The local chapter of Transparency International recently released its 2014 survey on corruption in the country based on face-to-face interviews with over 2,000 people. It showed some improvements compared with last year’s survey although it is felt that was negatively impacted by the General Election.
Some 30% of respondents felt corruption had increased in the last two years, 33% felt it was unchanged, and 36% thought it had increased. In last year’s survey, 39% stated they thought it had increased. Over one third (38%) felt the government’s efforts to fight corruption were ineffective.
These results reflect similar trends to the survey conducted among the expat community by The Expat Group, which revealed that 44% of expats felt corruption was getting worse, and 47% believed that the government’s efforts were not that effective in remedying the problem.
Clearly, more work needs to be done to convince people living here that the government is serious about fighting corruption. It is well-recognised that it is virtually impossible to eliminate corruption, but other countries in the region, like Singapore and Hong Kong, have shown it can be substantially reduced given sufficient focus and a sustained effort.
The global Corruption Perceptions Index released by Transparency International last year showed Malaysia moving up one notch to 53rd place out 177 counties surveyed. Though only a marginal improvement from the previous year, Malaysia is still significantly ahead of most of its Southeast Asian neighbours.
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