Malaysia’s record of engagement with the World Bank
CPI
Members of the public may be interested to know the details of engagement between the World Bank and Malaysia, especially given what many view as Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s recent attempt to rewrite the history of this engagement during his tenure as prime minister from 1981 to 2003.
The Malaysian policy on public access to the documentation of this engagement is severely restricted under the Official Secrets Act.
Fortunately, the World Bank’s public disclosure policy is much more open and transparent, and thus the conduct of the said engagement can be seen from the details provided which are accessible through the bank’s website.
Besides the current contentious issue of loans provided to the country during Dr Mahathir’s administration, bank assistance has been in the way of grants and trust funds provided by donor countries (Malaysia although a middle income and relatively rich country by many standards is still recipient of official funding assistance from abroad) as well as advisory and analytical work assistance.
GRANTS AND TRUST FUNDS
