KUALA LUMPUR – The fight against corruption hinges less on the strength of laws and more on the firmness of leadership and the presence of clear political will, Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki said today.
Delivering the keynote address at the Wacana Ilmiah Perdana programme organised by Asia e University (AeU), Azam said robust legislation alone was insufficient if leaders lacked the resolve to act decisively against graft, Bernama reported.
“The success or failure of any system is not determined by laws alone, but by leadership.
“If there is clear, firm and uncompromising political will within the leadership, even in the absence of a strong system, reforms and progress towards more efficient, transparent and robust governance will take place,” he said.
Drawing on more than four decades of experience in enforcement and anti-corruption work, Azam said the lesson was clear: political commitment at the highest levels remained the single most important ingredient in dismantling entrenched corruption.
“After more than 42 years in this field, I can conclude that corruption cannot be eradicated through laws alone.
“It requires firm and uncompromising leadership, supported by consistent and comprehensive enforcement.
“In addition, close cooperation between government agencies and the private sector is crucial, alongside continuous efforts to raise public awareness so that society rejects corruption and embraces integrity,” he said.
He stressed that even imperfect systems could still deliver meaningful reform when backed by leaders willing to drive change, pointing to the National Anti-Corruption Strategy (NACS) 2024–2028 launched by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as an example of that commitment.
“It is the nation’s main dynamic framework aimed at strengthening integrity, improving governance and preventing corruption comprehensively.
“However, if leadership is weak or compromised, no matter how good the system that is built, it will still not succeed,” he said.
Azam said MACC’s current strategy rests on a three-pronged framework of effective enforcement, comprehensive prevention and efficient management, which he described as a national mindset rather than merely an internal organisational plan.
He said corruption often thrives because systems still leave openings for abuse, making it essential to close loopholes across the wider governance ecosystem.
The MACC has also identified three high-risk sectors as priority areas: government procurement involving cartel or monopoly concerns, border enforcement, and leakages of public funds that directly affect the rakyat.
Azam added that modern corruption cases increasingly involve networks spanning the public sector, corporations, financial institutions and even international channels, requiring coordinated and wide-ranging solutions.
Earlier, his speech was briefly interrupted by two non-governmental organisation activists, who were later escorted out of the hall by security personnel.
He concluded by saying that integrity-driven leadership was no longer optional, but a basic requirement to keep the nation’s anti-corruption agenda on the right path. – April 7, 2026