PETALING JAYA: Stronger preventive measures and consistent enforcement will be key for Malaysia to be ranked among the world’s top 25 countries in the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) by 2030.
Transparency International (TI) chairman Francois Valerian said anti-corruption agencies need adequate financial resources and manpower, as well as independence from political influence, to effectively carry out their responsibilities.
“We welcome cooperation with anti-corruption agencies to help improve a country’s CPI performance,” he said during a courtesy visit to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) headquarters yesterday.
MACC deputy chief commissioner (Prevention) Datuk Azmi Kamaruzaman said the commission remained committed to enhancing its collaboration with TI and exploring new areas of cooperation to strengthen the country’s integrity framework.
“We are committed to expanding existing cooperation and exploring new areas of collaboration that can contribute to strengthening the country’s integrity system,” he said.
Azmi said the commission, through its National Governance Planning Division, serves as the main secretariat for the CPI Special Task Force.
He said the task force, together with six CPI focus groups, works closely with ministries, government agencies, academic institutions, the private sector and civil society organisations to identify factors affecting Malaysia’s CPI performance.
According to Azmi, Malaysia’s CPI score for 2025 increased by two points from 50 to 52, while the country’s global ranking improved three places from 57th to 54th.
“The improvement reflects positive progress resulting from governance and integrity reforms implemented in the country,” he said.
In Kota Kinabalu, MACC Chief Commissioner Datuk Seri Abd Halim Aman said the new Sabah MACC headquarters at Jalan Sepanggar has reached 90% completion and is expected to be fully completed by the end of this year.
“The new facility will consolidate all Sabah MACC personnel currently operating from three separate offices under one roof.
He said having a dedicated headquarters is important in strengthening the agency’s institutional standing and supporting its role as an independent and impartial enforcement body.
“This means we need to have our own building because it provides a solid platform for us to carry out our responsibilities and perform our duties as a truly independent and impartial institution,” he said.
Abd Halim said centralising operations in a single location will improve communication among officers and enhance coordination in operational, administrative and technical matters.
