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According to a recent report from Transparency International, governments in numerous nations around the Asia-Pacific region have repressed fundamental liberties and public space in the face of growing authoritarianism and significant levels of corruption (TI).
According to the Corruption Perception Index (CPI), 2022 report released on January 31, Afghanistan, Cambodia, North Korea, and Myanmar are among the Asian countries that have the worst reputations for restricting civic space and fundamental freedoms.
The Asia-Pacific region is still plagued with massive corruption, according to the global anti-corruption monitor based in Berlin, and the overall situation has barely improved.
Despite certain Asian nations showing progress in the battle against corruption, the area received an average score of 45 out of 100 for the fourth consecutive year, according to the report.
According to the CPI, 180 nations and territories are ranked by their perceived levels of public sector corruption, with scores ranging from 0 (extremely corrupt) to 100. (very clean).
Singapore, Hong Kong, and Japan were ranked in the top three positions among the Asian countries with 83, 76, and 73 points, respectively.
The outcomes of the numerous diplomatic meetings held on the Asian subcontinent to lower corruption and ease international tension were very disparate. The yearly survey found that while governments in the Pacific decided to concentrate and recentered their efforts to combat corruption, Asian authorities continued to let their anti-corruption promises be put on hold.
It also included Malaysia's 1MDB issue (47 points), referring to it as a "grand corruption" that involved banks, celebrities, and organizations in six different nations.
Najib Razak, a former prime minister, was imprisoned in 2022 as a result of his involvement in the scam.
The selection of Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, the president of the United Malay National Organization (UMNO), as deputy prime minister was highlighted in the report. Ahmad Zahid Hamidi is accused of 47 counts of bribery, money laundering, and criminal breach of trust.
The TI report said the nomination would introduce additional "corruption concerns." Due to "a lack of supervision of the raw materials' industry" and government officials "working for their... gains above the public interest, triggering protests in the capital," Mongolia's CPI index reached an all-time low of 33 points.
TI noted that among the most populated countries in the region, Bangladesh (25 points), the Philippines (33 points), and India (40 points), "democracy has been eroding."
In the report, it was said that "regimes are consolidating power by reducing room for dissent with more severe laws that prohibit free expression or criticisms of the government – and face little accountability for jailing individuals who purportedly oppose them." According to the report, the Indian government "continues to concentrate authority and restrict the public's ability to respond."
The oppressive Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), which the governing Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government frequently used to arrest rights campaigners and demonstrators.
Father Stan Swamy, an 80-year-old activist for the rights of tribal people in Jharkhand, was detained and imprisoned under the UAPA in October 2020 without a trial or bail.
Father Stan was the perfect target because he protected tribe members whose lands threatened to be taken by powerful corporations with government support. According to a report by the US-based Arsenal Consulting, the priest was detained based on phony evidence that had been hacked into his computer.
A former BJP leader's provocative remarks about the Prophet Muhammad have drawn the attention of journalist Mohammed Zubair, who is now being harassed by government organizations and is facing legal action.
As the military has maintained power since the coup in 2021, Myanmar's five-point decline to 23 points was cited as a "worrying indication."
According to the report, "like in other parts of the region, the ruling powers are retaining control by closely monitoring activists and dissenters using legislation they implemented criminalizing any conduct regarded as challenging the authority."
Pakistan's performance in the CPI index was at an all-time low of 27 points, the lowest ever since 2012. Political unrest has followed the removal of former prime minister Imran Khan from office by a vote of no-confidence. A judicial battle over the money he made from selling gifts he acquired while serving as premier is still raging.
The report advised the new administration to "not permit such political issues to derail comprehensive anti-corruption efforts" after Imran Khan was elected.
The report also highlighted countries that demonstrated notable progress in thwarting and lessening corruption.
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