Tunisia:

The former president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali was in office about 24 years before he was forced down on January 14, 2011.

Egypt:

The former president Hosni Mubarak was in power for about 30 years before a wide protest ended his reign on February 11, 2011.

Libya:

Libya was under thecontrol of Maumar Gaddafi from September 1, 1969 and would have continued but for the recent protest rocking the country. The total take over of the government is yet to be establish at the period of this publication.

Zimbabwe:

The president of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe has been in power  for about 24 years since December 31,1987.

Equatorial Guinea:

The president Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo has been in power for 32 years from August 3, 1979.

The five people have a common thing in dictatorial leadership. Some have been corrected while some are still holding sway in their respective countries. Apat from these ones, there are still other ones that willbe published later….

Uzbekistan brings up the rear as it weighs in as the 12th most corrupt nation in the world. It’s human rights record is poor as it is an authoritarian state with limited civil rights.

Torture, arbitrary arrests and restrictions of freedoms of religion, speech and press are standard.

The 2005 civil unrest resulted in several hundred people being killed. Child labour is common.

Although its Constitution provides for democracy, this has never materialised. The President’s term was extended from 5 to 7 years by referendum, although most international observers refused to participate in the process and did not recognise the results, this has not effected life in Uzbekistan.

Independent candidates are unable to participate in elections. There is no free press.

Revenue earned from key exports are distributed among a small ruling elite.

Uzbekistan had inflation of 1000% in the 90s, today it has dropped to 7.6% Things have ‘improved’ as in 2006 it was number 4 in this list, today, it has slipped to number 12.

Zimbabwe is no surprise save that ten other countries are considered more corrupt. Economic mismanagement has led to hyperinflation and impoverishment of the population

Since 1999 the country has careened downhill. This is due to land redistribution policies where 4000 white farmers were evicted. Whites who remain in Zimbabwe must either leave the country or face imprisonment.

The land these farmers had cultivated was redistributed in small plots. Once productive land is now barren.

In 2005 various slums were cleared making hundreds of thousands of people homeless. No new housing built.

The current food crisis coupled with the HIV/AIDs epidemic has bought the life expectancy from 60 to 37 for males, and 34 for females. Infant mortality has climbed.

Inflation stands at approximately 231,000,000% as of July 2008. Prices double every 1.3 days. On February 2, 2009 the RBZ announced that a further 12 zeros were to be taken off the currency, with 1,000,000,000,000 Zimbabwe dollars exchanged for 1 new dollar.

To give you an example of corruption, in November of 2008 Zimbabwe spent $7.3 million donated by the Global Fund to fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Whatever the money was spent on it was not for the intended purposes.

Cambodia is no new comer, as it has consistently made this list since 2002. It may have improved or other nations may have deteriorated.

‘Foreign Aid’, be it from public or private sources is regularly transferred into private accounts. Foreign investment in Cambodia is not appetizing, as the number of bribes one has to pay and the likelihood that after building a factory it might just be taken over.

Equatorial Guinea is number nine. It is ruled by a military dictatorship. In 2002 it’s four main opposition parties withdrew from election, and Obiang won another fraudulent victory.

Diplomats, even Ministers of Government have been caught smuggling drugs, sometimes using diplomatic bags, even the President’s baggage on state trips.

Most of the revenue of the nation is confiscated by the president, while a half million people subsist on less than a dollar a day. Sewage runs through the streets of the capital. There is no pubic transport, little drinking water or electricity.

Although a November 2004 report named Mark Thatcher as a financial backer of a coup to topple Obiang there has been no evidence an attempt had even taken place.

When Hollywood looks to portray the quintessential corrupt African nation, it uses Equatorial Guinea, which, by the way, isn’t even on the Equator.

Chad is no surprise at number eight, having been on the list from 2004. There has been political unrest and attempted coups d’etat for years.

It is one of the poorest and most corrupt places on earth. Most Chadians live in poverty. Things have improved as in 2005 it was number One on this list.

Although it has many political parties, they do not ensure democracy but insurgency. The last election was so corrupt that the opposition to President Deby didn’t even bother to contest. It is currently ranked as the fifth poorest nation in the world.

Telecommunications is basic and expensive, and Chad has one of the lowest telephone density rates in the world. Its energy sector has been mismanaged and covers only 1.5% of the population.

Guinea pulls in at lucky number seven. Although richly endowed with natural resources, from bauxite to diamonds, gold and uranium the lack of infra structure and corruption prevent development.

The diamond mining, for example is held by the government with Canada holding other half, how much was paid for this concession is unknown. The corruption of the government dampens most foreign investors.

Every aspect, from electricity production to road works is beset by corruption. Doing business in Guinea is a matter of bribes, kickbacks and looking the other way.

Sudan at number six is considered the second most unstable country in the world. The continued crisis in Darfur has not effected it’s economic growth as Sudan is the 17th fastest growing economy in the world.

Foreign Aid is often misdirected, human rights are non- existent. Much of the conflict is due to the unfair distribution of wealth in the country.

Afghanistan is a newcomer, only appearing on this list in 2007 but has already achieved number five position.

