The Center to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4) urged the government to provide a clear timeline and strategy for the implementation of such reforms.

It also said the rewording of a written law on asset declarations by MPs to declarations of “interest and gifts” had implications for transparency, calling it a misrepresentation of the initial intentions behind the initiative.

Other concerns raised included the omission of term limits for the prime minister, chief ministers and menteris besar, with C4 citing former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s extended tenure.

“Limiting the power of the executive is crucial to strengthening the independence of public institutions, and it is matter of concern that NACS has completely ignored such a fundamental reform,” it said.

C4 said NACS’s several weaknesses were likely to limit its effectiveness, especially in light of recent governance-related controversies such as the reappointment of Azam Baki as the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief commissioner.

In May, Chief Secretary Zuki Ali said Azam’s contract as MACC chief commissioner had been extended for one year effective May 12, when his contract was initially due to end.

C4 also called attention to what it claimed was the misleading use of the corruption perceptions index (CPI) ranking to measure success in curbing graft.

“Rankings are dependent on the performance of other countries, and may not reflect actual changes in the perception of corruption in a particular country.

“A better approach would have been to identify a score for Malaysia to achieve, from which a respectable CPI ranking would follow,” it said.

C4 likewise criticised NACS for its monitoring and evaluation processes, as well as what it described as ambiguous definitions and measurements for completed initiatives.

The agency called for civil society involvement in the monitoring and evaluation processes, saying such groups could offer critical and independent perspectives that bureaucratic approaches often overlook.