Media statement by Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday, 8^th December 2011: 

Malaysia not only risk losing out on TI CPI to China in four years’ time, but also being left behind by more OIC and African countries in future

The shocking results of Transparency International’s (TI) Corruption Perception Index (CPI) 2011 with Malaysia plunging to the worst ranking in 17 years from No. 23 in 1995 to No. 60 in 2011 as well as the worst score of 4.3 has raised many questions about the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s transformation programme and the Corruption NKRA (National Key Result Areas).

I warned yesterday that based on TI CPI trend in the past 17 years, Malaysia risks being overtaken by China as a less corrupt country in four years’ time by 2010, leaving Malaysia around the 80th ranking with a score below 4.

But Malaysia also face other risks as in forfeiting our position as the leading OIC country in development, rule of law, accountability and transparency.

Malaysia is not only backsliding in anti-corruption efforts when compared to other countries in the Asia-Pacific, we are also been overtaken by countries in other parts of the world including the OIC countries.

A decade ago, Malaysian leaders pride themselves as leading the most technologically advanced and most industrially developed country in the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC), towering head and shoulders over other countries in the OIC on the rule of law, accountability, transparency and integrity.

This leading position of Malaysia was acknowledged in the early annual TI CPIs.

In the 1996 TI CPI, where Malaysia was ranked No. 26 out of 54 countries with a score of 5.32, Malaysia was ahead the other three OIC countries cited, viz Jordan (No. 30 with score 4.89), Turkey (No.33 with score 3.54) and Egypt (No. 41 with score 2.84).

However, 16 years later, Malaysia is ranked behind six OIC countries in the TI CPI 2011, even behind Jordan and just one step ahead of Turkey, viz:

OIC countries breathing down the neck of Malaysia to overtake us in future TI CPI include Turkey and Tunisia (73 with score 3.8).

It is pertinent to note the TI CPI of the Arab Spring countries, viz: Tunisia (73 score 3.8), Morocco (80 score 3.4), Egypt (112 score 2.9), Yemen(164 score 2.1) and Libya (168 2.0).

Malaysia is behind six countries in Africa – Botswana (32 score 6.1) Cape Verde (41 score 5.5) Mauritius (46 score 5.1) Rwanda (48 score 5.0) Seychelles (50 score 4.8) and Namibia (57 score 4.4).

Has the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak the political will to stop the rot of corruption in Malaysia, reverse Malaysia’s slide down the lowest-ever CPI ranking and score or is Malaysia destined to fall further down the slippery slope to the bottom, losing out to even more Asian, OIC and African countries on the TI CPI in the years to come?

*Lim Kit Siang, DAP Parliamentary Leader & MP for Ipoh TimorTimor