By Hayden Boyce -Turks and Caicos SUN Publisher & Editor-in-Chief

Barbados is the least corrupt country in the Caribbean and among the top-20 cleanest countries in the world, according to Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) 2014 which was released world-wide on Wednesday, December 3rd, 2014.

The CPI showed Barbados, with a score of 74, tied at No. 17 with United States of America, Hong Kong and Ireland on the list of the least corrupt countries in the world.

The only countries ahead of Barbados were Denmark which retained the number one spot as the least corrupt country in the world, followed by New Zealand (2), Finland (3), Sweden (4), Norway (5), Switzerland (6), Singapore (7), Netherlands (8), Luxembourg (9), Canada (10), Australia (11), Germany (12, Ireland (13), United Kingdom (14),Belgium (15) and Japan (16).

The CPI ranks countries and territories based on how corrupt their public sector is perceived to be. A country or territory’s score indicates the perceived level of public sector corruption on a scale of 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean). This year’s index includes 175 countries and territories.

After Barbados, the least corrupt countries in the Caribbean were: The Bahamas at No. 24 with 71 points; St. Vincent at No. 29, with 67 points; Puerto Rico at No. 31 with 63 points; Dominica at No. 39 with 58 points; Cuba at No. 63 with 46 points; Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago tied at No. 85 with 38 points; the Dominican Republic at No. 115 with 32 points, and Guyana at No. 124 with 30 points.

Haiti and Venezuela brought up the rear on the list of most corrupt countries in the Caribbean region, tied at No. 161 with 19 points. According to the CPI, the most corrupt country in the world is Somalia, with 8 points.

Commenting on the 2014 report, José Ugaz, Chair of Transparency International, said: “Countries at the bottom need to adopt radical anti-corruption measures in favour of their people. Countries at the top of the index should make sure they don’t export corrupt practices to underdeveloped countries.”

Noting that corruption is a problem for all countries, the CPI stated that a poor score is likely a sign of widespread bribery, lack of punishment for corruption and public institutions that don’t respond to citizens’ needs.

The report added: “Poorly equipped schools, counterfeit medicine and elections decided by money are just some of the consequences of public sector corruption. Bribes and backroom deals don’t just steal resources from the most vulnerable – they undermine justice and economic development, and destroy public trust in government and leaders.”

The CPI noted that to achieve positive change in the Americas, including the Caribbean, leaders need to urgently prioritise the following key issues:

• Putting an end to impunity for corruption by removing politics and bribe paying from police and justice institutions, and helping them become more professional. Also, mechanisms need to be created to protect citizens who want to speak out and act against corruption. Rebuilding citizens’ trust and strengthening law enforcement institutions are at the core of the insecurity problem in the region.
• Opening political financing to public scrutiny so that it is known who finances which candidates and political parties with how much money. This measure should help in deterring organised crime from infiltrating politics and the state.
• Tackling inequality by incorporating transparency as a central element of social investment, so that support is given to those most in need, and not following political criteria.
• Creating public registries of the actual company owners to prevent the corrupt from hiding behind secret companies, laundering money and taking off with the loots of their corrupt schemes.

For more on this story go to: http://suntci.com/barbados-is-least-corrupt-country-in-the-caribbean-p1468-108.htm

IMAGE: barbados.org