‘Petty or grand corruption is perilous’

Quratul-Ain Bandial
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

NO DISTINCTION should be made between petty or grand corruption as both are serious crimes that can lead to malfunctioning state institutions, said the deputy minister at the Prime Minister’s Office.

Speaking at a regional anti-corruption meeting held in the capital yesterday, Dato Paduka Hj Ham-dan Hj Abu Bakar said corruption is a global problem that undermines social and economic development.

Citing a World Bank report, the deputy minister said the estimated amount of bribes paid globally totalled US$1 trillion in 2013, equal to three per cent of global GDP. “This is a huge amount of corrupt money, taking the many forms of bribes not only between private sectors, but also that being received by corrupt members of the public sector.”

Brunei is currently hosting the 11th Southeast Asia Parties Against Corruption (SEA-PAC) Meeting.

Themed “Educating Against Corruption: Fostering a Culture of Integrity”, the three-day meeting is being held at the Rizqun International Hotel.

Dato Hj Hamdan said in keeping with the theme, Brunei introduced “Corruption Prevention Education” (CPE) into the national curriculum in 2006, a module which teaches ethics to students from primary school to the university level.

“I hope today’s seminar will provide an insight into the need in realising the importance of promoting integrity through education as one of the strategies in the prevention of corruption,” he said.

“Community engagement and participation through education… must be taken as an essential opportunity in building a society that opposes corruption.”

The deputy minister added that Brunei must periodically review its corruption laws to ensure they are applicable and relevant.

Following the opening ceremony, a panel discussion on “educating against corruption” was held, featuring speakers from Hong Kong and Malaysia.

A total of 29 delegates from 10 ASEAN anti-corruption agencies are attending the meeting, traditionally focused on cooperation in investigating corruption.

Permanent Secretary (Law and Welfare) cum Director of Anti-Corruption Bureau Dato Paduka Hj Muhammad Juanda Hj A Rashid said in recent years, SEA-PAC’s role has expanded to preventative education, fighting money laundering, tracing illicit financial flows and recovering stolen assets.

SEA-PAC was created in 2004 when Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore decided to form a group of like-minded agencies committed to fighting corruption. Since then the grouping has grown to include 10 regional anti-corruption agencies.


Sumber - The Brunei Times