New forms of corruption include sex for favours - Lee Kuan Yew
From Left to right: Prime
Minister Lee Hsien Loong chatting with Former CPIB directors Mr Soh Kee Hean;
Mr Chua Cher Yak : Mr Eric Tan current CPIB director and Mr Evan Yeo at the
Istana celebrating its CPIB's 60th Anniversary this year. Prime Minister Lee
Hisen Loong has said the government is determined to weed out corruption and
will not accept any slackening of the public service.
He stressed that it is far better
to suffer the embarrassment and keep the system clean, than to pretend that
nothing went wrong and let the rot spread.
The prime minister was speaking
at the Corruption Practices Investigation Bureau's (CPIB) 60th anniversary
celebrations on Tuesday.
In light of the recent
high-profile graft cases, Mr Lee noted that some officers have not lived up to
the high standards that the people of Singapore expect of public servants.
"Anyone who breaks the rules
will be caught and punished. (There will be) no cover-ups, no matter how senior
the officer or how embarrassing it may be," he said.
He emphasised that the price of
corruption is not just the dollar amount of the bribes, but the cost to society
of the bad decisions and malfunctioning systems which far exceeds the money
exchanged.
However, he is confident that
these lapses are not typical of the public service.
The prime minister added that
figures show that corruption in Singapore is well under control, due largely to
the CPIB's relentless efforts.
While the number of complaints
and cases registered had steadily decreased in recent years, the number of
cases taken to court has fallen.
Mr Lee also said cases involving
the government form only a small proportion of total cases and are not
increasing.
To maintain high standards of
honesty, the government is in the midst of reviewing and tightening the system.
However, Mr Lee has acknowledged
that no system can completely stop a determined cheat.
Hence, imbuing public officers
with the right values is equally important.
He also acknowledged former prime
ministers Lee Kuan Yew and Goh Chok Tong, who were also present, for their
leadership in building a clean and incorrupt Singapore.
Mr Lee Kuan Yew also said in a
statement that Singapore must continue to remain vigilant and ensure that the
country continues to be regarded as one of the least corrupt nations in the
world.
Mr Lee added that new forms of
corruption were emerging, where sex was being exchanged for favourable
outcomes. "There is no end to human ingenuity," he said.
AsiaOne
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