Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University in Beppu City

Asia’s Corruption Detailed in New Index

In what looks like a race to the bottom, North Korea is ranked as the most corrupt country in Asia with the closed communist nation receiving one of the worst scores in Transparency International’s 2016 corruption index.

With a corruption score of 12, North Korea ranked 174 in the survey by the Berlin-based organization. The country was beaten out for the most corrupt nation in the index only by South Sudan and Somalia. In 2015 North Korea tied with Somalia with a corruption index of eight.

Transparency International (TI) attributed poor performance in the index to unaccountable governments that lack oversight, along with insecure and shrinking space for civil society organizations that pushes anti-corruption action to the margins in those countries.

High-profile corruption scandals, in addition to everyday corruption issues, continue to undermine public trust in government, the benefits of democracy, and the rule of law, the organization said.

“In countries with populist or autocratic leaders, we often see democracies in decline and a disturbing pattern of attempts to crack down on civil society, limit press freedom and weaken the independence of the judiciary,” explained TI Chair Jose Ugaz.

Ugaz’s description appears to apply to Cambodia, which ranked 156 with a corruption score of 21, the same corruption score the country had in 2015.

In Cambodia judicial independence is lacking, and Prime Minister Hun Sen, his family, and close associates control vast amounts of the country’s wealth.

The London-based nongovernmental agency Global Witness in its 2016 report “Hostile Takeover” detailed how Hun Sen’s family dominates the most important businesses in Cambodia where they can operate outside the law thanks to the protection of Asia’s longest-serving premier, his relatives, and associates who hold top military and government posts.

Opposition leaders and outside observers, including the U.N. special rapporteur on human rights in Cambodia, have criticized the Cambodian judicial system’s lack of independence.

Rarely do politicians of the ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) face charges, but the list of opposition lawmakers dragged before the courts is long and includes Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) leaders Sam Rainsy and Kem Sokha, as well as other opposition lawmakers like Um Sam An and Meach Sovannara, the CNRP’s media director.

Full story: rfa.org

By Brooks Boliek

Copyright © 1998-2017, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036. http://www.rfa.org.

TN

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