She said the issue of corruption should not be taken lightly under the 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP) if there is to be tangible improvements in the economy and the reduction of poverty.

“The 12MP needs a whole new chapter on governance and corruption. It cannot just be a subtopic in chapter 13 of the plan,” she said in her debate on the plan tabled by Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob in the Dewan Rakyat on Monday.

“It is not only about taking disciplinary action on civil servants. This is about an ecosystem of corruption within the public service system.

“The abuse in the administration sector will worsen without proper governance.”

The former deputy prime minister also cited reports of Covid-19 vaccines being sold illegally and syndicates involved in selling fake vaccination certificates as examples of why corruption is a matter of utmost importance.

“The rich will be richer and the poor will become poorer,” she said.

Wan Azizah proposed for the national anti-corruption plan launched in 2019 under the former Pakatan Harapan administration to be incorporated into the 12MP.

“These initiatives must be interpreted into laws.

“This is crucial as RM400 billion has been allocated under the 12MP compared with the RM248 billion under the 11th Malaysia Plan,” she said.

She added that the Auditor-General’s (AG) report had on numerous occasions highlighted issues of negligence or alleged corruption in the civil service.

Wan Azizah then cited the case of RM273 million being paid for the development of a new system for the Customs department in 2014.

“The AG said the project has yet to be completed after more than seven years. The project deadline was also extended five times,” she said, adding that this was an example of how the taxpayers’ money was not well spent.

She called for greater political will to strengthen laws on governance as she feared many of the development projects under the 12MP may not be implemented.