Fighting graft should be top-down, starting with you, Najib told

Prime minister Najib Razak has been reminded that his claimed fight against corruption was failing because the exercise was not going the right direction.

“It is not that difficult to stamp out corruption. The action has to be top-down and not bottom-up. It has to begin with the prime minister himself,” said PAS secretary general Mustafa Ali.

The veteran PAS leader said Najib must have the moral courage to unleash his political power to curb corrupt practices within his administration.

“He will then only need a year to clean up corruption at high places,” remarked Mustafa.

On the proposal to have ministers declare their assets only to the prime minister, Mustafa said it was meaningless because "ministers know too well that the man they declare their assets to is also embroiled in corruption".

“No number of assets declarations can stop bribery and corruption. It has been practised in BN right from Tun Abdul Razak’s time," said Mustafa, referring to Najib's father, the second prime minister, under whose cabinet Mustafa once serves as deputy science, technology and environment minister when PAS was in the ruling coalition.

"To me, it is just an eyewash and it is not effective. Bribe money can be parked under somebody’s else name."

Mustafa added that fighting corruption should also take the spiritual approach.

“Inculcate in men the belief in God and the hereafter. Accountability is not only in this world but also the next,” he said, adding that integrity was closely ties to the fear of God.

“This is also the basis of Islamic value system,” he added.

Malaysia's ranking on Transparency International's Corruption Perception Index (CPI) recently sunk to the 60th position, with a lowly score of 4.3 in 2011 compared to 5.32 in 1996.

-Harakahdaily