KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Corruption Watch (MCW) voiced concern over claims that 500 companies in Malaysia are currently under probe by the Malaysian Competition Commission (MyCC) for allegedly forming cartels to manipulate government tender projects.
Its president, Jais Abdul Karim, said strategy involving company owners marrying multiple wives and using their names as proxies has a detrimental impact on fair competition.
"This deceptive method is as significant a threat as corruption. MyCC's actions in monitoring these cartel activities must be supported by the public" he said in a statement today.
Jais said forensic teams at various agencies that were once established must be reactivated immediately to curb this problem.
"The MCW emphasises the importance of quality investigations in addressing cartel and corruption issues. More effective strategies are needed to tackle cartel related issues due to the complex aspects of investigation.
"The expert forensic teams at agencies would have the required in-depth understanding from various perspectives to detect the wrongdoings," he said.
He said the forensic team also needs to collaborate with law enforcement agencies to enhance the effectiveness of prevention and immediate actions.
At the same time, he said protection for informants or whistleblowers must also be strengthened, so that more individuals will be brave to report any suspicious activities.
He said this effort is a collective responsibility.
"Public involvement and continuous awareness programmes about the importance of integrity can build positive pressure to achieve the desired transparency and accountability. Cases of cartels manipulating government tenders are very disappointing, especially when the people are facing a serious economic crisis," he said.