Combating corruption: a study on Malaysia's anti-corruption initiatives / Nur Shafiqa Kapeli

Corruption is a major threat to a country. If it is not properly treated, it can ruin the entire country. This incident urged country leaders to search for effective "prescription" to treat the threat. However, outcomes from such investment are nonetheless multifaceted. Some countries such as Singapore and Hong Kong are considered as being successful in reducing corruption, while other countries failed in such effort. Ironically, Malaysia is one of the failed countries in their fight against corruption. Despite various anti-corruption initiatives being implemented in Malaysia, there is a lack of evidence that these anti-corruption initiatives have been successful in reducing corruption in the country. Therefore, the objective is this study is to examine why the implemented anti-corruption initiatives are unable to reduce corruption in the country. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with relevant personnel from the National Key Result Areas (NKRA) Corruption Monitoring and Coordination Division, Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, Malaysian Royal Custom Department, Immigration Department of Malaysia and the Malaysian Royal Police. In addition, related documents such as Government Transformation Programme Reports, Corruption Perception Index Reports, and Corruption Perception Index's Sources Reports were also gathered for analysis. Results from this study showed that the lack of evidence that anti-corruption initiatives succeed in reducing corruption was caused by inadequate design of anti-corruption initiatives which refrained these initiatives from functioning effectively. This situation worsened with the absence of a Principal in the fight against corruption in Malaysia.