"I would like the see the OIC play a more active role in the global fight against corruption," Abdullah told the opening session of the 1st OIC Anti-Corruption and Enhancing Integrity Forum 2006, reported Bernama news agency.

"The current condition that Muslim countries find themselves in is deeply alarming and distressing," he said.

Abdullah, the current OIC chair, lamented that the best Muslim country on the Transparency International's Corruption Perception Index (CPI) ranks 29th out of 158 countries surveyed.

"More than half of the bottom 10 places were occupied by Muslim countries," he regretted.

"If we average the total score of Muslim nations as a whole, we would only score 3.06 out of 10 points, placing us at 89th place," Abdullah noted.

The three-day forum is organized by the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) and is attended by 250 people, including senior officials from OIC member countries.

The 57-member OIC comprises 1.8 billion people, ranging from wealthy Saudi Arabia and Kuwait to poor African states such as Chad, which ranks as the world's most corrupt country.

Multinationals

The Malaysian premier blamed poor governance and poverty for the rampant corruption in the Muslim world.

"I believe that many of the development challenges that the Muslim ummah (nation) faces have their roots in problems of poverty, poor governance and limited education opportunities," he said.

"All of which are exacerbated by the existence of corruption," he averred.

The Malaysian premier said that corruption runs counter to the tenets of Islam.

"I am especially saddened when we consider Islam's glorious legacy of cultural and scientific advancement, all built on a solid foundation of ethics and moral values," he said.

Transparency International said that the wide-scale corruption in Muslim countries had nothing to do with Islam.

The Berlin-based watchdog stressed that it was more linked to income levels.

OIC Secretary-General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu also heaped the blame on unethical multinational firms doing business in Muslim countries.

"I also wish to identify the role of multinational corporations, who are responsible for spreading the curse of corruption," he talked the forum.

"In their ambition to earn profits (they) do not follow ethical practices of business and sometimes tend to harm the national economies by corrupt practices," he said.

Ihsanoglu, a Turkish called on the UN to step multinationals from plundering vulnerable economies.

"It is the responsibility of the UN and the international community to create that mechanism of accountability, to stop the plundering of wealth of the susceptible economies and to create a fair environment."

He also said Muslim umbrella bloc should address the issue to save their economies from rampant competitiveness and "unfair globalization".

Ihsanoglu said it was time for the OIC to act to prevent attacks against economic growth and repair damage made in the past.

Malaysian Experience

"I also wish to identify the role of multinational corporations, who are responsible for spreading the curse of corruption," Ihsanoglu said.

Premier Abdullah said his government had taken several steps to stem corruption in the heavyweight Muslim giant, including the enhancement of integrity as a key agenda.

"There have been concerted efforts to make the system more accountable, efficient and transparent", he said.

The Malaysian government has also worked to promote ethics, integrity and moral values as part of efforts to fight corruption, he maintained.

"In Malaysia, we strongly believe that the only way to fight corruption effectively is to address it in a comprehensive and holistic manner.

"While we strive to tighten our anti-corruption laws and ensure that transgressions are speedily and fairly dealt with, we are also looking at ways to create an environment where values such as honesty and integrity can flourish as preventive measures against corruption," Abdullah added.

Abdullah, who came to office in late 2003, won elections in 2004 after campaigning to clean up corruption and cronyism.

He has charged a minister for land with corruption and dropped another minister from cabinet and his party for money politics.

Malaysia offers the image of a model Muslim country, heading towards the status of developed nation with huge buildings, beautiful cities and a fast track economy.

Abdullah launched on Friday, March 31, an ambitious development plan for Malaysia to become the first developed Muslim nation by 2020.

Source:Islamonline.net

Güncelleme Tarihi: 20 Eylül 2018, 18:16