With the official launch of the Transparency International 2021 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) report this afternoon, the new data has now indicated a minor improvement in PNG’s score, from previous years.
With a score of 31 out of 100 and a ranking of 124 out of 180 countries surveyed this year, PNG’s score has revealed a 4-point increase from last year. Although coming in at 14 points below the Asia Pacific Average of 45, and 12 points below the global average of 43, the results also indicate that there is still a lot of work to be done in combatting corrupt individuals, networks and systems in the country.
With the official lifting of the embargo on the latest CPI2021 results this afternoon, global trends from the data have also highlighted a strong link between the CPI scores of ranked countries and the civil liberties enjoyed by their citizens. In particular, that citizens from countries which scored higher on the CPI generally enjoyed greater freedoms and civil liberties than citizens from lower scoring countries.
“While we have seen the welcome introduction of a number of new laws and amendments to existing laws in the last few years, the laws on their own cannot be effectively implemented without a strong enforcement framework. And enforcement is still a very big problem for PNG. The provisions of law must first be invoked, in order to enable the protections and penalties that are contained within them. And enforcement agencies like the Police, the Independent Commission Against Corruption, and the Ombudsman Commission must therefore be fully empowered to serve this purpose,” said TIPNG Chair, Peter Aitsi.
“Efforts to reinforce law enforcement frameworks in PNG must include the provision of adequate support, through relevant supporting policies within agencies across all sectors in public, private and civil society, and adequate resources such as funding and manpower, to support their effective operation and engagement in our communities,” he said.
During the official announcement of the CPI2021 results today, Transparency International PNG, has also made a number of recommendations to government and other stakeholders in the private sector and civil society on anti-corruption priorities, which include;
- Strengthening and empowering law enforcement frameworks and processes,
- Improving citizen access and availability of public information; and
- Strengthening the independence of democratic institutions
For more information on the CPI, visit https://www.transparency.org/en/news/how-cpi-scores-are-calculated .
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