Survey: Thailand the Asian country with least increase in corruption

In your opinion, over the past year, has the level of corruption in this country increased or decreased or stayed the same? This was among questions asked to nearly 22,000 people by Transparency International in the Asia Pacific region, for the ‘People and Corruption: Asia Pacific, part of the Global Corruption Barometer series’.

Of those who replied they believed corruption had increased only 14% said so in Thailand. For other countries in the region and Greater China the percentage who also believed that corruption had increase the percentage was as follows: Myanmar 22%, Cambodia 35%, Hong Kong 46%, Vietnam 56%, Malaysia 59%, Indonesia 65% and China 73%.

The overall conclusion that can be drawn from the survey is that walking the talk is failing; governments in Asia talking big on stopping corruption are under-performing.

“Many governments in Asia Pacific fail to stop corruption; 900 million people are paying bribes,” states Transparency International.

Approximately 900 million – or just over one in four – people living in 16 countries in Asia Pacific, including some of its biggest economies are estimated to have paid a bribe to access public services, according to a new public opinion poll from the anti-corruption movement Transparency International.

“The results show lawmakers across the region need to do much more to support whistleblowers; governments must keep promises to combat corruption, including their commitments to meet the Sustainable Development Goals.”

“In China, nearly three-quarters of the people surveyed said corruption has increased over the last three years, suggesting people do not see the major offensive on corruption is working.’

Only one in five people surveyed thought the level of corruption had decreased, while half of people polled said their government was doing a bad job fighting corruption. A third had seen no change in the level of corruption.

“Governments must do more to deliver on their anti-corruption commitments. It’s time to stop talking and act. Millions of people are forced to pay bribes for public services and it is the poor who are most vulnerable,” said José Ugaz, chair of Transparency International.

Thirty-eight per cent of the poorest people surveyed said they paid a bribe, the highest proportion of any income group.

“Without proper law enforcement corruption thrives. Bribery is not a small crime, it takes food off the table, it prevents education, it impedes proper healthcare and ultimately it can kill,” Ugaz said.

Police top the list of public services most often demanding a bribe; just under a third of people who had come into contact with a police officer in the last 12 months saying they paid a bribe.

People said that the most important action to stop corruption is speaking out or refusing to pay bribes. But more than one in five said they felt powerless to help fight corruption.

This report comes at a key moment when many governments in the region are preparing their agendas to meet the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs set out development priorities for 2030, which include, among others, reducing corruption and bribery in all their forms.

Transparency International recommends:

• Governments integrate anti-corruption targets into all Sustainable Development Goals including hunger, poverty, education, health, gender equality and climate action, and develop mechanisms to reduce corruption risks.
• Legislatures adopt and enforce comprehensive legislation to protect whistleblowers, based on prevailing international standards, including those developed by Transparency International.
• Authorities prevent and sanction bribe paying/taking to end impunity related to bribery
• Anti-corruption agencies engage with and encourage large numbers of citizens who are willing to refuse paying bribes and report corruption.

The surveys were carried out face-to-face or by telephone between July 2015 and January 2017.