Many years have passed since our first conversation with former Auditor-General, Tan Sri Dato’ Setia Haji Ambrin Buang who has over 46 years of experience in public service, and we thought it would be timely to get his current views on issues related to governance and transparency, especially in public service.
With this in mind, Perdana Leadership Foundation conducted an Oral History session with Tan Sri Ambrin, on 10th September 2025. Led by Tuan Haji Ahmad Zakie Ahmad Shariff, Chairman of Sorento Capital Bhd and Adjunct Professor at the Graduate School of Business, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, the conversation centred on Tan Sri Ambrin’s views on anti-corruption, the challenges of implementing reforms, the National Audit Department’s role in promoting integrity, his advice to young civil servants, and his upcoming book, “Auditing the 1MDB – My Story”. Tan Sri shared his thoughts drawn upon his extensive experience in auditing government finances, and his lifelong commitment to serving the nation.
“For reforms to succeed, there must be political will, but also a change in mindset within the public service — where integrity is embraced as a personal value, not just a compliance requirement. When civil servants understand that their decisions impact millions of Malaysians, they will naturally act with greater responsibility.” Tan Sri Ambrin
We will be publishing the transcripts from all of our conversations with the former Auditor-General in early 2026. Stay tuned for the updates!
