Malaysia must address setbacks towards good governance, transparency, say anti-graft watchdogs

KUALA LUMPUR: Despite Malaysia’s improved global corruption perception ranking in 2023, anti-graft watchdogs caution of lingering setbacks that must be addressed for the country to strengthen its commitment to good governance and transparency.

The Center to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4 Center) expressed that Malaysia’s 57th spot out of 180 countries, scoring 50 out of 100 in Transparency International’s (TI) Corruption Perception Index (CPI) 2023 denoted a positive change for how corruption is perceived in the nation.

However, it said these signs of progress towards better governance and transparency do not diminish the numerous issues the country is experiencing in terms of combatting corruption.

“While the scores are promising, it is worth noting that 2023 was not a smooth year for the Unity Government. In particular, it was heavily criticised for favouritism in the manner in which it attempted to resolve controversies involving high-profile politicians,” said the watchdog in a statement Thursday.

It emphasised that patronage and cronyism persist as enablers of corruption and remain unaddressed, with political appointments of influential officeholders of governmentlinked companies (GLC) still being maintained.

As such, C4 Center said that the government must implement real and substantive anticorruption reforms given Anwar himself had highlighted his commitment to elevate Malaysia to the top 25 in the CPI ranking within the next ten years.

Among the recommendations put forth by the watchdog are the separation of powers between the Attorney-General and the Public Prosecutor’s offices to ensure prosecutorial independence, the reform of the Malaysian AntiCorruption Commission (MACC) by granting it the status of sole anti-corruption body, and the formulation of a Ministerial Code of Conduct and Ethics to regulate enablers of corruption.

Meanwhile, the CSO Platform for Reform proposed that initiating good governance should involve empowering existing institutions to enhance transparency, including advocating for a transparent appointment mechanism to vet appointments for GLCs and statutory bodies, along with the establishment of the proposed Office of the Ombudsman.

“With investigative powers to recommend disciplinary action against public servants, the respective heads or departments, the Ombudsman will provide checks and balances between the government and the people,” it said.

The coalition consisting of more than 60 Malaysian-based civil society organisations also called for the enactment of the Freedom of Information Act to facilitate improving national governance in terms of transparency and accountability, as it could improve the public service delivery system, among other aspects.

“Although it is still in the engagement stage as an initiative by the Legal Affairs Division, it shows the government’s openness to strengthen the existing Act for the welfare of the people,” the CSO said.

It added that ministers should also have to declare their assets through an independent property declaration unit, independent of the Prime Minister’s Department, MACC, and the Royal Malaysian Police.