Tuesday, February 14, 2006

THE MOST CORRUPT COUNTRIES IN THE WORLD

I recently ran into an internet article listing the most corrupt countries in the world. The survey was conducted by Forbes Magazine, and except for a reference to “Transparency International” as its source, it gives no idea for their criteria for inclusion in this august fraternity.

Needless to say, I had to check and see if the Philippines is on the list. The good news is that the Philippines is not on the list. The bad news is, looking at the list, it is no ringing endorsement or cause to celebrate that the Philippines is not on the list.

The countries listed include former republics of the Soviet Union ending in –stan, countries that can hardly qualify as nations, countries I am uncertain I could locate on a map, countries that have no central governments, countries embroiled in civil wars, countries run by sub-human military dictators in the mold of Idi Amin, and countries serving as havens for terrorists.

Just to satisfy your curiosity, here are the countries Forbes claims as the most corrupt countries in the world. I am sure you can google the article if you really want to know why they made the list.

Chad
Bangladesh
Turkmenistan
Myanmar
Haiti
Nigeria
Equatorial Guinea
Cote D’Ivoire
Angola
Tajikistan
Sudan
Somalia
Paraguay
Pakistan
Kenya
Democratic Republic of Congo

I suppose I should be flogged for even thinking the Philippines might be on the list. But let us be candid and admit that corruption has always been a major issue in the Philippines.

I will explore the issue of corruption in future posts.