After the Bersih event,
I became more excited and eager to learn about my boring nation.
Don't blame me for not respecting my own country but in 32 years of living
in this small humble country, I've seen so many corruptions.
Some by reading material, and some from my own experiences.
Few minutes ago, I asked my hubby...what kind of nation Malaysia is?
I just don't get it.
Don't tell me it's democracy after what had happen last Saturday.
As genius as always,
he showed me a brief description of a type of government we are having in Malaysia.
Taken by suprise..I've never heard of this word before.
KLEPTOCRACY
Call me ignorance as you will...but to be honest,
this is the first time I got to know there are so many type of government
existed in the world and one of it is Kleptocracy.
(but I do know about kleptomaniac..example: Winona Ryders..does it ring a bell?)
Kleptocracy, alternatively cleptocracy or kleptarchy,
from Ancient Greek: κλέπτης (thief) and κράτος (rule),
is a term applied to a government subject to control fraud that takes advantage of governmental corruption to extend the personal wealth and political power of government officials and the ruling class (collectively,kleptocrats),
via the embezzlement of state funds at the expense of the wider population,
sometimes without even the pretense of honest service.
The term means "rule by thieves".
Not an official form of government such as a democracy, republic, monarchy, or theocracy;
a kleptocracy is rather a pejorative for a government perceived to have a particularly severe and systemic problem with the selfish misappropriation of public funds by those in power.
Kleptocracies are generally associated with corrupt forms of authoritarian governments,
particularly dictatorships, oligarchies, military juntas, or some other forms of autocratic and nepotist government in which no outside oversight is possible, due to the ability of the kleptocrat(s) to personally control both the supply of public funds and the means of determining their disbursal.
Such incomes constitute a form of economic rent and are therefore easier to siphon off without causing the income itself to decrease
(for example, due to capital flight as investors pull out to escape the high taxes levied by the kleptocrats).Kleptocracy is most common in third-world countries where the economy (often as a legacy of colonialism) is dominated by resource extraction.
An early phase of this is driven by tenderpreneur elites who seek to capture resources for personal benefit
I became more excited and eager to learn about my boring nation.
Don't blame me for not respecting my own country but in 32 years of living
in this small humble country, I've seen so many corruptions.
Some by reading material, and some from my own experiences.
Few minutes ago, I asked my hubby...what kind of nation Malaysia is?
I just don't get it.
Don't tell me it's democracy after what had happen last Saturday.
As genius as always,
he showed me a brief description of a type of government we are having in Malaysia.
Taken by suprise..I've never heard of this word before.
KLEPTOCRACY
Call me ignorance as you will...but to be honest,
this is the first time I got to know there are so many type of government
existed in the world and one of it is Kleptocracy.
(but I do know about kleptomaniac..example: Winona Ryders..does it ring a bell?)
Kleptocracy, alternatively cleptocracy or kleptarchy,
from Ancient Greek: κλέπτης (thief) and κράτος (rule),
is a term applied to a government subject to control fraud that takes advantage of governmental corruption to extend the personal wealth and political power of government officials and the ruling class (collectively,kleptocrats),
via the embezzlement of state funds at the expense of the wider population,
sometimes without even the pretense of honest service.
The term means "rule by thieves".
Not an official form of government such as a democracy, republic, monarchy, or theocracy;
a kleptocracy is rather a pejorative for a government perceived to have a particularly severe and systemic problem with the selfish misappropriation of public funds by those in power.
Kleptocracies are generally associated with corrupt forms of authoritarian governments,
particularly dictatorships, oligarchies, military juntas, or some other forms of autocratic and nepotist government in which no outside oversight is possible, due to the ability of the kleptocrat(s) to personally control both the supply of public funds and the means of determining their disbursal.
Kleptocratic rulers typically treat their country's treasury as though it were their own personal bank account, spending the funds on luxury goods as they see fit.
Many kleptocratic rulers also secretly transfer public funds into secret personal numbered bank accounts in foreign countries in order to provide them with continued luxury if/when they are eventually removed from power and forced to flee the country.
Many kleptocratic rulers also secretly transfer public funds into secret personal numbered bank accounts in foreign countries in order to provide them with continued luxury if/when they are eventually removed from power and forced to flee the country.
(for example, due to capital flight as investors pull out to escape the high taxes levied by the kleptocrats).Kleptocracy is most common in third-world countries where the economy (often as a legacy of colonialism) is dominated by resource extraction.
An early phase of this is driven by tenderpreneur elites who seek to capture resources for personal benefit
The effects of a kleptocratic regime or government on a nation
are typically adverse in regards to the faring of the state's economy, political affairs and civil rights. Kleptocracy in government often vitiates prospects of foreign investment and drastically weakens the domestic market and cross-border trade.
As the kleptocracy normally embezzles money from its citizens by misusing funds derived from tax payments, or money laundering schemes,
a kleptocratically structured political system tends to degrade nearly everyone's quality of life.
are typically adverse in regards to the faring of the state's economy, political affairs and civil rights. Kleptocracy in government often vitiates prospects of foreign investment and drastically weakens the domestic market and cross-border trade.
As the kleptocracy normally embezzles money from its citizens by misusing funds derived from tax payments, or money laundering schemes,
a kleptocratically structured political system tends to degrade nearly everyone's quality of life.
In addition, the money that kleptocrats steal is often taken from funds that were earmarked for public amenities, such as the building of hospitals, schools, roads, parks and the like -
which has further adverse effects on the quality of life of the citizens living under a kleptocracy.
The quasi-oligarchy that results from a kleptocratic elite also subverts democracy
(or any other political format the state is ostensibly under)
which has further adverse effects on the quality of life of the citizens living under a kleptocracy.
The quasi-oligarchy that results from a kleptocratic elite also subverts democracy
(or any other political format the state is ostensibly under)
Here are some example;
International rankingIn early 2004, the anti-corruption Germany-based NGO Transparency International released a list of what it believes to be the ten most self-enriching leaders in recent years.
In order of amount allegedly stolen (in USD), they are:
- Former Indonesian President Suharto ($15 billion – $35 billion)
- Former Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos ($5 billion – $10 billion)
- Former Zairian President Mobutu Sese Seko ($5 billion)
- Former Nigerian Head of State Sani Abacha ($2 billion – $5 billion)
- Former PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat ($1 billion to $10 billion) (These numbers do not come from Transparency International) [5][6][7][8][9]
- Former Yugoslav and Serbian President Slobodan Milošević ($1 billion)
- Former Haitian President Jean-Claude Duvalier ($300 million – $800 million)
- Former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori ($600 million)
- Former Ukrainian Prime Minister Pavlo Lazarenko ($114 million – $200 million)
- Former Nicaraguan President Arnoldo Alemán ($100 million)
- Former Philippine President Joseph Estrada ($78 million – $80 million)
I wonder if Malaysia soon will be listed with the others...
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