Mark Forbes in Jakarta
The Sydney Morning Herald (Australia)
LOW-LEVEL corruption pervades daily life across the Asia-Pacific, with the poor and vulnerable the biggest victims of a hidden graft epidemic, a comprehensive United Nations study shows.
To be released by the Indonesian President, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, today, Tackling Corruption, Transforming Lives calls for renewed efforts to combat graft in the region.
It finds corruption remains common, "ranging from petty corruption to grand corruption to 'state capture' - all of which erode trust in government and business and discriminate harshly against the poor".
The report expresses concern about the impact of "street-level" corruption on the lives of the poor, limiting their access to justice, education and basic health services. Cleaning up the police, health, education and environment sectors in the Asia Pacific is essential, it states.
It finds a danger that pursuing corruption's "big fish" could obscure confronting small-scale corruption, which causes more day-to-day suffering.
"Hauling the rich and powerful before the courts may grab the headlines, but the poor will benefit more from efforts to eliminate the corruption that plagues their everyday lives," it says.
Although "grand corruption" involved large amounts, more insidious was the petty corruption requiring the poor to often pay small sums, such as "speed money to issues licences, or to allow full access to schools, hospitals or public utilities".
The report found a large proportion of health spending was dissipated by corruption, with more than 40 per cent of health users forced to pay bribes for medical treatment in most Asian countries. In some Indian hospitals 90 per cent of patients had been forced to pay, and in maternity hospitals mothers had to bribe nurses to see their babies.
The study says politicians are seen as the most corrupt group across the Asia-Pacific region, with police a close second and the judiciary not far behind. A survey found nearly one in five people in the region had paid a bribe to a police officer in the past year.
"Across the region, corruption is clearly widespread in justice systems," the report states.
Intensive institutional reform was an urgent priority. "Unless countries are determined to ensure their systems of justice are clean and fair, they are unlikely to be able to uproot corruption from other sectors."
In some countries in the region "state capture", where large corporations in effect take over state functions, remains a threat, the report warns.
"In the extraction of natural resources this is one of the most serious and pervasive forms of corruption," it states.
In Indonesia, Cambodia and Papua New Guinea more than 70 per cent of logging is done illegally, the report estimates.
As corruption was not disappearing, "the countries of the Asia-Pacific region need therefore not just to uproot corruption now but also build institutions and processes that could help keep a lid on it on a continual basis", the study recommends.
It calls for a seven-stage strategy, including international co-ordination, with all countries in the region joining the UN convention against corruption, stronger controls over the public sector, and freedom of information.
"The real price of corruption is not paid in currency, after all," the report states. "The true costs are eroded opportunities, increased marginalisation of the disadvantaged and feelings of injustice."
To be released by the Indonesian President, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, today, Tackling Corruption, Transforming Lives calls for renewed efforts to combat graft in the region.
It finds corruption remains common, "ranging from petty corruption to grand corruption to 'state capture' - all of which erode trust in government and business and discriminate harshly against the poor".
The report expresses concern about the impact of "street-level" corruption on the lives of the poor, limiting their access to justice, education and basic health services. Cleaning up the police, health, education and environment sectors in the Asia Pacific is essential, it states.
It finds a danger that pursuing corruption's "big fish" could obscure confronting small-scale corruption, which causes more day-to-day suffering.
"Hauling the rich and powerful before the courts may grab the headlines, but the poor will benefit more from efforts to eliminate the corruption that plagues their everyday lives," it says.
Although "grand corruption" involved large amounts, more insidious was the petty corruption requiring the poor to often pay small sums, such as "speed money to issues licences, or to allow full access to schools, hospitals or public utilities".
The report found a large proportion of health spending was dissipated by corruption, with more than 40 per cent of health users forced to pay bribes for medical treatment in most Asian countries. In some Indian hospitals 90 per cent of patients had been forced to pay, and in maternity hospitals mothers had to bribe nurses to see their babies.
The study says politicians are seen as the most corrupt group across the Asia-Pacific region, with police a close second and the judiciary not far behind. A survey found nearly one in five people in the region had paid a bribe to a police officer in the past year.
"Across the region, corruption is clearly widespread in justice systems," the report states.
Intensive institutional reform was an urgent priority. "Unless countries are determined to ensure their systems of justice are clean and fair, they are unlikely to be able to uproot corruption from other sectors."
In some countries in the region "state capture", where large corporations in effect take over state functions, remains a threat, the report warns.
"In the extraction of natural resources this is one of the most serious and pervasive forms of corruption," it states.
In Indonesia, Cambodia and Papua New Guinea more than 70 per cent of logging is done illegally, the report estimates.
As corruption was not disappearing, "the countries of the Asia-Pacific region need therefore not just to uproot corruption now but also build institutions and processes that could help keep a lid on it on a continual basis", the study recommends.
It calls for a seven-stage strategy, including international co-ordination, with all countries in the region joining the UN convention against corruption, stronger controls over the public sector, and freedom of information.
"The real price of corruption is not paid in currency, after all," the report states. "The true costs are eroded opportunities, increased marginalisation of the disadvantaged and feelings of injustice."
5 comments:
if SRP promises to adopt the anti-corruption law, the party will receive more than one million voters for this one
As long as Cambodia under present ruling party ( CPP ) Cambodia still the most corruption country in the south East Asia.
We got to get rid of the Scan Rainxy Party (SRP). They are too desperate. They will steal and rob everyone on site.
Ah Hun Sen and his CPP keeping stealing Cambodia asset cut the forest sell to oversea
Get money billions dollars, stolen tax moneys, lands grabbing from the poor people.
And they call them self “ Government of Cambodia “ from my point of view they just a big gangster ( The Mafia ).
there you go, thanks for educating cambodia that they are not alone on the planet of countries. anyway, not to say that cambodia condone or should continue such dispecable act the rob its own country and people. anyway, adopt good law so this kind of practice can be minimized or eradicated completely with the good laws in cambodia. god bless cambodia.
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