Najib’s Transformation Programme in fighting corruption a major wash-out
By Lim Kit Siang
When Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index (CPI) 2011 was released Thursday, Transparency International Malaysia (TI-M) said Malaysia’s latest ranking is the worst in 10 years – falling from 56th place last year to 60th place out of 183 countries while its CPI score fell to the lowest-ever of 4.3.
The TI-M statement is incorrect. In fact, Malaysia’s 2011 TI CPI ranking is the worst in 17 years since the introduction of TI’s annual CPI in 1995.
In the nine years from 1995 to 2003, Tun Dr. Mahathir as Prime Minister saw Malaysia’s TI CPI score stuck in the narrow groove between 4.8 in 2000 to 5.32 in 1996 while the CPI ranking fell 14 places from No. 23 in 1995 to No. 37 in 2003. (10 is highly clean while 0 is highly corrupt)
In the five-year premiership of Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Malaysia’s TI CPI ranking fell 10 places from 37 in 2003 to 47 placing in 2008, while the CPI score stuck between 5.0 to 5.1.
In his 2 ½ years as Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak presided over the worst TI CPI ranking and score for Malaysia on many fronts, viz:
* worst single-year plunge in TI CPI ranking of nine placings. i.e. fall from No. 47 in 2008 to No. 56 in 2009.
* most precipitous fall in TI CPI ranking in 2 ½ years under Najib’s premiership, falling 13 placings from No. 47 in 2008 to No. 60 in 2011; when in five years under Abdullah, Malaysia fell 10 places from No. 37 in 2003 to No. 47 in 2008 and in nine years under Mahathir, Malaysia fell 14 places from No. 23 in 1995 to No. 37 in 2003.
* In the past three years 2009 – 2011, the CPI score consistently falling below the score 5, when in first 14 years from 1995 to 2008, Malaysia had only twice fallen below the score of 5, viz: 4.8 in 2000 and 4.9 in 2002.
* Consecutively in the past three years 2009 – 2011, Malaysia’s CPI score falling to ever new lows, i.e. 4.5 for 2009, 4.4 for 2010 and 4.3 for 2011.
There was no mention or reference to the worsening TI CPI ranking and worst TI CPI 2011 score for Malaysia by anyone, whether leader or delegate, in the UMNO General Assembly, although the results were announced on the same day as the UMNO Presidential Speech by Najib Razak last Thursday.
