PETALING JAYA: Parti Bangsa Malaysia (PBM) today welcomed the move to make Integrity and Anti-Corruption courses compulsory in all higher learning institutions from next year.
This was recently announced by Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) deputy chief commissioner (prevention) Norazlan Mohd Razali.
"However, we feel that the Education Ministry should look into introducing the subject in primary schools," said PBM secretary-general Nor Hizwan Ahmad, adding that it would be easier to nurture students during their formative years at the primary school level.
Exposing the subject to tertiary students and making it a compulsory one may be too late and by the time they are in their late teens or early 20s, it would be harder to instil values like turning down bribes, he said.
"Just because they sit for the subject in universities, or score with flying colours, it doesn't mean that they will stay on the straight and narrow path in their daily lives. It merely means that they have a theoretical understanding of the subject,".
However, he said, it has been proven easier to shape young minds than more developed ones.
"If students at the primary school level are exposed to the subject early, chances are they will be able to absorb the teachings better and practise what was taught throughout their lives.
"As the Malay proverb goes, "melentur buluh biarlah dari rebungnya", he added.
Over the decades, multiple corruption scandals have plagued the country causing leakages to the tune of billions of ringgit. Malaysia's Corruption Perception Index fell to 62nd in 2021 compared with 57th in the year 2020.
Besides institutional reforms, Nor Hizwan said one important element in battling graft is to change the mindsets of Malaysians, some of whom still feel that corruption is part of our "culture" or an "acceptable" practice.
"Changing this requires us to have a long-term plan that includes early education campaigns on the pitfalls of corruption," he added.