On 21 January 2019, the Prime Minister of Malaysia, H.E. Tun Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad, visited IACA and addressed the Special Event co-organized by IACA and the Embassy and Permanent Mission of Malaysia to the International Organizations in Vienna on ‘Fighting Corruption in Malaysia: Achievements, Challenges & Perspectives’. Representatives of the diplomatic corps and international organizations based in Vienna, officials of the host country as well as IACA Alumni and staff participated in the event.
In his address, H.E. Tun Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad talked about Malaysia’s experience in the fight against corruption and reiterated his objective to eradicate corruption in Malaysia in order to pave the way for a prosperous and progressive society. He particularly pledged his personal commitment to strengthening the mechanism of transparent declaration of assets for public officials and to the protection of whistleblowers.
The Prime Minister also underlined that the prevention of corruption should start from each family and school. In this context, he underlined that the Malaysian authorities have to take every measure to “instill in the minds of the people that corruption is a crime and should not be accepted by anyone”. He added that such measures should be directed primarily at the young people.
H.E. Tun Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad expressed hope that the constructive cooperation between Malaysia and IACA will continue. The Dean and Executive Secretary of IACA voiced his gratitude to the Government of Malaysia for the support provided to the Academy. In this regard, a reference was made to the events that IACA conducted in Malaysia. For instance, at present the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) is hosting in Kuala Lumpur the Module VI on Corruption, Enforcement & Public Sector of IACA’s Master in Anti-Corruption Studies (MACS).
In addition to the twenty-five Ambassadors and Permanent Representatives accredited in Vienna, the Special Event was also attended by the distinguished representatives of Malaysia, including: H.E. Dato' Haji Marzuki Haji Yahya, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Malaysia; Tan Sri Abu Kassim bin Mohamed, Director-General of the National Centre for Governance, Integrity and Anti-Corruption of Malaysia; H.E. Dato' Sri Muhammad Shahrul Ikram Yaakob, Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Malaysia; and H.E. Dato' Ganeson Sivagurunathan, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Malaysia to IACA.
Malaysia has been a Party to IACA since early 2012 and was one of the original signatories to the Agreement for the Establishment of IACA as an International Organization.
