The Corruption Perception Index 2020 ranked 180 countries and territories. Several Latin American countries occupy the last places on the list.
Venezuela is among the five countries perceived as most corrupt out of 180 evaluated by Transparency International and is the first in Latin America, according to the 2020 Corruption Perception Index (CPI).
Venezuela scored 15 points on a zero to 100 scale where zero is “highly corrupt”, according to the organization’s report published on January 28th. In 2019, the country had earned a score of 16.
In 2012, the South American nation ranked 165th, and 158th later in 2015. Last year it ranked 173rd, and now it ranks 176th, along with Yemen.
Mercedes De Freitas, executive director of Transparency Venezuela, assures that this result “is not surprising.”
“This is the trend in the perception of corruption in Venezuela in recent years and I do not think that any Venezuelan has doubts about that qualification,” she said in a comment requested by the Voice of America.
De Freitas pointed out that even the authorities have mentioned the need to address this problem. However, she added: “The political use of corruption has caused a lot of damage when corruption is used to attack opponents and political enemies instead of taking appropriate measures.”
This situation, she explained, entails a “terrible impact” on the entire population, especially on those “who do not have a way to overcome the limitations that corruption imposes day by day.”
A complex picture
Nicmer Evans, a political scientist and master in social psychology, considers that the place of Venezuela in the ranking is a “clear reflection of a phenomenon accumulated over decades.”
“It derives from a conception of the State and the economic system that has generated an absolute destruction of the ethical fabric of relations between Venezuelan citizens,” Evans told the Voice of America.
This year, he points out, it is important to generate different referents from the political point of view that confront the issue of corruption. He maintains that “the first thing is democracy and the rule of law “, and then pursuing the “reconstruction of justice.”
“If no one is held accountable for the embezzlement of the nation, there will not be any kind of exemplary element that builds a social reference and sends the message that if I decide to behave like this, I will end up this way,” Evans said.
De Freitas recalls that there is already a mandate from the Anti-Corruption Coalition of twelve steps to address the problem of corruption in the South American nation. However, she adds that the task is not easy and it involves the “consciousness and action” of society.
“The invitation is for each citizen to become a defender of transparency, equity, honesty, in each of the spaces of the public sector.”
The director of the Venezuelan chapter considered that the State should begin to “make important efforts for transparency” on the subject of COVID-19 and the purchase, distribution and administration of vaccines.
“Every dollar (…) counts because they will be needed. The money cannot be wasted. Every resource that goes to corruption can turn into hunger and death for Venezuelans, ”she pointed out.
What about the rest of the region?
According to the international organization, some governments in the Americas have taken advantage of the crisis created by the pandemic to “consolidate power, but left citizens without access to emergency aid.”
The report states that “with an average score of 43 points for the fifth consecutive year, the Americas showcases corruption and the mismanagement of funds in one of the regions most affected by COVID-19 crisis.”
Canada (77 points) and Uruguay (71 points) show the highest score in the continent. Transparency International noted that Uruguay, which was ranked 21st, is investing heavily in health care, which has helped it respond to the spread of the coronavirus. Also, it has a strong epidemiological surveillance system, which has also helped it with other diseases such as yellow fever or Zika.
Since the methodology for comparing scores from different years was first introduced in 2012, 26 countries have significantly improved, including Ecuador (39th place, with 39 points) and Guyana (83, with 41 points ). In contrast, countries like Guatemala (149, with 25 points), have substantially decreased their scores.
Mexico ranked 124th on the list with 31 points and Brazil 94th with a score of 38.
Among the best-placed Latin American countries is Costa Rica with 57 points, ranked 42nd. It is followed by Cuba, ranked 63rd with 47 points, and Argentina, which scored 42 points and ranked 68th.
Besides Venezuela, the worst-ranked countries are Guatemala, Honduras (157th, 24 points), Nicaragua (159th, 22 points), and Haiti (170th, 18 points).
The CPI report suggests looking at Peru and Honduras. In the case of the former, even though it scored higher in 2020 (38 points), it continues “stagnant in the index” at 94th place since 2012.
“Peru faces structural corruption, impunity and political instability. In less than five years, the country has rejected four presidents, three of whom are under investigation for corruption, ”the report says.
As for Honduras, the document notes that poverty and inequality have been exacerbated, thanks to the pandemic and the hurricanes that have hit the Central American country.
Transparency International says that Honduras has “weak institutions” and “the status of anti-corruption efforts is (…) grim”, causing millions in losses. Added to this is the “lack of planning” to buy supplies related to the virus and “over-pricing of medical equipment” for field hospitals.
The situation of the United States
The North American country fell in the world corruption index to its lowest level in eight years. The watchdog said that the “significant retreat” from democratic norms played a role in the fall.
The United States’ score went from 69 in 2019 to 67 in 2020.
“The administration’s challenges to oversight of the unprecedented $ 1 trillion COVID-19 relief package raised serious anti-corruption concerns,” the report says. Also, it marked a “significant retreat from long-standing democratic norms.”
With 88 points each, Denmark and New Zealand are at the top of the index. At the bottom are Syria, with 14 points, and Somalia and South Sudan, tied with 12 points each.
Translated by José Rafael Medina
