PETALING JAYA: Malaysia’s drop in rankings on Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index 2021 comes as no surprise given the number of high profile corruption cases that have been dropped, the clampdown on civil liberties, and the lack of institutional reforms, say civil society groups.

       Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) commissioner Jerald Joseph (pic) said he was not surprised with the fall in rankings, noting that this should be the time to motivate the country to push forward with the reform agenda.

       Jerald said the country started the last three years with reform in mind but had fallen behind.

       “The guardian of corruption (in this country) is the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and based on Suhakam’s experience, the only way trust can be built is with an independent institution.

       “We must push ahead with institutional reforms of institutions that are entrusted with guarding good governance. So, the MACC, as an institution, really needs to be propped up to make it truly independent.

       “It must not be under the Prime Minister’s appointment. All these need to be revamped as at this point, there are also question marks on the (MACC’s) chief commissioner.

       “These things happen because the institutions are not up to mark in terms of an independent institution,” he said when contacted yesterday.

       Malaysia dropped five places to 62 out of 180 countries in Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index 2021, scoring 48 points. In 2020, Malaysia was ranked 57 out of 180 countries, scoring 51 out of 100 points. The index uses a scale of 0 to 100 points, where 0 is highly corrupt and 100 is very clean.

       Jerald said Malaysia had not “lost it all yet”, adding that the country had the framework in place based on reform discussions that took place over the last few years.

       “Now we just need the support of those in government and Parliament to get it off the ground. There are enough delays for such needed reform,” he said.

       The Centre to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4) executive director Cynthia Gabriel also said the rankings were expected following a series of shameful scandals, clampdown on civil liberties and the deterioration of the country’s institutions.

       “Yes, we are incredibly worried that the political frogging and change in government three times over three years has severely compromised the commitment towards reform.

       “We didn’t arrive at this dark place overnight. So, the fixing of our credibility as a nation committed towards transparency and the rule of law must have the full and solid commitment of the government, nothing less,” she said.

       Bersih chairperson Thomas Fann concurred that it was not surprising that Malaysia was perceived to be more corrupt since 2019, when high profile cases such as that involving Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s stepson Riza Aziz Abdul Aziz, were dropped by the Attorney General’s Chambers before they went to trial.

       “Such arbitrary decisions led to the perception that the AG’s decision was politically motivated and corruption is condoned if they are aligned with the ruling party,” he said.