Chief secretary to govt chairs special task force meeting on measures to improve Malaysia’s Corruption Perception Index

PUTRAJAYA, Feb 17 — The Special Task Force on the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) held its second meeting today to discuss measures aimed at improving Malaysia’s performance in the CPI, with particular attention to the decline in scores in the IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook survey and the Economist Intelligence Country Risk Service.

The meeting, chaired by Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar, also examined strategies to enhance Malaysia’s CPI score and ranking following the announcement of the CPI 2024 results by Transparency International-Malaysia on Feb 11, the task force said in a statement.

Among the proposed improvement measures are strengthening communication and advocacy regarding the government’s efforts to improve governance through initiatives and legal reforms such as the Public Finance and Fiscal Responsibility Act 2023.

Other suggested measures include the drafting of the Government Procurement Bill, efforts to address bureaucratic red tape through Bureaucratic Red Tape Reforms, and improvements to the business licensing mechanisms, according to a statement issued by the CPI special task force, led by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).

“In efforts to improve Malaysia’s CPI ranking, the Business Competitiveness Focus Group, led by the Malaysia Productivity Corporation, and the Public Fund Management Focus Group, led by the Ministry of Finance, will submit comprehensive reports based on survey analyses and improvement recommendations to the Special Task Force on CPI for necessary interventions.

“In addition, the Legal Focus Group, led by the Legal Affairs Department of the Prime Minister’s Department, will focus on legal reforms, including amendments to the Whistleblower Protection Act and the Freedom of Information Bill, to enhance public confidence in transparency and the efficiency of the public service delivery system,” the statement said.

Following these discussions, a 10-year CPI Roadmap has been developed, with the goal of placing Malaysia among the top 25 countries by 2033. The roadmap is based on three main dimensions: Shared Accountability, Strong and Effective Institutions, and Strategic Collaboration.

As part of the efforts to strengthen governance, the Good Governance Conference 2025 will be held here on Feb 24, with participation from the public sector, private sector, academia and non-governmental organisations (NGOs), the task force said further. — Bernama