Kit Siang sounds alarm over regression in Malaysia's graft perception

DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang has sounded alarm bells over what he described as a resumption of regression in Malaysia’s corruption perception.

The Iskandar Puteri MP noted that the country’s Transparency International Corruption Perception Index (TI CPI) has resumed its decline after the collapse of the Pakatan Harapan government in 2020.

“Countries which had been down on the list of the TI CPI ranking in the first series in 1995, like China, Thailand, India and Indonesia, were fast catching up to Malaysia’s level, which had regressed since 1995.

“Fortunately, this trajectory was stopped when the Harapan government took over, and in the TI CPI 2019, Malaysia achieved the best TI CPI performance in 25 years with a single-year improvement of six points in the TI CPI score and 10 placings for TI CPI ranking – a ranking of No 51 and score of 53 out of the 100.

“Now we are back on the slippery slope of corruption as before the 14th general election on May 9, 2018, and the worst is yet to come from Azam-gate and the worsening of the system of integrity in public life,” he said in a statement.

Lim questioned if Malaysia's TI CPI for this year will regress to its worst score on record.

“The relevant parliamentary select committees should summon the MACC chief commissioner (Azam Baki) to testify what is being done to ensure that Malaysia will not drop to be one of the most corrupt states in Asia by the end of the decade, losing out to China, India, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Indonesia and Philippines in TI CPI 2030 after being overtaken by Taiwan and South Korea in the last two decades?” he said.

He also highlighted the “shocking possibility” that Najib Abdul Razak, who has been convicted for corruption pending a final Federal Court appeal, could return as the prime minister.

Lim warned that if Malaysia did not buck up on the anti-corruption front, it was not inconceivable that countries like India, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Thailand and the Philippines may eventually overtake Malaysia in the TI CPI. - Mkini