HK rises in global anti-corruption ranking as public stay vigilant against graft
2017-1-25
Hong Kong is ranked the 15th least corrupt place among 176 countries/territories in the latest survey by international anti-graft watchdog Transparency International (TI), three places up from previous year’s ranking, while the society continues to show a zero tolerance attitude towards corruption as revealed in the Commission’s annual public opinion survey.
In the 2016 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) released by TI today (January 25), Hong Kong’s score has also improved by two points from 75 in 2015 to 77 in 2016.
An ICAC spokesman welcomed the TI survey result which further affirmed that the culture of probity is deeply rooted.
“Corruption is well under control in Hong Kong. The ICAC will continue to carry out its duties effectively, independently and impartially, under stringent checks and balances, to safeguard Hong Kong’s hard-earned reputation,” the spokesman said.
The CPI is a poll of polls based on 13 international/regional opinion surveys, which reflects the perception of respondents in a particular country or territory. In assessing Hong Kong’s situation, the index makes reference to seven of those surveys.
“Though the CPI ranking may vary year on year since the survey is based on perception rather than actual experience of the people surveyed, there is no room for complacency in the fight against corruption and in safeguarding the core value of probity which the community holds so dearly,” the spokesman added.
During his visit to Hong Kong in October 2016, Mr José Carlos Ugaz, Chair of TI, lauded the city for its low level of corruption and setting an example for the world.
The ICAC spokesman noted that Mr Ugaz’s acclaim was supported by the actual experience of Hong Kong people, as the 2016 ICAC Annual Survey revealed that an overwhelming majority or 98.5 per cent of the respondents said they had not come across corruption in the past 12 months. Only 1.2 per cent said they had encountered corruption, the lowest in the past three years.
The local survey also found that similar to last year, 96.2 per cent of the respondents said the ICAC deserved their support as the anti-corruption agency was able to maintain a corruption-free society and uphold fairness as well as justice.
Through face-to-face household interviews of 1,528 randomly selected citizens, the survey was conducted by an independent research agency between May to August last year to gauge the public’s attitude towards corruption and their views on ICAC’s work.
According to the survey, 80.1 per cent considered ICAC’s anti-corruption work very effective or quite effective, which was similar to those recorded in recent years.
The survey also found that the respondents were highly intolerant of corruption. On a scale of 0-10, of which 0 represents total rejection and 10 total tolerance of corruption, the mean score was 0.7, similar to the 0.6 mean score recorded in previous survey.
“ICAC analysis reveals that the corruption situation in Hong Kong remains stable. Those cases concerning high-ranking government officials were only isolated cases.” the ICAC spokesman said.
The survey also found 78.1 per cent of the respondents indicated that they would report corruption should they come across it, which was similar to last survey’s 78.8 per cent.
In 2016, the ICAC launched a multi-facet publicity campaign, including feature videos, comics from a renowned local comic writer, online games and TV advertisement, to encourage the public to report corruption.
The survey also affirmed that the core value of integrity was deep-rooted in Hong Kong as 99.2 per cent of the respondents said keeping Hong Kong corruption-free was important to the overall development of the city.
They believed a clean society would help uphold rule of law, fairness and justice; provide a level playing field; attract foreign investment, and maintain stable development of the society.
The finding coincides with a recent public opinion survey conducted by a local university which also found that when asked about their vision for year 2017, most people wished for a corruption-free society.
“To further disseminate integrity messages across the territory, the ICAC has launched the All for Integrity multi-year territory-wide programme to engage citizens from different sectors and garner their support for ICAC’s work,” the spokesman said.
The ICAC will continue to promote integrity and probity in different sectors, including government departments, public bodies, business sector, schools, tertiary institutions and district organisations.
In the 2016 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) released by TI today (January 25), Hong Kong’s score has also improved by two points from 75 in 2015 to 77 in 2016.
An ICAC spokesman welcomed the TI survey result which further affirmed that the culture of probity is deeply rooted.
“Corruption is well under control in Hong Kong. The ICAC will continue to carry out its duties effectively, independently and impartially, under stringent checks and balances, to safeguard Hong Kong’s hard-earned reputation,” the spokesman said.
The CPI is a poll of polls based on 13 international/regional opinion surveys, which reflects the perception of respondents in a particular country or territory. In assessing Hong Kong’s situation, the index makes reference to seven of those surveys.
“Though the CPI ranking may vary year on year since the survey is based on perception rather than actual experience of the people surveyed, there is no room for complacency in the fight against corruption and in safeguarding the core value of probity which the community holds so dearly,” the spokesman added.
During his visit to Hong Kong in October 2016, Mr José Carlos Ugaz, Chair of TI, lauded the city for its low level of corruption and setting an example for the world.
The ICAC spokesman noted that Mr Ugaz’s acclaim was supported by the actual experience of Hong Kong people, as the 2016 ICAC Annual Survey revealed that an overwhelming majority or 98.5 per cent of the respondents said they had not come across corruption in the past 12 months. Only 1.2 per cent said they had encountered corruption, the lowest in the past three years.
The local survey also found that similar to last year, 96.2 per cent of the respondents said the ICAC deserved their support as the anti-corruption agency was able to maintain a corruption-free society and uphold fairness as well as justice.
Through face-to-face household interviews of 1,528 randomly selected citizens, the survey was conducted by an independent research agency between May to August last year to gauge the public’s attitude towards corruption and their views on ICAC’s work.
According to the survey, 80.1 per cent considered ICAC’s anti-corruption work very effective or quite effective, which was similar to those recorded in recent years.
The survey also found that the respondents were highly intolerant of corruption. On a scale of 0-10, of which 0 represents total rejection and 10 total tolerance of corruption, the mean score was 0.7, similar to the 0.6 mean score recorded in previous survey.
“ICAC analysis reveals that the corruption situation in Hong Kong remains stable. Those cases concerning high-ranking government officials were only isolated cases.” the ICAC spokesman said.
The survey also found 78.1 per cent of the respondents indicated that they would report corruption should they come across it, which was similar to last survey’s 78.8 per cent.
In 2016, the ICAC launched a multi-facet publicity campaign, including feature videos, comics from a renowned local comic writer, online games and TV advertisement, to encourage the public to report corruption.
The survey also affirmed that the core value of integrity was deep-rooted in Hong Kong as 99.2 per cent of the respondents said keeping Hong Kong corruption-free was important to the overall development of the city.
They believed a clean society would help uphold rule of law, fairness and justice; provide a level playing field; attract foreign investment, and maintain stable development of the society.
The finding coincides with a recent public opinion survey conducted by a local university which also found that when asked about their vision for year 2017, most people wished for a corruption-free society.
“To further disseminate integrity messages across the territory, the ICAC has launched the All for Integrity multi-year territory-wide programme to engage citizens from different sectors and garner their support for ICAC’s work,” the spokesman said.
The ICAC will continue to promote integrity and probity in different sectors, including government departments, public bodies, business sector, schools, tertiary institutions and district organisations.