Corruption Perceptions Drop for Malaysia in 2022

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 7 (Bernama)-- Malaysia’s fight against corruption seems to be losing ground, as revealed by the 2022 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) from Transparency International (TI) last week.

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Malaysia’s score fell to its lowest in years, from 53 in 2019 to 47 in 2022. This marks a significant deterioration in the perceived integrity of its public sector. 

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The CPI assesses perceived corruption levels in the public sectors of 180 countries and territories. A downward trend typically signals an urgent need for reforms in governance, transparency, and anti-corruption measures.

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TI Malaysia has highlighted several factors contributing to this decline. Some of these include:

• Insufficient action from past governments to address political corruption and uphold human rights, with key reforms like the Political Financing Act and effective police oversight (IPCMC) yet to be realised.

• A lack of political will to reform the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) into a more independent body accountable to Parliament.

• Overly broad interpretation of the Official Secrets Act, hindering transparency in public procurement, exemplified by the RM9 billion Littoral Combat Ship project with poor governance and oversight.

• Court decisions granting DNAA (Discharge Not Amounting to Acquittal) in high-profile corruption cases, raising concerns about the legal process and the need for clearer guidance from the Attorney-General’s Chambers.

• Poor implementation of the National Anti-Corruption Plan (NACP), with limited measurable outcomes despite being a five-year initiative aimed at tackling public sector corruption.

• Repeated adverse findings in the Auditor General’s Annual Report on government misconduct, indicating a lack of accountability and the need for legislative amendments to hold public officials responsible for their actions.

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TI Malaysia has put forth several recommendations to the government to facilitate institutional reforms and enhance governance.

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Key recommendations include increasing transparency through better information disclosure and improving accountability in public administration. This is to ensure decisions and actions are more visible and answerable to the public.

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It also calls for new legislation that strengthens governance frameworks and reforms the MACC into an independent body directly accountable to Parliament. This would help address corruption more effectively by ensuring that anti-corruption efforts are not influenced by political interests.

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Additionally, TI Malaysia emphasises the importance of supporting investigative journalism, which plays a crucial role in exposing corruption and holding power to account. The organisation also advocates for the reintroduction of local council elections, which would enhance public participation and accountability in local governance, allowing citizens to have a more direct role in how their communities are managed.

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-- BERNAMA

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