People who turn to populist politicians promising to upset the status quo and end corruption may only be feeding to the problem, an anti-corruption watchdog group warned on Wednesday.
Transparency International said in its annual Corruption Perceptions Index for 2016 that in countries with populist or autocratic leaders, “instead of tackling crony capitalism, those leaders usually install even worse forms of corrupt systems”.
India ranked 79 on the index in 2016 after it slipped three ranks from its 76th position in 2015.
The group’s board chairman, Jose Ugaz, cited Hungary and Turkey as examples. Their scores have worsened in recent years under leaders with authoritarian leanings, while Argentina, which ousted a populist government, has improved in the rankings, he said.
“Serious Concerns Over Trump’s Presidency”
Based on expert opinions of public sector corruption, the annual report rated Denmark and New Zealand as the least-corrupt countries, followed by Finland, Sweden, Switzerland, and Norway. Somalia was ranked most corrupt, followed by South Sudan, North Korea, and Syria.
Rounding out the Top Ten least corrupt countries were Singapore, the Netherlands, Canada, and the tie-placing trio of Germany, Luxembourg and the United Kingdom at number ten. The United States was placed at 18, down from 16 in 2015.
Transparency International research director Finn Heinrich told The Associated Press that the organisation was taking a wait-and-see approach to Donald Trump's presidency, but that already it had “serious concerns”.
Donald Trump came on board as the people in Hungary and Turkey, on an anti-corruption ticket. He said, ‘We’re going to drain this swamp. But if you look at his action so far, there is nepotism.... The people in his Cabinet have many conflicts of interest. They are not people who stand for transparency.Finn Heinrich
Urgent Action Required
The index scores countries on a range of factors, such as whether government officials are held to account or go unpunished for corruption; the perceived prevalence of bribery; and whether public institutions respond to citizens’ needs.
Nearly 70 percent of the 176 countries scored below 50 on the 100-point scale, with a zero meaning a country is perceived to be highly corrupt and 100 indicating it's perceived to be very clean.
“This year, more countries declined in the index than improved, showing the need for urgent action,” the report said.
Need for Transparency
The country that dropped most sharply in the rankings was Qatar, which has faced criticism over alleged human rights abuses involving migrant construction workers since it was chosen to host the 2022 World Cup of soccer. It dropped 10 points, falling to 31 on the list from 22 last year.
Still, Heinrich said Qatar’s government has in the past shown itself “willing and keen” to fight corruption, and that transparency would appeal to them for more fundamental reforms to ensure better freedom of speech and more media freedom, among other things.
You can’t fight corruption without having accountability and transparency in the entire public process.
Afghanistan, a perennial fixture near the bottom of the list, improved the most in 2016. Its score on the Transparency International index rose four points, but still was ranked at 169, just ahead of Libya, Sudan and Yemen.
(This article was written in a special arrangement with AP)
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