Call for a Royal Commission of Inquiry into Corruption as to why Malaysia became a kleptocracy, losing out to more and more countries in TI CPI since 1995, and how Malaysia can become one of the top countries in the world in public integrity and on the anti-corruption front
The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) was unusually quiet in the new year of 2023, saying not a word even about the most dismal Transparency International (TI) Corruption Perception Index (CPI) 2022 released worldwide on January 31, 2023.
Last year, after the release of the TI CPI 2021 which saw a 5-point drop in score from 53 to 48 marks and 11-point drop in rank in two years, the MACC issued a statement that the MACC would review the findings of the annual CPI and propose recommendations, and called on the people’s “continued co-operation to help us curb corruption”.
What were the MACC recommendations to the Government and what has the MACC to say with the further drop in the score from 48 marks in 2021 to 47 marks in 2022?
Clearly, the MACC recommendations to the Government, if they exist, had failed to check the further decline of Malaysia in the TI CPI.
The time has come for a Royal Commission of Inquiry into Corruption as to why Malaysia became a kleptocracy, losing out to more and more countries in TI CPI since 1995, and how Malaysia can become one of the top countries in the world in public integrity and on the anti-corruption front
Since the inaugural TI CPI 1995, we have lost out not only to the Top 10 countries led by Denmark and which includes Singapore, we have also lost out to five countries in the first annual TI CPI 1995 list (Taiwan, South Korea, Spain, Italy, and Greece). Furthermore, we have also lost out to countries like Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Croatia, Mauritius, and Vanuatu, and drew with Jordan.
Unless we buck up, we will be overtaken by Armenia, China, Cuba, Bahrain, Jamaica, Oman, Benin, Bulgaria, Ghana, Senegal, South Africa, Burkina Faso, Hungary, Kuwait, Timor-Leste, Vietnam, Kosovo, Guyana, India, Maldives, Suriname, and Tunisia by the end of the decade.
Even Indonesia has progressively improved from 1995 to 34 out of 100 marks in the TI CPI 2022, while Malaysia has progressively regressed from 1995 to 47 points out of 100 marks in TI CPI 2022.
Is it a matter of time before Indonesia overtake Malaysia, showing to the world that Indonesia is cleaner and less corrupt than Indonesia?
In the TI CPI 1995, Malaysia was ranked No. 23 out of 41 countries. India was ranked No. 35, China ranked No. 40 and Indonesia No 41 and last.
In the TI CPI 2022, Malaysia was ranked No.61 out of 180 countries, China ranked 65, India ranked No. 86 and Indonesia ranked 110 with a score of 34 marks out of 100.
Would Malaysia eventually lose out to China, India and Indonesia in the TI CPI series — before Malaysia’s Centennial in 2057?
In the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) countries, we have lost out to United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia and we stand to lose out to more OIC countries if we continue on the trajectory of decline in the TI CPI series.
The RCI into Corruption is necessary, for Malaysia was convulsed in government and parliamentary paralysis for nearly a month by what is best term Azam-gate where the country’s chief anti-corruption officer failed to be a prime example of integrity, probity, and accountability with his shareholding scandal and refused to appear before a Parliamentary Special Select Committee.