Malaysia was the top Organisation of Islamic Co-operation (OIC) country in the early years of the Transparency International (TI) Corruption Perception Index (CPI) series starting in 1995.
For six years from 1995 to 2,000, Malaysia was unchallenged as the top OIC country in the TI CPI series.
Then in 2001, Tunisia beat Malaysia when Tunisia was ranked No. 31 with a score of 5.3 out of 10 while Malaysia was ranked No. 36 with a score of 5.0 out of 10 while Jordan was ranked No. 37 with a score of 4.9.
But in 2003, when the Middle Eastern countries of Oman, Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait were included in the TI CPI series , Malaysia went into stagnation and decline, with Malaysia ranked No. 37 with a score of 5.2 out of 138 countries, (which she shared with United Arab Emirates), but lost out to Oman (No. 26 with score of 6.3), Bahrain (No. 27 with score of 6.1), Qatar (No. 32 with score of 5.6) and Kuwait (No. 35 with score of 5.3).
In 2004, Malaysia lost out to five OIC countries when she was ranked 38 with score of 5, which she shared with Tunisia. The five OIC countries were Oman and UAE (both ranked No. 29 with score of 6.1), Bahrain (No. 34 with score of 5.8), Jordan (No. 37 with score of 5.2) and Qatar (No. 38 with score of 5.2).
In 2005, Malaysia lost out to five OIC countries when she was ranked No. 39 with score of 5.1. The five OIC countries Malaysia lost to were Oman (No. 28 with score of 6.3), UAE (No. 30 with score of 6.2), Qatar (No. 32 with score of 5.9), Bahrain (No. 36 with score of 5.8) and Jordan (No. 37 with score of 5.7).
Since 2006, Malaysia has been losing from two to six OIC countries in the annual TI CPI series.
In the latest 2022 TI CPI for instance, Malaysia lost out to three OIC countries – UAE (No. 27 with score of 67 over 100), Qatar (No.40 with score of 58) and Saudi Arabia (No. 54 with score of 51) while Malaysia shared with Turkey, ranked 61 with score of 47 out of 100.
Malaysia best recovery in the TI CPI ratings in the last decade was in the 2020 TI CPI ranking, when Malaysia was ranked No. 57 with a score of 51 and was placed to overtake Saudi Arabia and even Oman in a few years if Malaysia had continued to improve on the anti-corruption front, but the infamous Sheraton Move political conspiracy took place in February 2020 and Malaysia continued in a new TI CPI decline in the next two years.
With anti-corruption efforts by the Anwar unity government in the past five months, Malaysia is set to be back on the recovery trail in the TI CPI ratings in the next few years, and but more must be done in fighting corruption if Malaysia is to be the top OIC country in the annual TI CPI ratings.
Former PAS leader, Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat would have supported the goal to make Malaysia the top OIC country in the annual TI CPI series, but would Hadi Awang, who had been blaming the non-Malays for the corruption problem in Malaysia and suggested that corruption was acceptable if committed by Muslim leaders, accept the goal to make Malaysian the top OIC country in the annual TI CPI series?