How is that so, when I have read and viewed on CNN that New Zealand has the most corruption thus it being the number one corrupted nation on earth and the rest follow suit. They said the more you are at the very bottom of the list the more it means your country is not as corrupted as the ones above at the very top of the list. Or maybe it was the other way around, honestly I am not sure... but I could have sworn that was the way they projected it on the news last night.

Anyway, I kind of thought it was a little bit odd, to say the least and be honest. So which order to you members show which country being the worse when it come to corruption? Although I am still surprised to see some countries which I thought were the worse corrupted nations to be the least or less corrupted nations is mind boggling and baffling to me say Somalia.

Wow, that is or would be uncanny to me, you know! However, if it is the other way around, I can say maybe I got it wrong because I have always known Somalia to have always been the most corrupted nation on earth. The reason why I believe New Zealand could be very corrupted is due to the fact their nation's economy have just recently collapsed as most had claim it was due to high corruption which runs rampant there.

Two countries that i have doubts that are on this list is #1 Chile even though corruption is not as bad as many in Latin America i think the numbers reported by the Chilean Gov. have been moved around or unless only the numbers in Santiago de Chille are counted and excluding everything else i expend two months in chile in 2007 and know that their sport here is questionable and #2 is Barbados who i personally think is much higher on the list because i have been there and even citizen are very ethical people so that's another doubt i have too. Maybe i'm wrong but that's my opinion by the fact that i have been there.

That's not right if CNN reported it like that then they are wrong because that would mean Haiti is less corrupted than Singapore the #1 country is just every aspect of measurements which should give out the clue that is the other way around

wow...Haiti is the 10th most corrupted...i'm not surprised.

Exactly,

So I was a bit perplex when I saw the news. I know Countries which deserve to be in different slots, good or bad and better or worse even if it was by 4 or two slots up or down. For example, in recent news, there has been a lot of reports about DR that you think would put DR at least 104, but I am happy that DR scores a 99. I wish it would have been 80.

Also I can say in Haiti's defense that due to recent calm and all, I kind of find it hard to believe that it still scores so badly since I would assume that it would be 164 or 160, but I think they had it at 168 if I am correct... There are far more country at the very top that are far more corrupted than both Haiti and DR combined and some at the very bottom that are by far not as corrupted as this report here shows. In my opinion, I know the US might be far more corrupted to be slightly in a lower slot but have perhaps only managed to give the image or impression that it is not or that when conducting the survey there is almost this sense of people wanting to put the US as ideally less corrupted because of US position on Foreign policies and all as factors. Anyway, I find that absurd nonetheless hey, it is what has been reported, so I am bot going to dispute it further, you know...

Where bias and and partiality may lies none of us may never know. I have conducted surveys for the military and US census before, believe me there are a lot of factors that can render a survey to not be just or as accurate many may assume they could come close to being. Now, what can both DR and Haiti do to score a lot better by 2010 or 2012?

actually, Belly, i agree with your observations on Barbados. it is a scrupulously honest country, with the highest ethical standards available. but, it comes in at number 20. because you surely would not want a caribbean country ranking higher than caucasian outposts like the USA, Canada, and the European stalwarts, would you?

wow look how low venezuela is... and they are in business with DR??? Thats a shame

All the former British possessions did well and better than DR, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Dominica, and Trinidad and Tobago as well as Jamaica tied with the DR slightly better.
Puerto Rico was also on top of the list, and of no surprise but still better than DR is Cuba, where taking a bribe might mean the firing squad.
Venezuela has always been a very corrupt country, much worse than DR, and the rating does not surprise me.
Costa Rica as usual did good, but again among Latin nations DR is getting better, even though our perception is not that because we compare DR to the states.
I agree with belly that next year we will possibly improve many more places and maybe one day 8 or 10 years from now, with more transparency, less clientelism and cronyism, and a new a refreshing government, not haunted and ruled by the same old corrupt professional PLD- PRD-PRSC politicians, we might be closer to Costa Rica.