Annual
Report ¡§Trend of Corruption in Asia 2007¡¨
The Political and
Economic Risk Consultancy released the Annual Report ¡§Trend of Corruption in
Asia 2007¡¨ today
(March 14), evaluating 13 regions and countries in Asia.
Macao¡¦s integrity situation, scored 5.18,
ranked 4th among the evaluated, following Singapore,
Hong Kong and Japan.
A number of changes are to be found in the ranking this year, with only Singapore maintaining its first position and Macao the fourth.
The conclusion of the Annual Report ¡§Trend of
Corruption in Asia 2007¡¨
was made after carrying out a large-scale research. Conducted in January and
February through questionnaires and interviews, responses were obtained from
over 1400 foreign businessmen and expatriates in the countries/regions
surveyed. Rankings are made based on scores, with 10 score being the most
corrupted and a lower score reflects a better integrity situation. Results show
that Singapore obtained the
lowest score of 1.20, followed by Hong Kong, with a score of 1.87 and Japan, 2.10. Macao ranked the 4th
among the 13 countries/regions with a score of 5.18.
The
Report says ¡§interviews of expatriates who have worked in Macao for over a
decade indicate that the problem of petty corruption has actually improved a
lot but the money involved in the corruption that is taking place today is a
lot bigger than before.¡¨ Compared to the score of 4.78 in 2006, the score of Macao this year is 5.18, a bit higher than
that of the previous year, while the score of the 5th and 6th
ranked countries have also increased. However, the score of Hong
Kong significantly reduces from 3.13 in 2006 to 1.87 of this year, with its ranking
lifts up to the 2nd this year from the 3rd of 2006.
The Report also notes that the ex-Secretary for Transport and Public Works being ¡§arrested for
allegedly accepting bribes and engaging in illegal financial activities does not show so much that the problem of corruption is worsening as it
does that the government is trying to fight it.¡¨ It also mentions that both Macao and Hong Kong
¡§have fairly strong anti-corruption bodies that keep their governments
relatively clean.¡¨
The Report also records
scores of 5.18 and 4.97 for interviewees¡¦ perception on the seriousness of
corruption in public and private sector respectively, showing a fairly close
corruption perception in both sectors.
Ranking Table of Integrity Situation in Asia
¡@¡@
|
Countries/Regiona
|
2007
|
Ranking
|
2006
|
Ranking
|
|
Singapore
|
1.2
|
1
|
1.3
|
1
|
|
Hong Kong
|
1.87
|
2
|
3.13
|
3
|
|
Japan
|
2.1
|
3
|
3.01
|
2
|
|
Macao
|
5.18
|
4
|
4.78
|
4
|
|
Taiwan
|
6.23
|
5
|
5.91
|
6
|
|
Malaysia
|
6.25
|
6
|
6.13
|
7
|
|
China
|
6.29
|
7
|
7.58
|
9
|
|
South Korea
|
6.3
|
8
|
5.44
|
5
|
|
India
|
6.67
|
9
|
6.76
|
8
|
|
Vietnam
|
7.54
|
10
|
7.91
|
12
|
|
Indonesia
|
8.03
|
11
|
8.16
|
13
|
|
Thailand
|
8.03
|
12
|
7.64
|
10
|
|
Philippines
|
9.4
|
13
|
7.8
|
11
|
Source of Information¡GPolitical & Economic Risk Consultancy
Ltd