Latheefa: Stop meeting outside for 'drinks'

Civil servants and government-linked companies (GLC), involved in the issuance of tenders, should stop the culture of “entertainment dealing”, drinking coffee or teh tarik with tender applicants, said MACC Chief Commissioner Latheefa Koya.

Latheefa (photo) said corrupt practice prevention measures like not going out for a drink with interested parties were crucial in ensuring the process of integrity was alive and not merely a mantra.

She said in the tender application process there were officers who had a tendency to go out to meet potential tender applicants outside the office and outside of office hours for a drink and to conduct deals.

‘’I don’t mean you can’t meet at all. If an officer has the authority to approve licences or tenders and others, he should not meet with certain people outside (working hours) and say it is merely for a drink,’’ she said.

Met after tabling a paper titled ”Combating Corruption: Corporate Scandals and Its Challenges” at the Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) Integrity Day celebration in Cyberjaya today, Latheefa said corruption prevention measures must be boosted although the “no gift policy” had been implemented.

In her working paper, Latheefa said 32 of the over 100 GLCs in the country were categorised as posing high risks of corruption.

‘’MACC senior officers are stationed at the 32 GLCs concerned while other officers are stationed at GLCs with low and moderate risks. They head the Integrity and Governance Units (IGU) at the GLCs,’’ she said.

In October last year, Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad announced that it was mandatory for every GLC to set up the IGU in two years.

Meanwhile, MCMC chairman Al-Ishsal Ishak in his speech said MCMC was expected to launch the organisation’s anti-corruption plan by early 2020.

“It will involve numerous programmes and training sessions for all staff so that the management, policies and procedures prioritise integrity and are anti-corruption in nature,’’ he said.

- Bernama