Improved graft index score insignificant, expedite reforms, PM told

 

TI-M president Muhammad Mohan said there had been slow progress on governance-related legislative reforms that were promised in Pakatan Harapan’s election manifesto.

PETALING JAYA: Malaysia must expedite the implementation of institutional reforms to achieve its goal of making the top 25 of Transparency International’s annual Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) by 2033, says the group’s Malaysian chapter.

Transparency International-Malaysia (TI-M) president Muhammad Mohan said while Malaysia’s CPI score of 50 points for 2023 was an improvement over the previous year’s 47 points, it was not statistically significant.

He said there had been slow progress on governance-related legislative reforms that were promised in Pakatan Harapan’s election manifesto, including amendments to the Whistleblower Protection Act, the tabling of the Ombudsman Bill, and passing of the Political Financing Act – which had not been passed yet.

He also noted that reforms to create a fully independent Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and the separation of powers, roles and appointments between the attorney-general and the public prosecutor had yet to be carried out.

“Sadly, there seems to be not much that the government can show after more than one year in power. To reiterate, there are many initiatives in the election manifesto which have not been given priority,” he said at a press conference here.

“Granted that the government’s resources are limited … still, the public’s expectations are high. So far, it has not been met in terms of the government’s declared actions,” he said, adding that the government should make use of its strong majority in Parliament to push through its plans for reform.

Muhammad warned that failing to outline clear plans to achieve its intended top 25 ranking would lead to disappointment from the public, citing past unmet CPI targets.

“We still do not see the public release of crucial supporting information to justify planned mega projects such as the Mass Rapid Transit Line 3 (MRT3) or high-speed rail (HSR).

“Given the anticipated taxpayers’ money that will be involved, it is important that thorough and audited reviews and assessments are conducted to justify the projects.”

Worrying trends

Meanwhile, Muhammad said Malaysia’s future CPI scores might face challenges unless addressed. He also noted that only one person had been charged in court in the 1MDB case.

“A debacle of this size could not have been done alone,” he said.

“MACC should charge anyone who was involved in enabling it or did not do everything within their powers to stop or report it. The civil service code of conduct is clear on the need to report transgressions and abuse of power by politicians.”

He also said a recent statement by Attorney-General Ahmad Terrirudin Salleh that the public prosecutor did not have to inform the public why criminal charges were initiated or discontinued against a person in court “might create concerns about accountability”.

“This is worrying in light of last year’s discharge not amounting to an acquittal (DNAA) decision involving the deputy prime minister,” he added.

In September, the Kuala Lumpur High Court granted deputy prime minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi a DNAA on all 47 corruption, criminal breach of trust and money laundering charges in his Yayasan Akalbudi case.

While welcoming the “flurry of investigations” on the undisclosed wealth of certain people, which Muhammad said seemed to be focussed on former politicians for now, he said they should also include current politicians, including anyone associated or aligned with the current government.

Last July, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said Malaysia should be ranked among the top 25 countries in the CPI by 2033. In 2019, Malaysia had a CPI score of 53. This fell to 51 in 2020 and 48 in 2021, before falling further to 47 in 2022.

The CPI uses a scale of 0 (perceived to be highly corrupted) to 100 (perceived to be very clean). - FMT