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| There have been widespread protests in many Middle Eastern countries demanding political change |
An
anti-bribery watchdog has said corruption played a key role in the political
upheaval in the Middle East and across the world in 2011.
Transparency
International said the protests indicated that citizens wanted leaders and
institutions to be more transparent and accountable.
In its
annual report, the agency ranked New Zealand, Denmark and Finland as the least
corrupt among 183 countries.
Meanwhile,
Somalia, North Korea and Afghanistan were ranked most corrupt.
"This
year we have seen corruption on protestors' banners be they rich or poor,"
said Huguette Labelle, Chair of Transparency International.
"Whether
in a Europe hit by debt crisis or an Arab world starting a new political era,
leaders must heed the demands for better government."
'Lower
half'
Transparency
International ranks countries based on a scale of zero to 10, based on various
surveys carried out.
A rating of
10 indicates "very clean", while that of zero points to "highly
corrupt" based on perceived levels of public sector corruption.
The agency
said that most countries in the Middle East that saw political unrest got a
rating of four or below.
"Most
Arab Spring countries rank in the lower half of the index," it said in a statement.
It said it
had isused a warning about corruption in the region as early as last year,
saying that "nepotism, bribery and patronage were so deeply engrained in
daily life that even existing anti-corruption laws had little impact".
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| Corruption Perceptions index 2011 |
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