TRANSPARENCY BAROMETER: CAMEROONIANS ARE CHAMPION

UNCLAS YAOUNDE 001449 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS C O R R E C T E D COPY CAPTION STATE ALSO FOR INL/C LONDON AND PARIS FOR AFRICA ACTION OFFICERS EUCOM FOR J5-1 AND POLAD E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ECON KCOR ETRD EAID PGOV CM SUBJECT: TRANSPARENCY BAROMETER: CAMEROONIANS ARE CHAMPION BRIBERS REF: YAOUNDE 1198 ¶1. (U) More Cameroonians bribed public officials in the last year than any other nationality surveyed, according to Transparency International's (TI) just-released 2007 Global Corruption Barometer, a survey of corruption in 60 countries, including five in sub-Saharan Africa. Seventy-nine percent of Cameroonian respondents reported having paid a bribe to obtain a service within the past twelve months, almost double the rates found in Nigeria and Senegal and significantly higher than the results for Cameroon in 2006 (57 percent) and 2005 (43 percent). Perhaps more troubling, 65 percent of Cameroonians believe that corruption in Cameroon will worsen over the next three years, and 61 percent believe that the Government of Cameroon's anti-corruption efforts are "ineffective." Cameroon's ranking -- 138 out of 179 (reftel) -- in TI's separate 2007 Corruption Perception Index gives admittedly little reason for optimism. ¶2. (U) Working on a scale from 1 ("Not at all corrupt") to 5 ("Extremely corrupt") and for the third year in a row, Cameroonian respondents rated the national police (Directorate General of National Security) as the most corrupt institution in Cameroon, with a score of 4.6. Only Ecuador's legislature, with a score of 4.7, scored worse from among the 840 evaluated worldwide. According to the TI report of public perception, Cameroon's five most corrupt institutions are seen as: the police (4.6),the judiciary (4.3),the tax authorities (4.3),political parties (4.2), and the education system (4.0). Religious bodies and non-governmental institutions were tied with the most positive rating, at 2.5. ¶3. (SBU) Comment: Although few Cameroonians will be surprised by their country's poor showing in the TI Barometer, the population's apparent low regard for the GRC's anti-corruption efforts and pessimism for the future should give reason for pause. The survey was not conducted outside of the two largest cities (Douala and Yaounde) and, with 519 respondents, comprised one of the smaller samples of the study. Nevertheless, the trends are probably indicative of the national mentality. Post has remained cautious but hopeful about the GRC's commitment to battle corruption, and government officials would passionately argue that much progress has been made in the last few years. TI's Barometer, however, conveys a starkly different message, that the persistent prevalence of corruption in all facets of Cameroonian society could fuel further frustration and cynicism in the population. GARVEY