AccountAbility Highlights Malaysia’s Opportunity to Provide Global Leadership.

http://accountability21.net/uploadedFiles/AccountAbility%20Highlights%20Malaysia’s%20Opportunity%20to%20Provide%20Global%20Leadership.pdf

Anwar Ibrahim’s challenge for political leadership offers Malaysia a unique opportunity to provide global leadership in effecting a peaceful transition to a mature democratic state.

AccountAbility’s Chief Executive, Simon Zadek: “We are seeing declines in almost every international indicator of good governance and citizens’ confidence in the democratic process. Malaysia has a unique opportunity to lead the way, in Asia and globally, in demonstrating how complex societies should manage their affairs”.

Anwar, in his role as AccountAbility’s Honorary President, has spoken out on numerous occasions on the crucial role of good governance and accountability and the vital importance of an independent judiciary in achieving a sustainable development pathway. Fighting corruption and securing the independent application of rule of law, he has highlighted, are the basic, entry-level conditions
to this pathway.

Anwar’s release from jail is welcome, but his overnight confinement is a worrying sign that Malaysia’s political process is in danger of collapse under the intense strain of what should be its finest, democratic moment since independence. The possibility exists that Malaysia will, to our collective costs, model the essentials of poor governance and its consequences.

AccountAbility asks that the Malaysian Government provide exemplary global leadership at this pivotal moment in the nation’s history – by advancing the principles and practice of good governance and accountability advocated by our Honorary President, Anwar Ibrahim and so many other global leaders.
______________________

AccountAbility (www.accountability21.net).

AccountAbility is an international non-profit organisation, with bases in Beijing, Geneva, London, Sao Paulo and Washington, established in 1995 to ‘promote accountability innovations that advance sustainable development’.

AccountAbility’s work focuses on responsible business practices and the governance of collaborations between public and private institutions. This is exemplified by our ground-breaking standards work, including the world’s only assurance standard for sustainability peformance (AA1000AS), our annual Accountability Rating with Fortune magazine of the world’s largest companies, and our annual Responsible Competitiveness Index of progress of over 100 countries in building a responsible approach to international competitiveness and trade.