MACC takes serious note of Corruption Perception Index 2021, will make proposals

PUTRAJAYA, Jan 25 — The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) is taking serious note of Malaysia’s score and position in the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) issued by Transparency International Malaysia (TI-M) today.

Malaysia dropped to 62nd spot out of the 180 countries in the CPI 2021 compared to its 57th position in 2020, with the country’s score also dropping to 48 compared to 51 in 2020.

“MACC will review TI-M’s CPI 2021 findings and will make proposals in the near future,” the Commission said in a statement today.

TI-M president Dr Muhammad Mohan, when presenting the CPI 2021, said although there was a dip in its score, Malaysia has shown positive developments throughout last year after the government took a bi-partisan approach via the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Political Stability and Transformation in September.

According to Muhammad, one of the reasons for the score decline was due to limited action from the current and previous governments in curbing political corruption activities and strengthening human rights in Malaysia.

The lack of will in reforming the MACC into a truly independent anti-corruption institution under the responsibility of Parliament, as proposed in 2015, is also another contributing factor, Muhammad said.

MACC, meanwhile, called on all parties to continue its cooperation as well as have the political will to improve anti-corruption efforts in the country, saying that the Commission, as an enforcement agency, has to operate within its jurisdiction. — Bernama