STEADY REFORMS NEEDED FOR MALAYSIA TO HIT CPI GOAL

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 16 (Bernama) -- Malaysia’s target to rank among the top 25 nations in the Global Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) by 2033 is achievable if political commitment is backed by sustained implementation efforts.

Transparency International Malaysia (TI-M) president Raymon Ram noted that the country’s rise to 54th place in the 2025 index with a score of 52 points indicates a positive upward trend from the 57th position recorded in 2024 but hitting the 2033 target requires consistent, incremental progress.

“Of course, mathematically, it is achievable because if you have two to three points achieved a year, then you get to your target, but it's not going to be an easy task.

“The government needs to take various perspectives into consideration to understand the situation on the ground and how to drive change.

“It has to be a collective effort moving forward, and we must ensure the right implementation,” he said as a guest on Bernama TV’s The Nation programme, titled “CPI 2025: Malaysia’s Strategic Path Toward Global Integrity Standards”, here today.

He attributed the improved score to several key legislative reforms, including the Public Finance and Financial Responsibility Act and amendments to the Audit Act 1957, which expanded the Auditor-General’s oversight to include government-linked companies (GLCs).

He also noted that the introduction of the National Anti-Corruption Strategy and the establishment of a CPI Task Force led by the Chief Secretary to the Government have been recognised as significant institutional milestones.

“So we can see a lot of work being done by the government in terms of institutional reform, and that could have impacted the score.

“Additionally, the prosecution of high-ranking individuals across different sectors of public administration has also contributed to this improvement,” he added.

-- BERNAMA