16th IACC

Malaysia’s Experience in dealing with Governance and Corruption

The Malaysian government recognizes the need to improve governance to support the country’s economic transformation to a high-income model and becoming a developed nation by 2020 under the Economic Transformation Program (ETP). In tangent with the ETP and public expectation, the Malaysian government embarked on an ambitious Government Transformation Program (GTP) to deal with eradicating corruption and improve governance.

The challenge for Malaysia as an aspiring nation to reach a higher standard of living for her citizens is to institute radical changes where measures can be institutionalized and sustained through a series of progressive improvements. The strategic approach must be comprehensive and holistic so that every area of government administration is girdled on good governance, not just at the top but also at the grass root and frontline where the public will have productive experiences with the civil service.

The public sector unlike a corporation offers services that are wide, ranging from education, health care and environment protection to security and defense, agriculture, infrastructure development etc. Every type of service provides its own specific issues and problems that may require tailor made solutions. What approach does one employ to deal with this vast array of challenges? How does one gain the commitment and participation of all key stakeholders? Who are the champions and drivers of change in each ministry or agency?
In this session, the speaker will share the Malaysian government’s experience in dealing with corruption and instilling good governance in the Malaysian public sector through an integrative and holistic framework.

Korea's Anti-Corruption Strategies and Experiences

Korea has successfully transformed itself from an aid recipient to a donor country with its rapid economic development. But, in the course of such dramatic growth, we also experienced negative side effects such as collusive ties between politicians and businesses. Corruption became one of the factors hindering the further growth and development of Korean society.

For systemic responses to corruption, the Korean government has been promoting various anti-corruption policies by enacting "the Ant-Corruption Act" in 2001, as well as by establishing "the Korean Independent Commission Against Corruption" in 2002, which is the predecessor to the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission.

As Korea's national anti-corruption body, the ACRC carries out a range of measures to prevent and control corruption, including formulation of anti-corruption policies, improvement of laws and institutions, measurement of corruption risks, anti-corruption training, and protection and rewards for whistleblowers.

However, there is still much to be done to meet the expectations of people about the public sector’s integrity. The Korean government is harnessing every capacity to straighten out misguided and corrupt practices and systems of the past and setting fighting against corruption as one of the major priorities of the administration.