JOHOR BARU: The Anti-Corruption Agency has teamed up with the Johor Baru City Council (MBJB) to fight corruption and promote transparency in the administration of the local government.

A memorandum of understanding between the two bodies was signed yesterday at the MBJB headquarters, marking for the first time that the ACA and a local council had set up an anti-corruption joint committee.

MBJB was represented by Johor Baru mayor Datuk Naim Nasir and the ACA by its Johor director Simi Abdul Ghani.

The two men will act as co-chairmen of the 15-member panel.

ACA director-general Datuk Seri Ahmad Said Hamdan, who witnessed the signing ceremony, said the objective of the committee was to prevent corrupt practices which might be caused by red tape.
"Our working together is to ensure that the public can enjoy an efficient and smoother delivery system," he said.

"For instance, when members of the public come to apply for licences or pay their assessment, we want them to experience a hassle-free system instead of encountering too much red-tape.

"Sometimes bureaucracy can be the cause of corruption, especially when the public resorts to bribes to facilitate a transaction.

"The committee is formed to ensure that the system runs smoothly, and is more transparent. The officers must also adhere to guidelines."

Ahmad Said said 35 people, including government employees in Johor, had been arrested by the ACA in the first half of the year.

On the crackdown on corrupt Puspakom officers, he said 38 Puspakom officers and over 20 "runners" had been arrested in the nationwide swoop.