Worsening Corruption in Nepal: TI Report
Nepal is the most corrupt nation in South Asia, says an annual report by Transparency International.
Transparency International (TI)'s report of 2009 reports that corruption is getting worse in Nepal. The country is now placed at 143 out of 180 nations. Last year it was 138th.
The measurement is based mainly on transparency and impartiality of election system as The GPI reports New Zealand as the least corrupt with Somalia as the most corrupt.
In South Asia, Bhutan is reported as the least corrupt and Nepal as the most corrupt country.
In the Asia-Pacific, Afghanistan is the most corrupt, followed by Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste, and Nepal, in that order.
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"Despite the fact that Nepal replaced its centuries-old monarchy with a federal republic, drafted a constitution and held elections in 2008 – all relatively peacefully – political instability, lawlessness, nepotism and lack of accountability prevail in the society and corruption is perceived to be a major concern. An anti-corruption agenda has not become a political and social priority."
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The Asia-Pacific overview follows:
The global financial crisis and political transformation in many Asian countries during 2008 exposed fundamental weaknesses in both the financial and political systems and demonstrated the failures in policy, regulations, oversight, and enforcement mechanisms.
Bangladesh and Tonga scored significantly higher this year, reflecting an improvement in perceived levels of corruption. Malaysia, on the other hand, saw its score decline, representing a worsening level of perceived corruption.
Bangladesh’s score of 2.4 continues to reflect perceptions of rampant corruption, but represents an improvement over its score of 2.1 in the 2008 CPI. This is the result of a nationwide crackdown on corruption during 2007-08 and the introduction of institutional and legal reforms by the caretaker government aimed at strengthening the government’s capacity to tackle corruption. Whether the improvement is to be sustainable will depend on the new government’s ability to strengthen key institutions dealing with anti-corruption, public information and human rights, as well as the judiciary, law enforcement agencies and public services.
Following the 2006 riots, Tonga has undergone reforms that seek to grant greater political power to popularly elected officials and its anti-corruption drive has earned the support of local civil society organisations. Tonga’s CPI score has risen to 3.0 in 2009 from 1.7 in 2007.
Since 2008, the Hong Kong government and the Independent Commission against Corruption have intensified efforts to fight corruption in the financial sector. New regulations were enacted and new tools developed.
In Vanuatu, political freedom and high fiscal freedom have remained a stable feature. Indonesia still has a long way to go to eradicate corruption but the recent tough approach by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) is encouraging. The KPK has reported a 100 per cent conviction rate for corruption cases involving some of the country's highest-ranking officials. A crucial task for the new administration is to continue support of the KPK. Local anti-corruption advocates must ensure that this agency is not weakened.
The decline in the CPI score for Malaysia (from 5.1 in 2008 to 4.5 in 2009) may be attributed to the perception that there has been little progress combating corruption and a lack of political will to implement effective anti-corruption measures. The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) appears to focus on “small fish” and opposition politicians.
The Maldives is undergoing a radical political transition in response to national and international criticism and has introduced a series of political reforms. However, their passage has not been smooth and human rights abuses and corruption cases have been exposed.
Despite the fact that Nepal replaced its centuries-old monarchy with a federal republic, drafted a constitution and held elections in 2008 – all relatively peacefully – political instability, lawlessness, nepotism and lack of accountability prevail in the society and corruption is perceived to be a major concern. An anti-corruption agenda has not become a political and social priority.
Public-sector corruption in Afghanistan, which is at the bottom of the index, is rampant according to reports and surveys. Examples of corruption include public posts for sale, justice for a price, daily bribing for basic services and the exploding opium trade, which is also linked to corruption.
In Taiwan, corruption scandals involving former President Chen Shui-pian and his family members gripped the public and have resulted in convictions.
China has launched a sustained anti-corruption drive and intensified a crackdown on corruption in the public sector, investigating and prosecuting ministers, public officials and employees. Corrupt officials above provincial levels were disciplined and preventive measures to deal with stimulus packages to tackle the financial crisis.
> The regional report on Asia-Pacific (in PDF).
Posted by Editor on June 13, 2010 7:24 AM