KUALA LUMPUR: The many anti-graft enforcement actions taken in 2017 should have given Malaysia a higher ranking in the global Corruption Perception Index (CPI), says Tan Sri Dzulkifli Ahmad.
The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief said he was shocked with Transparency International's (TI) findings and the country's latest position, saying that it did not reflect the prevention and enforcement efforts taken.
"There has been enforcement action taken almost every week and high-profile arrests throughout last year.
"We have taken aggressive efforts to combat corruption but it (the report) did not reflect all of our work.
"We should be in a better position compared to 2016," he told a press conference at the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Academy here on Thursday.
In Transparency International's latest global corruption index, Malaysia scored 47 points and dropped seven places in the overall ranking of 180 countries to 62nd spot.
In 2016, Malaysia ranked 55 among 176 countries, with a score of 49 out of 100.
In 2015, Malaysia ranked 54 out of 168 countries, with a score of 50.
The index ranks countries and territories by its perceived levels of public sector corruption, according to experts and business people.
It uses a scale of 0 to 100, with 0 indicating high levels of corruption and 100 as very clean.
Dzulkifli, however, said he was not dismissing the report and would study it further.
"We want to look at the breakdown conducted by the survey to identify why our position and score dropped," he said.
He also noted that the perception index touched on other issues as well, such as governance, politics, human rights and the efficiency of doing business in the country, which is not under the purview of the MACC.
"We want to correct the situation and the drop should be looked at in totality – not just about corruption.
He also ordered the formation of a special committee to look into the findings and all relevant matters under the purview of the MACC.
"Whatever we can improve, we will continue to improve," he added.
