‘Get act together’

FIJI must get its act together to improve its Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) score.

This, according to Civic Leaders for Clean Transactions (CLCT) Integrity Fiji.

This comes after Transparency International released the Global Corruption Perceptions Index 2023, which constitutes scores and ranking for over 180 countries.

Fiji’s CPI score fell by one percentage point to 52, and it is ranked at 53. Last year, the country’s score was 52 and was ranked 49.

As per the CPI rankings, countries score on a scale of 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean).

The CLCT Integrity Fiji, an affiliate of Transparency International confirmed Fiji was looking at ways to boost foreign investment and grow the economy.

“Most investors analyse corruption risks in businesses’ research into new markets,” CLCT Integrity Fiji stated in a press release.

“They (investors) also focus on supply chains that affect their businesses such as distributors, agents, local partners, and intermediaries because they are often coerced to give bribes.

“While Fiji has removed its repressive laws, it is incumbent on the Government to uphold the rule of law and display more transparency and accountability in all its dealings.”

The organisation stated that after the 2022 election, some were cautiously optimistic about the new government.

Integrity Fiji highlighted the Government’s 100-day commitment was seen as ambitious, however, there were already positive reform efforts.

“Fiji has a new, more open and democratic Government.

“Changes in CPI scores that are a result of a new government, for example, take time to reflect on the CPI over the years.

“However, with democracy comes greater responsibility to uphold the rule of law. The Fiji Law Society, for example, had raised objections to a Cabinet reshuffle that was unconstitutional in October 2023.

“A research report released by Transparency International in November 2023 entitled, Corruption Through a Gendered Lens highlights how corruption affects women, girls, and other vulnerable groups in Fiji and three other Asian nations that were included in the study.

“The research found that women in Fiji, especially those who experience different forms of marginalisation, often encounter barriers when accessing services and corruption reporting channels.

“This alone causes many to forgo essential services, thereby strengthening existing inequalities.”

The organisation also noted that as this was PM Sitiveni Rabuka’s second leadership stint, he must make decisions based on the rule of law and be firm in rooting out corruption in Government.