CPI 2007 launch – Dewan Murni IIM

September 26, 2007 22:49 PM

Malaysia At 43 Of Corruption Perceptions Index 2007, Up One Rung

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 26 (Bernama) — Malaysia moved up by one rung in this year’s Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), ending a five year downward trend, Transparency International Malaysia (TI-Malaysia) president, Tan Sri Dr Ramon Navaratnam said today.

Malaysia was ranked 33rd in 2002, 37th in 2003, 39th in 2004, 39th in 2005 and 44th in 2006.

“We are ranked at 43rd spot but with minimal improvement in the score, from 5.0 to 5.1,” he told reporters here.

Although it was a small improvement it must be sustained, he said adding TI-Malaysia urged the government to step up the fight against corruption which was perceived to be a serious concern, especially among the public, officials and politicians.

“Malaysia needs to achieve a much higher level of transparency, integrity and good governance,” he added.

Navaratnam said corruption was a key threat to the rule of law and the long-term sustainability of Malaysia’s economic and social progress, which could undermine income distribution and income equity and also worsen poverty.

He said the perception that corruption was prevalent among the nation’s political and business elite was widespread.

To be on par with the best in the world, he said Malaysia should, among others, pay particular attention to government procurement, especially for large projects, as the perception on integrity of the execution of these projects could impact public perception significantly.

“The awarding of huge infrastructure development to selected business entities without an open and competitive tender and giving special licenses to certain groups does not help to improve the perception of its efforts towards greater transparency.

“Numerous incidents of corruption, malpractices and mismanagement of public funds are also routinely highlighted in the Auditor-General’s yearly reports. Many mega projects are mismanaged and are ultimately bailed out by the government using public funds.

“As part of the process of greater transparency, judicial appoinments should be made by an independent commision. The Anti-Corruption Agency must be established as an independent statutory body to ensure that it will act firmly and fairly without fear or favour.

He said public officials and legislators should also be required to declare their assets publicly, and whistle-blowers should be given appropriate protection.

He said Malaysia should also ratify the United Nations Convention Against Corruption expeditiously and the government should also urgently review the Official Secrets Act and introduce “Freedom of Information” legislation as requisite measures to bring about a more transparent and accountable society.

“As a responsible movement that is affiliated to a reputable international non-government organisation, TI-Malaysia strongly supports the Prime Minister’s stated objective of bringing about higher standards of transparency and accountability in Malaysia,” he added.

CPI 2007 looks at perceptions of public sector corruption in 180 countries and territories. It scores countries on a scale from zero to ten, with zero indicating high levels of perceived corruption and ten indicating low levels of perceived corruption.

– BERNAMA