GEORGETOWN - Former corporate leader Rosni Rashid has been elected as Penang Rasuah Busters chief effective June 16.
Her appointment was made during the #RasuahBusters tour in the northern states last week, with the last stop being in the Penang island.
Rosni won with 20 votes against Malaysian Anti Corruption Foundation Penang Chairman Datuk Osman Hussain, who gained 16 votes during a meeting with Penang Rasuah Busters chapter stakeholders.
Surprised by the appointment, Rosni expressed how she had longed for Penang to have such an initiative and believed this was the perfect time for her and the others there to start "busting” crime and abuse of power.
"I have longed for Penang to have an initiative like this, but as fated by Allah, the responsibilities have fallen on me to lead so I take it with open arms and will go with the flow.
"There is a lot that needs to be done, a lot of things that I have kept to myself.
"Now the people have given me the ‘spear’ to fight against corruption, they will hear the ‘roar’ from the people of Penang”, she said.
When asked about her hopes for the future with the establishment of Penang Rasuah Busters, she said: "I want to return the rights to everyone and put it back in the right place”.
"I noticed that we are lack leaders that have integrity, so it is my responsibility as the older generation to find, groom, and build new leaders,” she added.
Meanwhile, Osman was elected deputy chairman of Penang Rasuah Busters.
During his speech, he said although fighting corruption was a daunting task, nobody should not give up hopes of a clean Malaysia.
"If we cannot fight at the top, we will start from the bottom to ensure that our future generations become good people and a good Malaysian,” he said.
The Rasuah Busters convoy was in Penang for two days and had visited the Penang State Post Office, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) and the Penang International Islamic College of Technology to garner support from the locals.
Rasuah Busters Chief Executive Officer Nurhayati Nordin said they had a warm and welcoming response from the locals, stakeholders as well as USM students, where they had done an engagement programme there.
"We need to have a better Malaysia and build a better nation. It has to begin from all of us to eradicate corruption from every level of the society,” she said.
The Rasuah Busters convoy continues in Kuantan this Sunday.