By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, July 18: Kota Sentosa assemblyman Wilfred Yap has called on the federal government to stop citing resistance to change as a reason for slow progress in its anti-corruption efforts, saying Malaysians deserve results after more than three years of reform promises.
He said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s remarks that resistance within the system and the defence of corrupt practices were among the biggest obstacles to reform should not become an excuse for the Madani Unity government’s failure to deliver on its anti-corruption agenda.
He said the government was formed with a clear mandate to tackle corruption decisively, rather than explain why reforms remained challenging after being in power for more than three years.
“If the Prime Minister acknowledges that there are individuals within the system resisting reform and defending corrupt practices, then the obvious question is: what decisive action has been taken against them?” he said in a statement today.
Yap further said any admission of inflated project costs caused by commissions should be followed by swift investigations, prosecutions and institutional reforms, rather than merely highlighting the existence of the problem.
He said leadership should be measured not by recognising challenges but by overcoming them through political will, firm enforcement and accountability.
He added that every ringgit lost through corruption and inflated contracts deprived Malaysians of better public services, including schools, hospitals, roads and other essential infrastructure.
“For Sarawak, federal leakages also mean fewer resources available for critical infrastructure and development that the people have long deserved,” he said.
Yap stressed that the people were not looking for explanations but tangible outcomes, adding that the government must show that no one was above the law and that corruption would be dealt with firmly regardless of status or position.
He also urged the implementation of structural reforms promised by the government, including greater transparency in procurement processes and stronger institutional independence in anti-corruption enforcement.
“The fight against corruption cannot succeed through speeches alone. It requires courage, consistency and political will.
“Malaysians deserve a government that acts decisively, not one that continues to cite resistance as the reason reforms have yet to achieve their intended impact.
“The time for excuses has passed. The time for decisive action is now,” he emphasised. — DayakDaily
