MACC Wants To Create Its Own Graft Index After Malaysia Drops Further In Global Rankings

TI released its Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) report on Wednesday, 21 February, revealing that Malaysia ranked 62 among 180 countries in the CPI last year, slipping from the 55th spot in 2016.

CPI uses a scale of 0 to 100, where 0 is highly corrupt and 100 is very clean, to indicate perceived level of corruption in public sector of countries and territories, according to experts and business people.

Malaysia scored 47 out of 100 for the year 2017, which is two points lesser than 49 in the previous year. 

DAP leader Lim Kit Siang has since pointed out on his blog that the country's latest rank was at its lowest in 23 years.

Speaking at a press conference yesterday, 22 February, Dzulkifli said that the CPI 2017 is not consistent and does not reflect the enforcement actions taken to battle corruption.

He stressed that MACC had been making enforcement actions, including arresting graft suspects, almost every week throughout 2017, which is more aggressive compared to the previous years.

"If it is based on the reality in the country, we should be at a better position compared to 2016," he was quoted as saying by The Star Online.

According to Dzulkifli, the CPI does not only focus on corruption, but also considers other issues such as human rights, political scenarios, and stability of doing business in Malaysia. He said that these subject matters are generally beyond MACC's scope of duties.

He explained that a special committee will be set up to investigate and identify what had caused the decline in Malaysia's ranking in the CPI.

"Since the existing CPI is a perception or study about the position of corruption in Malaysia is carried out by foreign expatriates, it does not reflect the reality of the situation.

"However, we do not reject the index and we will also look into the findings," he reportedly said.

Bernama reported Dzulkifli as saying that a proposal on the special corruption index for the country will be presented at the next Anti-Corruption Advisory Board meeting before submitting it to the Cabinet.

"It is time for us to have our own and more effective index. We do not want to look solely from the angle of perceptions but also the reality.

 "Give the MACC some time, maybe within two to three months before (the proposal) being brought to the higher level," he was quoted as saying.