Graft watchdog TI-M to hold EGM to discuss report, leadership issues
By YENG AI CHUN (The Star)
PETALING JAYA: Transparency International Malaysia (TI-M) will hold an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) to discuss the controversial Global Corruption Report (GCR) 2009 and its leadership crisis.
Acting president Datuk Mohamed Iqbal said the objective of the EGM was to brief members about the report and decide if there was a need for a change in the executive council (exco).
“The exco has agreed to convene an EGM as soon as possible to address the issues and if necessary, to step down, thus providing the opportunity for members to elect a new exco,” he said in a statement on Tuesday.
Early this month, Datuk Paul Low resigned as president in the light of differing views after his release of the Malaysian Chapter of the Berlin-based report, which cited the Port Klang Free Zone controversy as the biggest scandal of the year.
Low took responsibility for releasing the report without the exco reviewing it.
Since the GCR report was released, certain parties in the country have threatened to sue TI-M, including businessman Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing.
Exco member Tan Sri Datuk Robert Phang also questioned the accuracy of the report and has since resigned, along with inaugural president and former vice-chairman Tunku Abdul Aziz.
Mohamed said a special meeting has been called on Oct 5 to address issues relating to the report. Minutes of the meeting were endorsed and passed by the exco during a meeting on Monday.
“I am pleased to inform that the leadership of TI-Malaysia is solid and our organisation shall immediately continue to devote itself to fighting and curbing corruption.
“It is important to note that the GCR is an annual assessment of the state of corruption around the world with a yearly thematic focus, which in 2009 was devoted to the private sector. The report brings together leading experts and practitioners to identify and analyse new challenges, as well as explore solutions,” he said.
He added that the report is made up of three sections: thematic focus, country reports and research, and Malaysia is included in the 47-country report. “TI-Malaysia and the international secretariat of Transparency International based in Berlin confirm that the Malaysia country report is accurate,” he said.
Mohamed said that the process involved consultation between the GCR editorial team at TI-S Berlin, author Greg Lopez and TI-Malaysia.
“This was followed by a double-blind review, fact- and libel-checking carried out by TI-S Berlin. The editorial team in charge of the GCR confirms that TI-Malaysia’s contribution to the report underwent all of these procedures,” he said.