An integrity workshop should be held for ministers as another step to battle graft, said Jeremy Pope, consultant to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) - Integrity Institute of Malaysia (IIM) Project.

Speaking at a public lecture at the Prime Minister's Department in Putrajaya today, he said a code of ethics for ministers should be publicised and there should also be a commitment from them to the people.

The two-hour lecture entitled 'Good Governance and National Management' was jointly organised by UNDP and IIM. Some 200 people attended.

Pope said ministers should be aware of what is expected of them in fighting corruption. "Unless the manager at the top manages, that isn't going to change."

He noted that religious values also played an important role in combating corruption.

Describing religions as the "glue to society", he said all have the same core values that do not encourage corruption.

Unreliable index

During a question-and-answer session, Pope said there was no need to compare Malaysia with nations ranked high in Transparency International's Corruption Perception Index.

Although the index generated much discussion among the public and politicians, he claimed that the data was 'unreliable'.

"What is the point of comparing? What have we learnt?" he said, adding that TI does not conduct any surveys but only gathers information from other sources.

Asked how Malaysia fared in battling graft, he replied: "In a sense Malaysia has moved on from the index [...] we have a problem and now we want to do something about it."

"We are just starting. To turn around for a country which has serious elements of corruption is a bit like turning an aircraft," he said, adding that much more must be done at higher levels of the government.

On the same note, he said he was of the opinion Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was working towards eradicating corruption.