Gerakan congratulates the Prime Minister for appointing into the five (5) panels of the MACC, leaders of integrity and credibility.

Some of the members are known to have been very critical and outspoken on the need for greater transparency and accountability in the government. Their inclusion in the MACC panels shows the government’s determination to fight corruption.

It is a good start, but the real challenge has just begun. This is because the success of the MACC depends very much on the attitude, approach, actions and the manner of announcement and enforcement made by the principal officers concerned.

Therefore, it is important for all MACC personnel to be seen as independent, fair and professional in discharging their duties. Indeed, it will take a lot more work to reverse the prevailing generally negative public perception on the effectiveness of the fight against corruption so far.

I also welcome the appointment of four (4) Barisan Nasional (BN) MPs (including a senator) and three (3) Pakatan Rakyat (PR) MPs to the Parliamentary Special Committee on Corruption. This represents a fair balance, indeed.

However, I note that there is no representative from Sarawak and non-UMNO Barisan Nasional component parties. I hope the government will rectify this in the future.

In fact, to ensure a larger and fairer representation, the government should consider amending the number of committee members from seven (7) to eleven (11), which is still less than five (5) per cent of the total number of 222 representatives in Parliament.

I sincerely hope that MACC, with these appointments, will usher in a new era of integrity in Malaysia and restore the people’s confidence in public governance.