Malaysia's Corruption Perceptions Index score slipping, here are the causes

KUALA LUMPUR: Transparency International Malaysia (TI-M) today announced the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) study report.

Malaysia's score slipped two points to 51 per cent in 2020 compared to 53 per cent in 2019.

The decline also has an influence on Malaysia's position, which is currently ranked 57th out of 180 countries, compared to 51st in 2019.

TI-M reports, these are among the possible reasons for the drop in scores:

i. Institutional reforms that were not implemented. Among them was the Political Financing Act which should have been tabled in Parliament during the previous administration but did not happen. Also, the IPCMC Act which has relaxed its version to an ineffective IPCC. And the separation of powers between the Attorney General and the Public Prosecutor has not yet been voiced by the current government.

ii. ‘Discharged Not Amounting to An Acquittal’ for some of those accused in high profile cases has given a negative perception of how the judicial process is applied.

iii. Limited access to information on public interest. For example, compensation for cancelling the High-Speed Rail project and compensation paid as a settlement by Goldman Sachs in the case of 1MDB was not disclosed to the public.

iv. Continuous cases of abuse of power and corruption by public officials despite the action taken by the MACC. For example, the recent arrest of immigration officers for issuing fake visas was still an ongoing problem.

v. Limited progress in public updates on high profile cases such as human trafficking cases in Wang Kelian, Sabah Water Scandal and Littoral Combat Ships were still pending and there has been no news.

vi. The non-halal meat scandal was reported to have been operating without punishment for 40 years.

vii. The Government has not tabled the Public Procurement Bill.

viii. Negative reports on misconduct and poor governance by government officials in the Auditor General's report which was not taken disciplinary action.