Windsor Genova – Fourth Estate Cooperative Contributor
Berlin, Germany (4E) – Arab Spring revolutions have failed to improve the perceived level of corruption in Egypt and Tunisia, according to Transparency International.
From a rank of 112 in 2011, Egypt slipped to 118th in this year’s corruption perception index released Wednesday by the Berlin-based group. In 2010, the country ranked 98th. Transparency International attributed the fall to high incidence of bribery, abuse of power and secret dealings in the most populous Arab nation.
Tunisia, which sparked the Arab Spring, slipped from 73rd in 2011 to 75th this year. Libya improved from 168th to 160th place while Yemen ranked 156th.
There are a total 176 countries in the index with Denmark in first place and Somalia last in a tie with Afghanistan and North Korea with identical score of 8. The higher the ranking, the cleaner the country is. Transparency International based the ranking on interviews with businessmen, local and foreign investors and others who interact with the public sector.
Most of the Arab Spring countries are in the bottom half of ranking. Arwa Hassan, Transparency International’s Middle East and North Africa outreach manager explained that post-uprising changes are slow to happen in the Arab world.
Magda Kandil, executive director of the Egyptian Center for Economic Studies, said the lack of government regulation in Egypt allowed corruption to prevail and the fruits of growth to fall into the hands of a few, according to Voice of America. Mubarak-era laws that allowed regular Egyptians to be extorted by officials are being used by new leaders, VOA reported.
Mohamed El-Sawy, head of the Anti-Corruption Task Force at the Egyptian Junior Business Association, cited as example conflicting and unclear laws that govern licensing and procurement. The culture of bribes is strong in Egypt and extortion is easier when laws are unclear as government reform lags, according to El-Sawy.
Source:
http://www.wall-street.com/egypt-tunisia-slip-in-corruption-index/