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South
America's Leader in Corruption - Again
Alejandro
Sciscioli
ASUNCION, (IPS) - Paraguay remains the
most corrupt country in South America,
the second in the Americas after
Haiti, and the fourth-most corrupt
country in the world, according to
Transparency International's new
report.
The Corruption Perceptions Index drawn
up annually by the Berlin-based
international anti-corruption watchdog
says nine out of 10 developing
countries are in urgent need of
practical support for combating graft.
Among the main causes of corruption in
Paraguay as measured by this year's
report were ''the huge shady deals,
some of which could even be considered
outright theft,'' by the previous
government, which also fuelled a rise
in poverty, analyst Félix Lugo told
IPS.
Ranking at the bottom of the list are
Bangladesh -- seen as the world's most
corrupt country -- followed by
Nigeria, Haiti, Paraguay, Myanmar,
Cameroon, Angola, Tajikistan, Kenya,
Georgia, Azerbaijan and Indonesia, all
of which scored less than two, out of
a total possible score of 10.
In the report released Tuesday,
Transparency International granted
lower scores than last year to
Argentina, Belarus, Chile, Canada,
Israel, Luxembourg, Poland, the United
States and Zimbabwe.
At the other extreme are the countries
that scored above nine, indicating low
levels of corruption: Finland,
Iceland, Denmark, New Zealand,
Singapore and Sweden.
The president of the Paraguayan
chapter of Transparency International,
Pilar Callizo, lamented that
Paraguay's score dropped ''from 1.7 in
2001 to 1.6 this year.''
Callizo said it was unfortunately
necessary to admit that the efforts of
organized
civil society had been insufficient to
combat ''the lack of political will on
the part of'' the administration of
Luis González Macchi (1999-2003), who
turned over the reins on Aug. 15 to
President Nicanor Duarte. Both belong
to the Colorado Party, which has been
in power since 1948.
The Transparency International report
was based on 17 surveys by 13
independent institutions, carried out
among business people, academics, risk
analysts, local residents and
expatriates in the 133 countries that
were ranked this year, compared to
last year's 102 countries.
The larger number of countries covered
by this year's report is due to the
fact that a greater number of valid
and reliable sources were found,
according to a communique issued by
Transparency International, which
explained that at least three surveys
are necessary for a country to be
included on the list.
The surveys used to draw up this
year's report were conducted between
2001 and 2003, when González Macchi
was in power in Paraguay.
Callizo said Transparency
International sees as ''encouraging''
the new government's stated aim to
clamp down on corruption, and the
steps it has already taken to do so.
However, several controversial
appointments to key public posts have
cast doubt on the depth of the
government's commitment to fight
corruption, she said, without naming
any names.
''I believe the current government has
a double-voiced discourse regarding
corruption, and the citizenry must
demand answers. As long as the public
remains passive, there is
unfortunately nothing we can do,'' she
added.
Callizo said oversight bodies like the
public prosecutor's office and the
office of the comptroller-general were
fundamental to the task of tackling
corruption.
''But since these bodies do not work
properly either, it is the citizenry
who must remain vigilant, demand
clarification of cases that are
uncovered, and insist that the guilty
parties be held accountable,'' she
said.
The vice-president of the Paraguayan
chapter of Transparency International,
Arsenio Vasconcellos, also underlined
the importance of society's commitment
to combating graft.
''It is important for citizens to try
to diminish the impact of this scourge
and participate in the 'islands of
integrity', to prevent the persistence
of corruption in the public sector,''
he said.
Vasconcellos said transparency is not
only the responsibility of the public
sector, but also an obligation for
society as a whole.
Political and economic analyst Lugo
pointed to several factors leading to
the increased public perception of
corruption in Paraguay, ''all of which
come together in the role played by
the government of González Macchi.''
He said the ''shady deals'' that
characterized
the González Macchi administration
were the main factor in society's
increased perception of corruption.
''Linked to that, of course, is the
increase in poverty fuelled by those
actions,'' he added.
Lugo also noted that Paraguayan
society's mistrust of the government
has deepened due to the ''shameless
ostentation of impunity observed in
more than one case.'' He added that
''the justice system is another
decisive factor.
''In many cases, it is people in the
justice system who are chiefly
responsible for the public's
perception of a high level of
corruption,'' he said.
One aspect that should also be
addressed, according to the analyst,
is that the Paraguayan state ''is
structured in a corrupt manner, with
contradictory laws, a lack of real
controls and oversight, and the
overlapping of authority and
functions.
''Corruption here is systemic, and
only real, values-based education and
the reduction of poverty would be able
to change the conception that citizens
hold of their own state,'' he said.
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