysia that a study be carried out to obtain empirical evidence on the need for a digital anti-corruption policy and to identify relevant legal requirements," the prime minister said in a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office Thursday.

Muhyiddin said the meeting he chaired was conducted via video-conferencing in line with standard operating procedures (SOPs) set under the recovery movement control order (MCO).

Meanwhile, Muhyiddin said the committee also agreed to continue with policies agreed in previous meetings, such as holding scheduled committee and National Anti-Corruption Committee meetings as outlined by a 2018 directive.

Others include strengthening accountability and the integrity of Mps through the declaration of assets and gifts received, implementing the Organisational Anti-Corruption Plan (OACP) and Corruption Risk Management (CRM) evaluation in all ministries and in the public sector for effective prevention of corruption.

"This includes strengthening the corruption prevention system in the private sector through Beneficiary Ownership and business entity according to the Guidelines of Adequate Procedures; increasing efficiency and transparency on public procurement procedures to prevent leakages of public funds and focusing on economic issues especially on the people’s living costs, ” he added.

The prime minister said the meeting also took note of the Asset Declaration Status among members of the administration and MPs, as outlined in the Code of Ethics for Administrative Members and MPs, for each member of the administration to declare their assets three months after taking their oath.

Muhyiddin said the government will continue to strengthen efforts to enhance integrity through the implementation of the National Anti-Corruption Plan (NACP) 2019-2023 to ensure its aspirations to improve the economy and the people’s well-being are implemented in a more transparent and effective manner. - Bernama