Region’s corruption outlook remains grim

Corruption remains widespread throughout Central Asia according to Transparency International’s (TI) latest index, which ranks Turkmenistan among the world’s three most corrupt states. Ben Elers, TI programme manager for Europe and Central Asia, said on Tuesday that Central Asia was an area “of real concern to us”. “Turkmenistan has done the worst,” he added, speaking from the organisation’s Berlin headquarters, “but basically, all of the Central Asian republics have scored less than three out of 10, which really does indicate there is a strong perception of endemic corruption throughout the region." “There is not really much change [in the region]. There is [only] a slight improvement in Kazakhstan,” Elers added. His comments coincided with the launch of TI’s Corruption Perception Index (CPI) 2005, which reported that corruption was rampant in 70 countries, including the five former Soviet republics of Central Asia. More than two-thirds of 159 nations surveyed scored less than five out of a clean score of 10, indicating serious levels of corruption in a majority of the countries surveyed. The CPI is a composite survey, reflecting the perceptions of business people and country analysts, both resident and non-resident. It draws on 16 polls from 10 independent institutions. For a country to be included, it must feature in at least three polls. As a result, several countries, including some that could have high levels of corruption, are not included for lack of survey data. In the new index, Kazakhstan scored 2.6 - a slight improvement on 2004's 2.2, while Turkmenistan’s score dropped from 2.0 in 2004 to 1.8 in 2005, putting it alongside Bangladesh and Chad, the world’s most corrupt states. The scores of Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan remained almost unchanged, 2.3, 2.1 and 2.2 respectively, suggesting corruption in those countries remained constant. Addressing the reasons for the region’s high corruption levels, Elers cited the Soviet legacy from which the regional states had not yet escaped. “There still needs to be comprehensive reforms in pretty much every sector of society,” he said. “The economic system needs to be opened up, with greater emphasis on democracy, and civil society needs to be given a voice." “There needs to be simplification in many areas of life. If systems are too complicated then it can encourage corruption,” Elers noted. TI said corruption was hampering international efforts to halve extreme poverty by 2015, undermining the economic growth and sustainable development that would free millions from the poverty trap. Fighting corruption must be central to plans to increase resources to achieve the goals, whether via donor aid or in-country domestic action, the corruption watchdog added. “Corruption is a major cause of poverty as well as a barrier to overcoming it,” TI chairman Peter Eigen said in a statement. “The two scourges feed off each other, locking their populations in a cycle of misery. Corruption must be vigorously addressed if aid is to make a real difference in freeing people from poverty.” Meanwhile, foreign investment is said to be lower in countries perceived to be corrupt, further harming their chances of prosperity, according to research. When countries improve governance and reduce corruption, they reap a “development dividend” that, according to the World Bank, can include improved child mortality rates, higher per capita income and greater literacy.