Solomon Islands Registers Minimal Improvements in Corruption Perception Index (CPI)

The country ranks 77 and scores 43 respectively according to the Solomon Islands Corruption Perception Index (CPI) recently released by Transparency International and launched by Transparency Solomon Islands (TSI).

It is worth noting that CPI produces two numbers - Score (from 0 to 100) of how corrupt/clean a country’s public sector is and Rank (the position where a country is placed in the table).

A CPI Score of zero is highly corrupt and 100 is very clean. A CPI score below 50 indicates serious levels of public sector corruption.

The report states that the Solomon Islands was one of a few countries in the Asia Pacific Region to have improved its score. The country’s score in 2017 was 39 and in 2019 Solomon Island’s score improved to 42. In 2020, Solomon Island’s CPI score remained at 42 and in 2021, the country’s CPI Score was 43.

According to the report, since the reappearance of the country in 2016 on the CPI Score and ranking tabulation, Solomon Islands maintained its CPI Score at 42

There are things that we have done together as a country that has helped improve our score one of which was the passage of the anti-corruption acts, and the establishment of the Solomon Islands Independent Commission Against Corruption.

Also, the willingness of those in authority to hear and invite civil society organizations’ participation in policies and legislative reforms including the freedom of the press and media.

Amongst the positives that propelled the country’s CPI was the burst of a number of investigations and detentions by Police of abuses and misuse of power just before the 2019 National General Election and these included the launch of 29 petitions against winning candidates by citizens.

These actions have contributed to this upward trajectory but since then, however, the government and citizens’ effort to combat corruption in the public sector has stagnated.

Amongst the negatives that drive the Solomon Islands to the bottom half of the table despite the upward movements in its CPI Score was the fact that people’s voices, space, and activism are subtly but surely restricted – a threat to Democracy.

This further means that Solomon Island has a highly corrupt public sector confirmed by Global Corruption Barometer Pacific 2021.

The modest increase of +2 points and 44 out of 100 means the country still has a highly corrupt and politicized public sector.