PUTRAJAYA: Enforcement, public fund management and strategic communication are among the priority clusters of the focus group established to improve Malaysia's Corruption Perception Index (CPI).
Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki when contacted by Bernama said other clusters are business competitiveness, investment risk and legislation.
"This focus group will play a role based on the terms of reference, which is to analyse the findings of the survey and related indicators and recommend improvement proposals to the CPI Special Task Force," he said.
He said the focus group also needs to lead engagement sessions with stakeholders under their respective clusters to raise the confidence of stakeholders regarding the government's initiative in enhancing the CPI.
"The group also needs to find ways and recommend strategies to improve Malaysia's score and position in the CPI.
"They also need to report the status and results of their respective groups' actions to the CPI Special Task Force which will report the recommendations to the Special Cabinet Committee on National Governance (JKKTN)," he said. Meanwhile, Universiti Sains Malaysia Political Sociology Lecturer Professor Datuk Dr Sivamurugan Pandian said a focus group formed based on several clusters would enable the study of sources to be carried out.
"The focus group will find ways to improve so that Malaysia's desire to be in the group of 25 countries in 2033 in the CPI will be achieved," said Sivamurugan, who is also a member of the CPI Special Task Force.
He said engagement sessions will be conducted continuously by focus groups with all stakeholders to ensure Malaysia is able to move forward by eradicating the symptoms of corruption.
"The scope that wants to be seen is not just corruption but also issues of governance, transparency, integrity, and democracy," he said.
The media reported that the CPI Special Task Force which met for the first time on Thursday (Oct 3) agreed to establish a focus group to implement measures to improve the CPI of this country.
According to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, the focus group is led by the Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission (EAIC), the Ministry of Finance and the Malaysian Productivity Corporation (MPC).
Also participating are the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry (MITI), the Legal Affairs Division, the Prime Minister's Department (BHEUU, JPM) and the Ministry of Communications.
The CPI is a corruption perception index that has been released by Transparency International (TI), a non-governmental organisation (NGO) based in Berlin, Germany since 1995.
Malaysia's ranking in the CPI jumped from 61 in 2022 to 57 in 2023.
The government is currently establishing a CPI Special Task Force to find ways and recommend strategies to improve Malaysia's score and position in the CPI.
It is in line with the target setting of Malaysia's position in the top 25 in the world within 10 years as stated in the Mid-Term Review of the 12th Malaysia Plan. — BERNAMA