Paul Low: Gov't to remove middlemen in businesses

He said middlemen unnecessarily increased the cost of doing business as they get a cut or commission while adding no value to the business.

"It's an example of corruption which the government is greatly concerned," he told reporters after opening the National Conference of Internal Auditing.

Low said although the issue was quite complex, the government would definitely take a relook into the issue to ensure businesses and the delivery system were undertaken in a transparent manner.

"The government will holistically look at the issue and act righteously according to the rules and criteria.

"Corruption has been practised in almost all areas in Malaysia. The construction sector would be the first the government would tackle.

"This is in line with the government's intention to further improve its monitoring framework for mega projects.

"Selected projects valued above RM500 million and considered as high risk in terms of governance will be subject to monitoring by a supervisory team comprising representatives including the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission and the Auditor-General.

"Next, we will look at the healthcare sector and the town councils," he said.

The minister said almost all associations have agreed to participate in fighting corruption.