Indonesia, which was once considered the “big jumper” in corruption prevention in Southeast Asia, representing the “best practices” in combating graft, is currently experiencing significant regression
he 2022 Corruption Perception Index (CPI), issued by Transparency International (TI) for 180 countries on Tuesday, showed stagnation in the rankings of several Southeast Asian countries and deepening democratic regression in some others that directly or indirectly impacted the quality of public-sector governance.
On a scale of one to 100, where one represents maximal corruption, Singapore’s CPI declined slightly from 85 in 2021 to 83 in 2022, followed by Malaysia from 48 to 47. Meanwhile, Vietnam improved from 39 to 42 and Thailand from 35 to 36. But Indonesia fell from 38 to 34, and the Philippines remained stagnant at 33. Laos went up from 30 to 31, Cambodia from 23 to 24, but Myanmar fell from 28 to 23.
These numbers show there was no big winner among Southeast Asian countries last year, although Vietnam deserves commendation for its increase of 3 on the index. Conversely, significant declines occurred in several countries, including Myanmar and Indonesia, which currently holds the ASEAN chairmanship.
In Myanmar’s case, corruption has undermined political, social and economic stability and has thereby threatened the state’s peace and security. Systematic and structured corruption has also created a fertile ground for the activities of organized crime, radicalism and terrorism, including sociopolitical disorder caused by political distrust. With the military firmly entrenched in power after its 2021 coup, Myanmar is unable to manage its anti-corruption measures and to reconsolidate its democratic pillars.
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