PETALING JAYA: Malaysia could have done better in the global Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) if not for the slow pace of reforms including several high profile discharge not amounting to acquittal (DNAA) cases, says Transparency International Malaysia (TI-M).
It's president Dr Muhammad Mohan (pic) said these were likely the factors for the nation's CPI remaining stagnant.
He said that although the government has initiated institutional and legal reforms, it was slow in reforms in several other areas.
Among them, he cited, were the amendments to the Whistleblower Protection Act and the enactment of the Freedom of Information Act.
"Amendments to the Whistleblower Protection Act are one of the lowest hanging fruit.
“I don't know where is the stumbling block,” he said.
However, he noted that the government has since given an assurance that the amendments would be tabled during the current Parliament meeting which ends on March 6.
He added that the Freedom of Information Bill was said to be in its final stages and is expected to be tabled in the coming Parliament meeting in July.
“I hope there will be no more delays after that.
"If there is another delay, it's another setback,” he said.
Meanwhile, he said that several high-profile DNAA cases had also affected the ranking and score.
"I am not challenging the law but this is the perception and how the public perceives it.
"They (DNAAs) could have been an influence and I agree that if it had not happened, perhaps we could have done better," he told reporters after announcing the Global CPI 2024 score here on Tuesday (Feb 11).
Malaysia's score and ranking on the global Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) 2024 have remained the same at at 50 and 57 respectively compared to 2023.
The nation improved it's CPI standing in 2023 when Malaysia scored 50 with a ranking of 57 compared to a score of 47 and a ranking of 61 in 2022.
In November 2024, former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and former Treasury secretary-general Tan Sri Mohd Irwan Serigar Abdullah were granted DNAA from all six charges in a trial involving RM6.6bil of government funds.
In June last year, the Malaysian Bar failed to initiate a judicial review to challenge the Attorney General’s (AG) decision to halt proceedings against Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi in his Yayasan Akalbudi corruption case.
The prosecution had decided to discontinue the Yayasan Akalbudi trial, in September 2023, which resulted in the High Court granting Ahmad Zahid a DNAA for all 47 corruption charges he faced.
