SINGAPORE: Corruption in Singapore remains "under control", with the majority of the cases occurring in the private sector, according to Minister in Prime Minister's Office Chan Chun Sing.
He was speaking in Parliament during the Committee of Supply (COS) debates on Thursday (Mar 1).
Mr Chan cited the latest Transparency International – Corruption Perceptions Index (TI-CPI) last year, where Singapore was ranked sixth out of 180 countries, making it “one of the least corrupt countries in the world”.
Low crime, however, does not mean that there is no crime, he added.
“This can be seen from the corruption statistics released by the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB ) in recent years which showed that Singapore has one of the world’s lowest incidence of corruption,” said Mr Chan.
“Nevertheless, while the absolute numbers are low, we note that the majority of the cases come from the private sector,” he added. “This is why the CPIB recognises that it is important to engage the private and business sectors to enhance their awareness of anti-corruption measures and to share best practices with them.”
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Crediting the CPIB for their work, Mr Chan listed some of their efforts. This includes the publishing of an anti-corruption guidebook for the private sector, as well as the adoption of the Singapore Standard - ISO 37001 Anti-Bribery Management Systems.
“The CPIB continues to be proactive in engaging the private sector,” he said. “It conducts regular prevention talks and also periodically participates in business sector conferences in its anti-corruption efforts.”
Mr Chan added that co-operation is key in rooting out corruption. “Enhancing anti-corruption measures in companies ultimately require constructive public-private sector cooperation and partnership,” he said.
“Companies must realise that they are ultimately responsible for the proper and ethical conduct of their businesses, and recognise that they also play a vital role in our national anti-corruption efforts in preventing, detecting, and reporting corrupt behaviour,” he added.
REVIEWING PREVENTION OF CORRUPTION ACT
Mr Chan also revealed that the CPIB and the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) have been reviewing the Prevention of Corruption Act (PCA).
Calling it a “key instrument in our national anti-corruption framework”, Mr Chan said that it is “pertinent” that the PCA is periodically reviewed to ensure its relevance and effectiveness.
“The last substantial review of, and amendments to the PCA was in 1989 … (which included) increasing the maximum fines for several offences under the PCA, and adding an offence of giving false information,” said Mr Chan.
“Since (then), the landscape and context in which corrupt offenders operate has changed, the modus operandi of corrupt offenders have evolved and corrupt transactions of transnational nature have become more prevalent.”
He added: “Our PCA has to remain effective to deal with the many manifestations of corrupt practices and conduct.”
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