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Singapore least corrupt in Asia, Indonesia worst

Survey says

AFP, Singapore
Singapore is the least corrupt nation in Asia and Indonesia the worst, but most countries in the region have shown improvements in dealing with the problem, according to a survey of foreign business executives released yesterday.
This year's survey by the Political and Economic Risk Consultancy
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showed perceptions ofcorruption improved sharplyin China and Thailand and slightlyin several other countries compared to their last pollin2003.
Using a scale with zero the best possible gradeand10theworst,PERCaskedmorethan 1,000 expatriatebusinessmenandwomenin the region to rate how bad they viewed the problem of corruption in the countrywhere they are working, as well as in their home countries.
Singapore was voted the least corrupt countrywithascoreof0.50,althoughthiswasa slightdeteriorationfromitsgradeof0.38lastyear.
Japanwasatadistantsecondwith3.50,and HongKongwas in third place with a score of 3.60.
Taiwancameinfourthwithagradeof6.10 andSouthKoreafollowedwith6.67.
China,Malaysia,andThailandweretiedat sixth place with scores of 7.33, trailed by the Philippinesat8.33andVietnamat8.67.
India, with a score of8.90, and Indonesia, whichgotagradeof9.25,roundeduptheworst performers.
For comparison, the survey included the United States, which got a grade of2.45 while Australiahad2.17.
"Perceptions have improved in the past yearinthemajorityofAsiancountries covered by our survey of expatriate businessmen conducted in January and February of this year," the HongKong-based riskconsultancy said.
China'sscoreimprovedonepointfromlast year, and Thailand's grade was better by 1.42 points.
Althoughtheworst,Indonesia'sgradewas animprovementfromlastyear's9.33.
Manila'sscoreworsenedby0.66points.
Malaysia's grade also sharplydeteriorated from6.00to7.33.
ButPERCclarifiedthiswaslargelyduetothe willingness of the government under Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi to admit that the problem of corruption exist, compared with the rule of former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad.
"It does not mean that corruption has actuallyincreasedthismuchinthepastyearbut thelatestgradeis acorrectionfromunderesti-matesinearlieryears,"PERCsaid.
The consultancy held Malaysia as an example of a country where the perception grade has worsened but the problem of corruptionisbeingaddressedmoredecisively.
"After all, Thailand is the best performing economyinSoutheastAsiathesedays,"itsaid.
PERC said this shows that perceptions of corruptionarerelatedtotheperformanceofan economy.