Transparency International found that India and Vietnam are the most corrupt whilst Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong and Australia are the least. The poor suffer the most, but in Myanmar, Vietnam and Cambodia the richest are asked for bribes the most. Bribes “can kill”. Many governments remain lukewarm towards the problem.
Bangkok (AsiaNews/Agencies) – About 900 million people have paid a bribe at least once in 2016, this according to a report by Transparency International, which surveyed more than 20,000 people in 16 Asia-Pacific countries and territories.
The study shows the magnitude of a problem that sees ordinary people pay kickbacks to get a service from a public official.
Bribery rates were highest in India and Vietnam, where nearly two thirds of respondents said they had to sweeten the deal to access basic services like public education and healthcare. Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong and Australia reported the lowest incidences of bribery.
The poor are hit hardest by corruption with 38 per cent of respondents saying they had to pay a bribe, the highest in any income category.
Yet whilst poorer people were more likely to be targeted in countries like Thailand, India and Pakistan, the reverse trend was found in places like Vietnam, Myanmar and Cambodia.
“Bribery is not a small crime, it takes food off the table, it prevents education, it impedes proper healthcare and ultimately it can kill,” said Transparency International chairman Jose Ugaz in a press release.
When it comes to perceptions of corruption Malaysia and Vietnam got the worst ratings from their own citizens, who felt graft was widespread and accused their governments of doing little to fight it.
Corruption scandals have rocked a number of governments in the region, including South Korea, where President Park Geun-hye has been suspended pending impeachment, Malaysia, where Prime Minister Najib Razak is involved in an ongoing scandal, and China, where scores of top officials have been arrested and convicted as part of President Xi Jinping’s campaign against graft.