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International Anti-Corruption Day

Enhancing Good Governance and Anti-Corruption

Richard Leete, Ph D
United Nations Resident Coordinator, UNDP Resident Representative for Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei Darussalam, and UNFPA Representative for Malaysia

9 December 2005 Kuala Lumpur

Street Address: Wisma UN, Block C, Kompleks Pejabat Damansara, Jalan Dungun, Damansara Heights, 50490 Kuala Lumpur Telephone: 2095 9122 / 33 Facsimile: 2095 2870 E-mail: registry.my@undp.org URL: http://www.undp.org.my Mailing Address: P.O. Box 12544, 50782 Kuala Lumpur

Yang Berbahagia Tan Sri Samsudin bin Osman, Chief Secretary of the Malaysian Government and Chairman of the Integrity Institute of Malaysia (IIM) Yang Berbahagia Datuk Dr. Sulaiman Mahbob, President of IIM Yang Berbahagia Dato Param Cumaraswamy, President of Transparency International Malaysia Yang Berbahagia Dato Anwar Fazal, Chairman, Policy, Advocacy and Research Task Force/Organising Committee for IDAC Celebration Tan Sri-Tan Sri Ladies and Gentlemen, Members of the Media Selamat pagi dan salam sejahtera kepada semua. Saya berasa amat gembira pada hari ini dan berbesar hati kerana diberi peluang untuk memberi sepatah dua kata sempena memperingati Hari Antarabangsa Anti Rasuah di Malaysia. I am very grateful to the Malaysia Institute of Integrity for inviting UNDP to be part of todays event in the presence of the eminent Tan Sri Samsudin and the other distinguished champions of good governance and human rights. I sincerely believe that the Malaysia Institute of Integrity, Transparency International Malaysia, and UNDP have the right synergy to support Prime Minister Abdullah Badawis vision of multi-ethnic Malaysia maturing into a higher economic, political and cultural plane where the rules of engagement demand excellence, integrity and social responsibility. The Malaysian Prime Ministers vision is entirely consistent with the outcome of Septembers United Nations World Summit held in New York, where world leaders acknowledged that good governance and the rule of law, at the national and international levels, are essential for sustained economic growth, sustainable development, gender equality and the eradication of poverty and hunger aims embodied in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). UNDP fully supports the Malaysian government aspiration to achieve the National Integrity Plan objectives. We were delighted to have entered into an early Memorandum of Understanding with Dato Seri Abdullah Badawi and the President of IIM, Datuk Dr. Sulaiman Mahbob, in April 2005, to build capacity of IIM to implement the NIP. Transparency International Malaysia has been actively promoting integrity in national life by raising the levels of awareness and understanding of the damaging effects of corruption since 1998. I wish to take this opportunity to acknowledge the

Transnational Internationals excellent contribution in combating corruption in this country. The United Nation's Global Programme against Corruption (GPAC) defines corruption as the "abuse of power for private gain" and includes both the public and private sectors. Although perceived differently from country to country, corruption tends to include the following behaviours: conflict of interest, embezzlement, fraud, bribery, political corruption, nepotism, secretarisme and extortion. December 9, 2005 is the United Nations International Anti-corruption Day. The UN Convention against Corruption is a milestone for global efforts to combat graft and provides a unique opportunity to create public awareness and commitment to curbing corruption. The adoption of the Convention against Corruption in Merida, Mexico, Dec. 2003, provides the opportunity for a global response to the problem. The level of support it has received, measured by the number of countries that have already signed (106 as at April 2004), indicates both an acute awareness of the severity of the problem as well as a remarkable political commitment to tackle it. The greatest impact of corruption is on the poor, those least able to absorb its costs. By illegally diverting public funds corruption undercuts services, such as health, education, public transportation or local policing. Petty corruption imposes additional costs on citizens. Service provisions are often perceived to be inadequate, and sometimes payment is required for the delivery of even the most basic service. Tomorrow, December 10, is the International Human Rights Day the UN Country Team of Malaysia will hold a event tomorrow to mark this day. This is a timely n reminder to all who care about the abuse of human rights that to fight against corruption is to fight for human rights. An open and transparent state will enlarge freedom and provide for the fuller realisation of all human rights. Finally, to commemorate the United Nations International Anti-Corruption Day, I would like to invite Yang Berbahagia Tan Sri Samsudin bin Osman, Chairman of Malaysia Institute of Integrity, to launch the Anti-Corruption Ribbon which is an early output of the work of the UNDP-IIM team.