Singapore voted least corrupt nation in Asia

SINGAPORE: -- Singapore is the least corrupt nation in Asia and Indonesia the worst, but most countries in the region have shown improvements in dealing with the problem, acccording to a survey of foreign business executives released Thursday.

This year's survey by the Political and Economic Risk Consultancy showed perceptions of corruption improved sharply in China and Thailand and slightly in several other countries compared to their last poll in 2003.

Using a scale with zero the best possible grade and 10 the worst, PERC asked more than 1 000 expatriate businessmen and women in the region to rate how bad they viewed the problem of corruption in the country where they are working, as well as in their home countries.

Singapore was voted the least corrupt country with a score of 0.50, although this was a slight deterioration from its grade of 0.38 last year.

Japan was at a distant second with 3.50, and Hong Kong was in third place with a score of 3.60.

Taiwan came in fourth with a grade of 6.10 and South Korea followed with 6.67.

China, Malaysia, and Thailand were tied at sixth place with scores of 7.33, trailed by the Philippines at 8.33 and Vietnam at 8.67.

India, with a score of 8.90, and Indonesia, which got a grade of 9.25, rounded up the worst performers.

For comparison, the survey included the United States, which got a grade of 2.45 while Australia had 2.17.

"Perceptions have improved in the past year in the majority of Asian countries covered by our survey of expatriate businessmen conducted in January and February of this year," the Hong Kong-based risk consultancy said.

"Some of the biggest improvements has been registered in countries like China and Thailand, which have long had poor reputations, while perceptions in three of the four worst rated countries for corruption, Vietnam, India and Indonesia, are slightly better this year than last," it said.

China's score improved one point from last year, and Thailand's grade was better by 1.42 points.

Although the worst, Indonesia's grade was an improvement from last year's 9.33. India's grade improved from last year's 9.30 and Vietnam's rating bettered its 8.83 score in 2003.

"The Philippines was the only country ranking near the bottom of the list where the problem of corruption is seen to have intensified in the past year," the report said. Manila's score worsened by 0.66 points.

Malaysia's grade also sharply deteriorated from 6.00 to 7.33.

But PERC clarified this was largely due to the willingness of the government under Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi to admit that the problem of corruption exist, compared with the rule of former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad.

"It does not mean that corruption has actually increased this much in the past year but the latest grade is a correction from underestimates in earlier years," PERC said.

The consultancy held Malaysia as an example of a country where the perception grade has worsened but the problem of corruption is being addressed more decisively.

It took a different view of Thailand, whose perception rating has improved sharply "but the problem of corruption has not improved in fact and might even have deteriorated."

"Our guess is that expatriates working in Thailand know full well of improprieties that take place but these abuses are not seen to be hurting the business of expatriates.

"After all, Thailand is the best performing economy in Southeast Asia these days," it said.

PERC said this shows that perceptions of corruption are related to the performance of an economy.

- AFP 2004-03-04

Of course Singapore is the least corrupt. There is only one company to do business with there (except for a few multinationals, but they have all moved out now, because of high labour costs). All local companies worth anything belongs to "Temasek Holding". A company owned by Singapore Leader's wife. It's activities include:

Kindergartens

supermarkets

The National Trade Union!!!

Taxi companies

Semiconductor Companies

Weapons companies

Shipyards

Banks

National Airline

TIBS Bus company

All Major Newpapers

Other media (TV stations)

etc.

etc.

etc.

ad nauseum.

And what is not owned by Temasek Holding, i.e. Singapore Telecom, has Singapore Leader's son running it as CEO.

As for Thailand.... well... time will tell!

If I have to login to http://thaivisa/shincorp.com/ I'm outta here!

cv

If I have to login to http://thaivisa/shincorp.com/ I'm outta here!

cv

and I will be going with you Vic. What in the world could be worse

mmm...

yes

i think so

there's really one big

huge

ugly

giant company

running almost all the businesses

in singapore

talk about land and rental of units

85 percent of more

directly or indirectly

belongs to the ((you know who))

and it's wrong to say

there is no corruption

THERE ARE NO OPEN CORRUPTION

until somebody is caught

remember the millions in SIA's case ??

and if any care or is able to dig

very deep enough

of the minister's clan of businesses

you will indeed find ""legal"" corruption

i heard when you buy a HDB flat

you pay lawyer fees to a certain law firm

without seeing or even hearing the lawyer's face or voice

that is a corrupted genius...

I love how it was reported that Thailand was the sixth least corrupt country in SEA, rather than the third most corrupt.

cv

I love how it was reported that Thailand was the sixth least corrupt country in SEA, rather than the third most corrupt. <_<

cv

Perhaps Cheerless Leader owns this journalist too

People are too scared to be corrupt in Singapore. They must be the most brainwashed people on the planet. One guy who refused to apologise to the government for criticising it and would not take back his words was held in 'prison' for about 20 years or so without trial. His prison was on Sentosa island in the security guard house. More of a self imposed exhile really, but the fact was that he could not do anything other than this because the govt. was forcing his position.

Or the guy who's political career was ruined because the leading party found out that he has been using office stamps to send his own private letters?

Or the guy who complained publicly that there were too many christian chinese in parliament and that it did not properly representing the demographics of the country. He was sued by 13 accounts, had his and his wife's assets frozen and finally had to flee to neighbouring Malaysia never to return.

Or the Indian lawyer who complained about the govenment. He also was sued until bankrupt. Now he's selling his book outside Centerpoint shopping center, but hardly anyone dares talk to him, nor buy his book.

Or the decree not to report the number of school children that jumps from to their death every day because of the high pressure in schools to perform.

The guy on Sentosa was actually part of the Barisan Socialis, the communist party that was fighting the British from the jungles in Malaysia after the war. He's the longest held political prisonner in the world after Nelson Mandela. He has recently been allowed access to mainland Singapore, and his house at Sentosa is nomore to be seen. Too bad really, it was the last house in Singapore with a proper plot of land and a vegetable garden

ASIC