PETALING JAYA, Sept 23 —The Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal would be a positive challenge to revamp and ensure more transparency in the country's system.
"PKFZ is a black mark on the country's history, but coming out from that would be a positive challenge to revamp ourselves," Transparency International-Malaysia (TI-M) president Datuk Paul Low said today.
Low was also the chairman of the Ad Hoc Committee on Administration and Corporate Governance, a committee set up to probe the administrative and governance practices of PKFZ.
"I hope what happened in PKFZ would be a good example of what should be done for the other agencies and government-linked agencies. We cannot afford to waste our resources," he told reporters after unveiling the findings of the Global Corruption Report 2009: Corruption and the Private Sector.
Calling it one of the biggest scandals of the year, Low said the committee was now looking for three independent non-executive directors to sit on the board.
He said character would be the first criteria for the directors, before competency. "They must have a sense of responsibility and a complete lack of self interest," he said.
The candidates would have to be those who are not politically connected but wish to help the country and PKFZ as well as with knowledge of the port industry, he said.
On whether there will be an extension for him in the committee, Low replied with a smile: "If things are not completed, I may ask for extension."
The committee is expected to have until January 2010 to complete its task. — Bernama
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