National governance, integrity and anti-graft centre under MACC since April

The National Centre for Governance, Integrity and Anti-corruption (GIACC) has been a part of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) effective April 18, the commission clarified in a statement yesterday.

The MACC also said that the centre had been renamed the National Governance Planning Division and has taken over monitoring of the implementation of the National Anti-Corruption Plan (NACP) 2019-2023, which was previously under the purview of the GIACC.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim had announced last December that the Cabinet would look into a suggestion to dissolve the GIACC due to overlapping duties. He was reported to have said that the centre’s role could be played by the MACC or the police as overlapping duties needed to be reduced due to high costs.

The MACC also said that the implementation of initiatives outlined in the NACP had shown progress even with the Covid-19 pandemic, with 55%, or 62 initiatives, being completed out of a total of 111.

The remaining 49 initiatives were still being monitored and 39 are expected to be completed on time before the end of December this year, while 10 will likely be only done after the year due to complexities, including suggested legal amendments or the creation of new legal provisions.

The commission also expressed its optimism and commitment to complete the remaining unimplemented NACP initiatives, which represented its efforts of working towards a corruption-free country that values integrity and accountability centered on a good governance ecosystem.