Corruption index highlights perceptions

A report by Transparency International Zambia has highlighted public perceptions about corruption in the country, but its veracity has been questioned. Transparency International Zambia executive director Christine Munalula told IRIN: "We wanted the perceptions of the general public on the prevalence of corruption in institutions they have daily dealings with: the police, schools, local courts, passport office etc. "Our government has committed itself to fighting corruption, we wanted to use it [the survey] to monitor whether corruption is [perceived to be] getting better or worse." Hospitals and clinics, the Lusaka city council, Zambia Revenue Authority and the customs office were all perceived to have a high level of corruption. The public also did not believe that corruption levels had lessened, she added. French news agency AFP reported that Zambian police had reacted sharply to the report, dismissing it as biased. "They [Transparency] already formed that opinion even before the survey was commissioned," AFP quoted police spokeswoman Brenda Muntemba as saying. Munalula, however, has defended the report. "It gives an indication to the relevant departments as to how the public perceives them so they can respond and develop strategies to change that perception. "The police have reacted very strongly over being the ones identified as most corrupt but the purpose [of the survey] was not to embarrass them but to give them an indication of how the community perceives them. If the population they are serving sees them as corrupt they should investigate strategies of changing that perception," she noted. Financial institutions such as commercial banks, "ranked very low" in the survey, Munalula added. "Older and less educated people are, in most cases, the most vulnerable victims of corruption," the report said. While petty corruption was most commonly manifested in "getting school places, pension payments ... and at [police] roadblocks". The report noted also that "in general, most respondents believe individuals enter politics not to serve the country but to fulfil their own personal agendas, such as self-enrichment". The full report will soon be available on the internet at: http://www.transparency.org/