CORRUPTION levels in Malaysia are getting worse, said Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission chief commissioner Mohd Shukri Abdull.

He said this was based on several international indicators, surveys and studies.

“People always ask what the level of corruption here is. Normally no one wants to give an accurate answer. For me, it’s worrying. 

“The facts are there. Take, for example, the corruption perception index, 2014 we scored 52. We barely passed, it is a C-grade,” Shukri told a forum in Putrajaya today. 

He cited various other surveys done by KPMG, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia and the Global Corruption Barometer, which show how corruption is worsening. 

Shukri said the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal also put the country on the global map for corruption. 

“In the last year, we were known in the world as a kleptocratic nation. We were not known as a country with integrity. This is shameful.”

Even businessman and students agree that graft in Malaysia was normal and greasing palms to get things done or moving was a normal accepted practice, he said.

“In the UKM study on students’ perception of graft, 30% were willing to pay bribes if there was a need to realise an opportunity,” Shukri said.

In this year’s CPI, graft watchdog Transparency International (TI) said Malaysia fell seven spots to No. 62, marking its lowest position since the index was started in 1995. – November 13, 2018.