5 December, 2012
Issued in conjunction with the worldwide launch of the Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index 2012.
Transparency International (TI) today released its Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) results for 2012. The assessment was made for 176 countries based on the upgraded methodology which allow for more accurate year by year comparison. Instead of scores ranging from 1 to 10, the new CPI 2012 scores range from 0 to 100 (0 being most corruption and 100 be corruption free). As the methodology is an upgraded version, the results are therefore not comparable with previous results.
For the CPI 2012 the following are the ten top scores:
| Rank | Country | 2012 CPI Score | 2011 GDP per Capita (US$) |
| 1 | Denmark | 90 | 59,684 |
| 1 | Finland | 90 | 49,391 |
| 1 | New Zealand | 90 | 32,620 * |
| 2 | Sweden | 88 | 56,927 |
| 3 | Singapore | 87 | 46,241 |
| 4 | Switzerland | 86 | 80,391 |
| 5 | Australia | 85 | 60,642 |
| 5 | Norway | 85 | 98,102 |
| 6 | Canada | 84 | 50,345 |
| 6 | Netherlands | 84 | 50,087 |
Source: Worldbank http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.PCAP.CD/countries
* 2010 figure
Malaysia’s score is 49 with a country ranking of 54, together with Czech Republic, Latvia, and Turkey. Malaysia’s position continues to be in the mid-range average, indicating that while many steps have been undertaken under the GTP/NKRA initiatives, the respondents have not experienced a significant decrease in corruption. One very telling indicator of the feeling on the ground is the result of TI‘s Briber Payers Survey which asked companies in Malaysia: “During the last 12 months, do you think that your company has failed to win a contract or gain new business because a competitor has paid a bribe?. 50% answered “Yes”, the highest score among the 30 countries surveyed (See results attached). This is an extraordinarily high response and may indicate that corruption in the public sector is systemic and in some areas institutionalised.
More bold measures must be taken to eliminate entrenched interests and processes that support abuses. Transparency International Malaysia (TI-M) is of the view that to achieve substantial improvements in our fight against corruption the following actions are necessary:
- Reforms in the political arena to reduce monetisation of politics and eliminate opportunities for state capture which results in grand corruption
- Continue to strengthen law enforcement institutions especially the MACC, Judiciary and Police. Their complete independence must be established to secure the public’s trust
- Uphold the rule of law without fear or favour so that abusers especially “big fish” cases do not have impunity from prosecution
- Overhaul the Official Secrets Act (OSA) and introduce a federal Freedom of Information (FOI) Act
- Firm and consistent actions in upholding transparency and accountability in public procurement
- Tackle systemic corruption by focusing on specific sectors through the involvement of all stakeholders. For example, a coalition involving CIDB, contractors, professional bodies and other regulators in the construction industry could be established to drive the initiative to reduce corruption
- Further improve whistleblower legislation to provide wider protection to whistle blowers and encourage more whistleblowing
We must redouble our efforts to fight corruption on all fronts, as the consequences to our country and its economy will be dire if we lose this battle. TI-M urges all stakeholders including the civil service, private sector, enforcement agencies and members of the public to play our part in saying NO to Corruption.
Issued by
Transparency International Malaysia
Datuk Paul Low, President
Downloads
CPI – Frequenty Asked Questions
CPI – Technical Methodology Note
For global results, please click here.
