Sun, Jul 28,
2013 - Page 8
Corruption report probably wrong
By Tu Jenn-hwa
杜震華
Earlier this month, Berlin-based Transparency
International (TI) released its Global Corruption Barometer (GCB), an
international survey on corruption, in which Taiwan ranked pretty far down
among a total of 107 nations and territories. In East Asia, we fared better
only than Cambodia. The reason for the low ranking was that, according to the
survey, 35 percent of respondents in Taiwan answered that they personally, or a
member of their family, had paid a bribe to a judicial institution over the
past year.
This report ruffled quite a few feathers in Taiwan,
with officials having the fiercest reaction and demanding both a clarification
and an apology from TI. In latest developments, TI said that it regretted any
offense caused, but insisted that its findings were correct, adding that if
Taiwan felt it necessary, it could always conduct its own study, and that TI
would consider holding a joint press conference to further explain their
findings.
Naturally, the opposition were delighted with the
report’s findings, and had a field day with them in the print and electronic
media for the best part of a week. However, even Transparency International
Chinese Taipei (TICT), the Taiwan-based chapter of TI, which the government has
not always found too palatable, had serious concerns about these findings, and
sent several enquiries to its Berlin headquarters as to how exactly the survey
had been conducted.
TICT has yet to receive a clear answer on this:
Berlin said that it commissioned the WIN/Gallup International Association to
carry out the work, and they sub-contracted the work out to a China-based
agency called WisdomAsia, although WisdomAsia has not admitted to having taken
on the case. Berlin then said that it had commissioned another Chinese market
research agency, which conducted an online poll, although it has been less than
forthcoming on the details of that poll.
Not many people in Taiwan will be impressed with
their government’s record on corruption, especially given the landmark
corruption cases that have erupted since the blue camp wrested back power
following the corruption scandals surrounding former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁). These cases include corruption scandals involving
former Nantou County Commissioner Lee Chao-ching (李朝卿), former Cabinet secretary-general Lin Yi-shih (林益世), and former Taipei City councilor Lai Su-ju (賴素如).
Nevertheless, few would believe that the government
in Taiwan is, in East Asia, less corrupt only than Cambodia’s, and thus falling
behind Philippines, Indonesia and even China. In fact, in the annual Corruption
Perception Index released in early December each year, and also compiled by TI,
Taiwan has consistently ranked between 30 and 40 among over 170 countries and
territories, and, in Asia, being behind only Singapore, Hong Kong and Japan,
and leading all the other Asian countries, South Korea included.
Last year, for example, Taiwan ranked 37th, in front
of South Korea in 45th place, Malaysia in 54th place, China in 80th place and
Thailand, Philippines and Russia, which ranked 88, 105 and 133 respectively.
These results are consistent with the general impression of Taiwan. Now, this
global corruption trend report seems to turn this impression on its head,
without providing an explanation that anyone finds acceptable, so of course
people are asking questions.
There are two possibilities that could explain the
results. First, the China-based agency was unfamiliar with Taiwan, so the
survey findings were seriously flawed, and there was no effort to deal with
potential problems at the time. The second possibility is more serious — in
TI’s decision to use an online survey.
Respondents to online surveys tend to be from a
certain group of Internet users, with their own specific traits which introduce
systemic survey bias. While true that these surveys help keep costs to a
minimum, they are not used in very stringent studies. TICT should now conduct a
more stringent survey of its own so that findings closer to the true situation
can be obtained.
That said, even if Taiwan’s performance turns out to
be better than the findings published with this report, the government
departments concerned should still resolve to clear up the corruption that is
found in the customs, the judiciary and the tax authorities and in the
construction sector, and to reflect upon why there has been no discernible fall
in corruption since the establishment of the Agency Against Corruption under
the Ministry of Justice.
It is worth noting that even countries less
developed than Taiwan, such as Uruguay and Chile, are ranked under 20 and that
even Africa’s Botswana is above Taiwan. So we cannot say that combating
corruption is an impossible task.
Tu Jenn-hwa is director of the Commerce Development
Research Institute’s business development and policy research department.
Translated by Paul Cooper
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