In March, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission uncovered a syndicate that allegedly siphoned off 100 million ringgit from the Youth and Sports Ministry. In the wake of the discovery, Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin highlighted procedural weaknesses, such as not obtaining higher level approvals for government payments.

This scandal has reignited many questions about the management of government funds and the effectiveness of audit practices in the Ministry. Today on Current Affairs, we explore best practices in other countries to achieve transparency and accountability in government institutions.

This is a report by Nadiah Aziz and Yuen Yuen Tan.

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Last month, Nigeria’s auditor-general unearthed a disturbing discovery that over USD$16 billion was found missing from the accounts of Nigeria’s state-oil company, known as the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation.  The findings may seem staggering, but in Nigeria the news came hardly as a surprise to the country that has been dogged by massive corruption scandals and a plunge in oil prices.  As the country races against time to fight corruption & rejuvenate its economy, President Muhammadu Buhari who celebrates one year in office also has to contend with violence in the country and repair a system broken by the previous Administration. 

This is a report by Lee Sheung Un and Nadiah Aziz.

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Nigeria’s Presidential elections which concluded on March 29th, are considered a milestone not only for that country but for the African continent as a whole. In a region where many governments and leaders have done their best to cling on to power, outgoing President Goodluck Jonathan’s graceful acceptance of defeat, is an exception to the rule. President-elect Muhammadu Buhari won on a promise to fight corruption and his All Progressives Congress party has since won the governorship elections in most of Nigeria’s states.

David Doepel, the Chair of the Africa Research Group at Australia’s Murdoch University, explains why these polls were one of Nigeria’s most orderly  and fair in recent memory, and what other developing countries like Malaysia, can learn from this watershed election.

This is a report by Jason Lim.

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Malaysia has seen a 35 percent drop in total HIV AIDS cases since the year 2000, with related deaths decreasing 42 percent since 2004. At the same time, heterosexual transmissions have overtaken transmissions via intravenous drug use - a worrying trend in the country. We explore the level of public awareness of the disease, whether or not current efforts to tackle the spread of HIV AIDS is outdated, and the real situation behind the statistics.

This is a report by Nadiah Abdul Aziz.

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Malaysia has seen a worrying trend emerge in the new cases of HIV AIDS infection, with heterosexual transmissions having overtaken intravenous drug use in the number of transmissions. On Current Affairs today, we continue the discussion, on the long-running lack of awareness in Malaysia, what issues have caused this problem to persist and worsen, as well as what needs to change to tackle the spread of the virus.

This is a report by Nadiah Abdul Aziz.

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Within corporate Malaysia, it is not uncommon for local businesses to treat high-ranking executives with fancy dinners and expensive corporate gifts. But where do you draw the line - before it turns to something more sinister and becomes a bribe? PriceWaterhouseCooper's (PwC) latest Global Economic Crime Survey highlighted an increase in bribery & corruption cases locally from 19% in 2014 to 30% in 2016.

Alex Tan, Senior Executive Director of PwC discusses the key points of the report and also highlights the main control deficiencies that it found among Malaysian businesses, including the need for a robust whistle-blowing policy.

This is a report by Lee Sheung Un and Nadiah Aziz.

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The State of Households 2 report recently released by Khazanah Research Institute came under intense scrutiny, with many parties disputing the collated data, accusing it of being doctored to suit the government's agenda. We continue the conversation on the lack of savings among Malaysians, household debt, and how to match productivity gains to wages.

This is a report by Nadiah Abdul Aziz. 

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The State of Households 2 report recently released by Khazanah Research Institute has come under intense scrutiny, with many parties disputing the collated data, accusing it of being doctored to suit the government's agenda. We continue the conversation on the B40 lower income group, youth unemployment, and housing issues.

This is a report by Nadiah Abdul Aziz.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The State of Households 2 report recently released by Khazanah Research Institute has come under intense scrutiny, with many parties disputing the collated data, accusing it of being doctored to suit the government's agenda. Today on Current Affairs we have a frank discussion on whether these allegations have any merit.

This is a report by Nadiah Abdul Aziz.

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According to recently launched World Bank report, governments around the world have reacted differently to new technologies, the adoption of which can greatly fuel growth and development. Today we take a closer look at where Malaysia stands in this era of rapid digital expansion.

This is a report by Nadiah Abdul Aziz.

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