Media statement by Lim Guan Eng in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday, 4^th December 2011: 

The BN Federal Government practicing double-standards by dismissing the unfavourable TI CPI as subjective but the favourable Global Competitiveness Index is objective 

The BN federal government is clearly practicing double-standards by dismissing the Transparency International(TI) Corruption Perception Index(CPI) as subjective because it is unfavourable but the favourable Global Competitiveness Index(GCI) by the World Economic Forum is objective. Second Finance Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah said that Malaysia's Corruption Perception Index (CPI) rankings slide was "subjective" and "questionable", saying that measures based on perception should not be used as an ultimate gauging method.

TI said that Malaysia's 2011 CPI dropped for the third year running, slipping to 4.3 this year, leaving it in 60th place out of 183 countries compared with 37^th place when Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi took over as prime minister in 2003. Worse, TI's survey of 1,000 respondents also found that the police and political parties were seen as the most corrupt institutions in the country, with most Malaysians believing that corruption levels would remain the same in the next three years. TI Malaysia Deputy President Mohammad Ali even noted that Malaysia's CPI has continued to decline as "elements of state" that facilitated 'grand corruption' were still prevalent.

This is a classic case of denial by the BN Federal government that corruption has worsened in Malaysia despite the Economic Transformation Program and Government Transformation Program by the Prime Minister. This state of denial that the truth hurts is most evident when the BN government praised itself for Malaysia's improvement by five spots to 21st place in the World Economic Forum's Global Competitiveness Index(GCI) 2011 ranking from No. 26 last year.

Why is the GCI not a subjective evaluation that is also questionable? Is the GCI neither subjective nor questionable just because it is favourable to the Federal Government? The BN should not take an ostrich in the sand approach but admit that Malaysia faces serious corruption levels.

If the evaluation by TI was done after the RM250 million "cows and condos" scandal was exposed by the 2010 Auditor-General's Report, Malaysia decline in the CPI would be even worse. However the refusal of even a learned economist like Husni to face hard truths and reality shows that there is no hope of successfully combating corruption under a BN and UMNO that is willing to sacrifice principles for political expediency.

*Lim Guan Eng, DAP Secretary General & MP for Bagan