It has always been an extremely poor country, split into many tribes. The current War on Terror has merely brought new blood to spill on its soil.

Most of its economy is in the illegal poppy trade. Poppies are refined into opium, morphine and heroin. These drugs are sold to the various drug cartels.

Some 3.3 million Afghans are involved in producing opium.

Much of the violence is not particularly religious or national, it concerns wars over the drug trade.

Of course, with an actual war going on, there’s lots of money to be made.

Haiti has worked hard to reach number four, moving down each year. It has remained the least developed nation in the Western Hemisphere. 80% of the population lives in poverty. 30% to 40% of its economy is foreign aid.

Despite attempts to assist Haiti over the decades there has been no change in the situation. This is because
while millions live in abject poverty, there is an incredibly wealthy aristocracy.  So clear is the divide between
the classes, that after the January 2010 Earthquake, space was gained at the airport by having the owners
move their private planes, which took up more than 2/3rds of the hangar space.

Iraq has gained number three place due to the war the United States is waging. Most rebuilding efforts are beset by corruption. Much of the Aid disappears and various projects do not exist. The problem is that members of the Baath Party or of the army are barred from a role in Iraq, hence America is forced into dealing with persons who are dishonest, who are profitting from the corruption, but because they seem to ’support’ America, they can not be replaced.

Myanmar (Burma) is number two. It is governed by a military dictatorship, with no human rights to speak of. Elections are such that in some villages, polling station officials mark the ballots.

There is no independent judiciary, the government restricts Internet access. There is forced labour, human trafficking and child labour are common. The military which rules uses sexual violence, systematic rapes and taking of sex slaves as porters for the military are common.

The government hinders all international humanitarian assistance. It spends the least percentage of its GDP on health care of any country in the world.

Its export of opium equals all legal exports. Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise launders drug money. The number of hectares to grow Opium poppies increased 29% in 2007.

It is one of poorest nations and was once the world’s largest exporter of rice. In 2007 it shared top ‘honours’ with Somalia as the most corrupt country in the world, but has slipped in the past year to number two. Or Somalia has increased it’s level of corruption.

Somalia has reached number one. This may be due to the fact that there is no government in Somalia. Various regional authorities operate on the level of mega-gangs.

Somaliland in the North has declared independence but is unrecognised.

Despite this, many foreign companies thrive in Somalia. It’s private wireless networks provide better service than in neighbouring countries. Internet usage increased by 44,900% between 2000, when it first became available, and 2007. It has the cheapest cellular calling rates, some companies charging less than a cent a minute.

The question is whether a country where corruption is the form of governance should be on this list at all.

North Korea

North Korea is a country that has been described by journalists as being an information black hole. Also known as the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (or DPRK), the country was formed in the aftermath of World War II, when the north was held under Soviet occupation and the south under the occupation of other allied countries. As a result of this occupation, North Korea has deceloped into a Soviet-style socialist regime contrasting with the Western-style republic of South Korea. Ben Anderson, a reporter for the BBC, said the country was strange to the point of being surreal and described it as a “Stalinist theme park”. The country’s political system is extreme and has been described as a ‘personality cult’ of the Eternal president: Kim Il-sung, who founded the country, and who continues to be president despite his death in 1994. The country is a dictatorship run by the president’s son Kim Jong Il. Every aspect of the media is controlled, propaganda is rife, and even history is portrayed differently within the borders of North Korea. According to a report from the committee to protect journalists, “North Korea has no independent journalists, and all radio and television receivers sold in the country are locked to government-specified frequencies. “

Equatorial Guinea

Equatorial Guinea is one of the smallest countries in continental Africa. Its President, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, has been in power since 1979. The 1982 constitution of Equatorial Guinea gave Obiang extensive powers, which he uses to maintain tight hold on the country. The country is oil rich, and of the country’s £370 million revenue a large portion is confiscated by the president. Meanwhile most of the 500,000 subjects are living below the poverty line, often less than a dollar a day. The media is subject to heavy self-censorship, and there are laws in place banning criticism of public figures. The state-owned media and radio stations are controlled by the president’s son.

Burma

Burma, officially known as the Union of Myanmar, is governed by a strict military dictatorship (a military junta) headed by Senior General Than Shwe, who holds the not only the post of “Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council” but also “Commander in Chief of the Defense Services” and Minister of Defence. In 1989 the junta passed the “Adaptation of Expressions Law” that officially changed the English version of the country’s name from Burma to Myanmar, though many do not recognize the authority of the dictatorship to effect changes upon the country’s name.

The ‘Campaign for Human Rights and Democracy in Burma’, (the only national organisation in the UK dedicated to campaigning for human rights and democracy in Burma.) describes the country as being, “ruled by one of the most brutal military dictatorships in the world; a dictatorship charged by the United Nations with a ‘crime against humanity’ for its systematic abuses of human rights, and condemned internationally for refusing to transfer power to the legally elected Government of the country – the party led by Nobel Peace Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.”

According to the committee to protect journalists, “The junta owns all daily newspapers and radio, along with the country’s three television channels. Media dare not hint at, let alone report on, antigovernment sentiments.”