KUALA LUMPUR: The Special Task Force for the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) has established a focus group led by the Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission (EAIC).
The group will also include the Finance Ministry, the Malaysian Productivity Corporation (MPC), the Investment, Trade and Industry Ministry, the Legal Affairs Division of the Prime Minister's Department and the Communications Ministry.
The objective of the focus group is to implement actions related to the enhancement of CPI according to their respective priority areas and to report to the National Governance Planning Division of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, which serves as the secretariat for the Special Task Force on CPI.
The task force, in a statement, said the focus group would also comprise public and private agencies, business chambers, and non-governmental organisations.
The matter was decided in the task force's first meeting held today.
"Today's meeting discussed six priority areas, namely enforcement, public fund management, business competitiveness, investment risk, legislation, and strategic communication," the task force said.
The meeting was chaired by task force head, Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar. Also present was MACC chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki.
Its objective is to find ways and recommend strategies to improve Malaysia's score and ranking in Transparency International's annual CPI, in line with the target of placing Malaysia in the top 25 globally within 10 years.
The task force includes the secretaries-general of several ministries, and the heads of several government departments and agencies, including MACC and EAIC.
Others are Bursa Malaysia chairman Tan Sri Abdul Wahid Omar, Bernama chairman Datuk Seri Wong Chun Wai, Transparency International Malaysia president Dr Muhammad Mohan, MACC Operations Assessment Panel member Dr Mazlan Ahmad, and Universiti Sains Malaysia Political Sociology lecturer Professor Datuk Dr Sivamurugan Pandian.
The task force, said the statement, emphasises that raising Malaysia's standing in the CPI was the responsibility of all and not just that of MACC.