Corruption is worsening across Asia, exacerbated by the fallout from Covid-19, rising authoritarianism and waning government transparency, even in many democratic states, leading experts have warned.
In Transparency International’s latest Corruption Perceptions Index, which ranks 180 countries and territories by their level of public sector corruption on a scale of zero (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean), Asia averaged 45 for the fourth year in a row. More than 70% of states in the region fell below the halfway line.
A handful of developed nations sit comfortably in the ranking’s higher echelons, notably New Zealand (which scored 87), Singapore (83) and Hong Kong (76). Among the worst performers are the usual suspects: Afghanistan and Cambodia (both 24), Myanmar (23) and North Korea (17).
Three countries declined sharply this year: Mongolia (33), Pakistan (27), and, on 47, Malaysia, which is still struggling to shed the taint of the 1MDB scandal. The year was also marred by protests against government financial mismanagement in Sri Lanka and allegations of electoral fraud in Papua New Guinea.
Worsening corruption is due to several interwoven factors, said Ilham Mohamed, Asia regional advisor at Transparency International, the Germany-based NGO.
“During crises like the pandemic, people assume corruption can be tackled at a later stage,” she said. “When society is in flux or speed of action is required with governments, it opens up opportunities for people to be more corrupt.” This was particularly prevalent, she said, in healthcare, a sector that since 2020 has been deluged with funding — much of which did not make its way to the needy and marginalised.
“Corruption across Asia is stagnating — but this means it’s getting worse,” said Mohamed. “It affects real lives and real people on the ground: a child who misses its vaccination window; a mother waiting for a new maternity healthcare unit that never arrives.”
Democracy downgraded
It is easy to point the finger at authoritarian or one party states such as China, where public dissent is forbidden and the actions of whistle-blowers, academics and journalists are highly restricted.
But public morality is being degraded in a number of open, democratic and Western-leaning states. Under premier Narendra Modi, India (ranked 85th with a score of 40), is cracking down on human rights activists and journalists, even as it works to “consolidate power and limit the public’s ability to demand accountability”, Transparency International warned.
Mohamed said: “People call for anti-corruption reform, for a safe space for people to be heard — yet this has been reduced to a point where it’s dangerous for activists to speak out.”
Indonesia (ranked 110th with a score of 34) is another glaring example. Its Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) “used to be seen as one of the stronger [agencies] in the region, and was widely considered a really strong success story”, Mohamed said.
“But in the last six years, we have seen the KPK’s powers being curbed, with pushback against staff and key investigators replaced. It’s another example of a country that was headed very strongly in the right direction [now] curbing its anti-corruption efforts.”
But Mohamed said the outlook was not wholly gloomy. “What makes me hopeful is that Asia is very young, and young people are less tolerant of corruption. They don’t want to pay a bribe to get clean water or to get their phone connected.”