Ottawa, Canada – Parliamentarians from Indonesia, Timor-Leste, Thailand, Laos, Malaysia, Cambodia, and Brunei Darussalam committed to the common goal and common action of achieving a corrupt-free Southeast Asia, during the closing of the General Assembly of the Southeast Asian Parliamentarians Against Corruption (SEAPAC) in Medan, Indonesia, 24 October 2013.

During the two-day event, participants discussed: political patronage; the effects of gender and culture on corruption; collaboration between anti-corruption stakeholders; and restoring public trust. Each of these issues was reflected in the Medan Declaration which was passed unanimously at the closing session. Members also adopted a regional action plan and elected two members: Mr. Tan Sri Abu Zahar Ujang (Malaysia) and Dr Ir Pramono Anung Wibowo (Indonesia), SEAPAC’s two representatives on GOPAC’s global Board of Directors.

“The regional action plan firmly highlighted our primary concerns to combat corruption. As we are keen to have more parliamentarians within the region to join forces, SEAPAC could provide a solid arena for their involvement against corruption. Of course, with GOPAC support, we will have a better capacity to take this political action into a higher level,” said SEAPAC Chair, Marzuki Alie.

SEAPAC, a regional chapter of the Global Organization of Parliamentarians Against Corruption (GOPAC), is composed of national chapters in Indonesia, Timor-Leste, the Philippines and Malaysia. The meeting also laid the ground work for establishing new GOPAC national chapters in Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia.

"More Southeast Asian MPs are empowering themselves and parliaments to tackle corruption in a smarter, effective way," said GOPAC board member and GOPAC Oceania chair John Hyde from the SEAPAC General Assembly in Medan, Indonesia. "It's encouraging that articulate, committed delegations from countries without official chapters leave this meeting wanting to set up GOPAC national chapters in their countries."

GOPAC is a worldwide alliance of parliamentarians working together to combat corruption, strengthen good government, and uphold the rule of law.  Based in Ottawa, Canada, GOPAC has 48 national chapters on 5 continents.  GOPAC supports its members’ efforts through original research, global anti‑corruption capacity building, and international peer support. Visit GOPAC on the web at gopacnetwork.org, on Twitter at twitter.com/GOPAC_Eng, and on Facebook at facebook.com/gopacnetwork.