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From present TI CPI trend, China will overtake Malaysia as less corrupt country in 4 years’ time by 2015

In 2004, former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi announced with great fanfare the National Integrity Plan with the five-year target to improve Malaysia’s Transparency International (TI) Corruption Perception Index (CPI) from 37th place in 2003 to at least 30th position in 2008 and the 5.2 CPI score for Malaysia in 2003 to at least 6.5 by 2008.

In 2008, Malaysia deteriorated in both TI ranking and score as compared to 2004, placed in the lowest-ever ranking of No. 47 out of 180 countries with a CPI score of 5.1.

When Datuk Seri Najib Razak became Prime Minister in April 2009, he abandoned the National Integrity Plan and announced instead a series of national transformation plans, beginning with the Government Transformation Plan (GTP) with “Fighting Corruption” as one of the six key NKRAs (National Key Result Areas).

The 1Malaysia GTP Roadmap released in January 2010 admitted that the perception of corrupt practices in Malaysia had risen in recent years, estimated that the “significant” cost to the nation of corruption was as much as RM10 billion a year or 1-2% of GDP and announced the target to increase by 2010 “our CPI score from 4.5 to 4.9”.

In the event, the anti-corruption NKRA target was another colossal failure as it was completely wide off the mark, as Malaysia’s CPI score for three years from 2009 to 2011 was 4.5, 4.4 and 4.3, all three the lowest scores ever registered by Malaysia. There had only been two previous years since 1995 when TI CPI started its annual ranking when Malaysia’s score fell below 5, viz 4.8 in 2000 and 4.9 in 2002.

In the first TI CPI in 1995, Malaysia was ranked No. 23 out of 41 countries or the 6th highest-ranked nation in the Asia-Pacific after New Zealand -1, Singapore – 3, Australia – 7, Hong Kong – 17 and Japan – 20, with a CPI score of 5.28.

Seventeen years later, after numerous anti-corruption campaigns, two major anti-corruption legislation, the “elevation” of the former Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) into Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), the National Integrity Plan, the 1Malaysia Government Transformation Programme with massive infusion of public funds and increase of staffing, Malaysia has now fallen to the lowest TI CPI ranking in 17 years, viz: No. 60 with the lowest CPI score of 4.3.

Malaysia has also fallen to No. 11 for country placing in the Asia-Pacific. The top TI CPI 2011 Asia-Pacific ranking are:

1. New Zealand (1) 9.5
2. Singapore (5) 9.2
3. Australia (8) 8.8
4. Hong Kong (12) 8.4
5. Japan (14) 7.8
6. Taiwan (32) 6.1
7. Bhutan (38) 5.7
8. South Korea (42) 5.4
9. Brunei (44) 5.2
10. Macau (46) 5.1
11. Malaysia (60) 4.3

Even more serious, other countries which had been down on the list of the TI CPI ranking are fast catching up while Malaysia is fast falling down!

China, Thailand, India and Indonesia are such examples in Asia.

China was ranked No. 40 with a CPI score of 2.16 in 1995. In 2011, China is ranked No. 75 with a CPI score of 3.6.

At the annual average rate of China’s improvement and Malaysia’s regression of their CPI score in the last 17 years, China will not only catch up but will leave Malaysia behind in the TI CPI, both in ranking and in score in a matter of four years – come 2015!

So far, no one in government, whether the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin or even the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission has shown any concern as based on the TI CPI trend, China will overtake Malaysia as less corrupt country in four years’ time by 2015, leaving Malaysia around the 80th ranking with a score below 4.

Other Asian countries like Thailand, Indonesia and India are making major strides in the battle against corruption. Thailand, which was ranked No. 34 with CPI score of 2.79 in 1995 (out of 43 countries) Is now ranked No. 80 (out of 183 countries) with an improved score of 3.4. India was ranked No. 35 with CPI score of 2.78 in 1995 is now ranked No. 95 with score of 3.1.

Even Indonesia is making significant strides in the anti-corruption front. Ranked at the very bottom of No. 41 in 1995, with CPI score of 1.94, Indonesia is now ranked No. 100 with a CPI score of 3.0 in 2011.

Malaysia is one of the few exceptions in the TI CPI since 1995 which have been going backwards while most countries in the world are making progress in the battle against corruption.

This is most deplorable and is one powerful reason why there must be change of federal government in the next general elections, as only a Pakatan Rakyat government in Putrajaya will have the political will to carry out a serious, committed and uncompromising anti-corruption programme to reverse Malaysia’s worsening TI CPI ranking and score in the past 17 years under three Prime Ministers.

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14 Replies to “From present TI CPI trend, China will overtake Malaysia as less corrupt country in 4 years’ time by 2015”

  1. ///Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak vowed to assist the Malaysia Islamic Missionary and Welfare Association (Pekida) to strengthen itself, after receiving their pledge of allegiance to him in Shah Alam today.///–Malaysiakini

    Would Najib draw money from his person accounts to support Pekida after the pledge? If it is a help with government policy, it is a clear case of corruption. If the assistance is from government funds, it is corruption too, because that is in return for assistance to Najib himself, in the form of a pledge.

    Corruption is bad if it is done under the table; the person involved realizes that it was wrong. It is worse if it is done above the table, when the person does not know it is wrong. It is worst when it is publicized; the person does not care others are aware that it was wrong. Corruption that involves the Prime Minister, and doing it publicly and reported in official media shows that corruption is at the terminal stage.

  2. Pls dont be anti-agung, anti-sultan, anti-islam jenis umno, anti-gobermen, anti-melayu (actually umnoputra), unpatriotic, ungrateful, communist, terrorist etc etc and risk being ISA-ed. Corruption, errr no, commission taking is the unquestionable constitutional ketuanan right of all umnoputras errr well … I mean, malays.

    Looking at the chart above (ranking for asia pacific region) I was surprised to find bhutan and brunei above err well the country in which I cannot name for I do not want to be ISA-ed. I am equally amazed by the presence of taiwan, HK and macau above that same country which I cannot name for (again) I hv no wish to be ISA-ed. These three places are not per se countries. HK and macau are part of china and since malaysia recognises one china therefore taiwan is also to be treated as china. Their presence is a strong indication that china could catch up with ooops no mention again of that country and potentially could overtake you know where quite quite soon.

    Bet umno is celebrating.

  3. Thousand apologies, a diversion.

    BBC World News, yesterday 6 dec 2011.

    “Brazil saw its economic growth stall for the three months to the end of September, official figures show.

    Its GDP growth was zero compared with the previous quarter, said the country’s IBGE statistical bureau.

    The government now expects 3.5% growth in 2011, as against 7.5% last year.

    Brazil’s main interest rate, known as the Selic, has been cut from 12.5% to 11% since August in a bid to boost growth, but is still the highest in the G20 group of leading economies.

    Brazil’s central bank has had high interest rates for many years, encouraged by fears of a return to the runaway inflation that plagued the country in the 1980s and early 1990s.

    “The central bank’s decision to cut interest rates early has been fully vindicated and the Selic will probably fall further – perhaps to 9.5% in the first half of next year,” said analyst David Rees of Capital Economics.

    “Another relevant factor was the worsening situation in the eurozone in the third quarter, which had a big impact on investments,” said Andre Perfeito, chief economist at Gradual Investments.

    Chinese competition

    Brazil’s farming sector grew by 3.2%, while its service and industrial sectors shrank by 0.3% and 0.9% respectively compared with the previous three months, said the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE).

    The largest buyer of Brazilian foodstuffs is China, which overtook the US as Brazil’s largest trading partner in 2009.

    Although Brazil currently sells more to China than it imports, Brazilian manufacturers have complained that their industries are being affected by cheap mass-produced goods from the Asian giant.

    Earlier this year, Brazil imposed a new tariff of $4 a kilo on Chinese synthetic fibres, which are already subject to a 26% import tax.”

  5. 1. We must admit that corruptions are rampant in Malaysia

    2. We must admit the BN government condoned corruptions for many-many, the worst during the last 22 years under a single PM.

    3 We must admit that BN condoned abuse of power in the name of helping the poor Malay thus contribute to rampant corrupt practices

    4 We must admit that corruption agency MACC does not exist. This agency is merely a tool of BN to condone corruption

    5 We must admit that corruption is not just a mere bribes but most of the big cases are systematic designed scheme to milk the tax payers’s money. We have BMF. we have PKFZ, we now have Cowgate and many many more that have caused millions and billions of tax payers’ money.

  9. No point using these statistics to try and galvanise the rakyat, especially the rural folks. They won’t know if a low score is good or bad. Keep broadcasting the latest on Cowgate, on the Perlis IPP scandal, on everything that the Auditor General has dug up and where BN is desperately trying to cover up.

  10. R u sure Malaysia is not already at the world’s bottom of corruption list:

    From clerks to director-generals and ministers,
    From police constables to police chiefs,
    From judges to prosecution chiefs,
    Aiya….list is simply too long, isn’t it?

  11. Where in the world got like that one?

    So complete, so full-circle….so crazy!

    SO Malaysia must at least have something great in Guinness Book of World records-lah.

    Greatest in Corruption, man! Don’t play, play.

  12. Malaysia will continue to slide unless UMNO/BN is rid off in office for a very simple reason – These other countries NEVER said corruption was everywhere i.e., acceptable or excusable. Even as China, as a system, tolerated corruption, no top leader ever dared to excuse it.

    The problem is UMNO/BN officially excuse corruption – its a line crossed by Mahathir who is now proven to lose sanity on occasion in his administration and even now.

    The problem is irreversible under UMNO/BN. There is no such thing as ‘trying to reduce corruption’. Either you fight it or you don’t. You are one side or the other. You don’t get to say that one corruption is OK or that other one is not. Its not up to anyone to decide HOW much corruption can be tolerated. You can only set standards and everyone have to live by.

    But UMNO has long lost its head in playing with unfair rules and believe that is how you do things practically. The rule of law and system of justice and fairness is all screwed up and really NOT a system at all. There is no way they can reduce corruption, all they do is hide it better if at all..

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