Jakarta – The Berlin-based group Transparency International on Tuesday listed Indonesia near the bottom of its list of corrupt countries, on the same level as Kenya but ahead of Myanmar, Angola, Cameroon, Paraguay, Nigeria and Haiti.

The list rates 103 nations on a score out of a possible perfect 10, with Indonesia placing 122th place with a score of 1.9.

Indonesia's ranking, worse compared to last year's ranking of 96, was "not a surprise because widespread corruption can be seen at every level," said Teten Masduki, coordinator of Indonesia Corruption Watch, a non-governmental watchdog.

"At every level, whether it's bureaucratic, political or judicial, corruption is the day-to-day means to make money," Masduki told AFP.

He said political corruption under President Megawati Soekarnoputri's current term was "frighteningly worse" compared to the reign of former dictator Soeharto, who resigned in 1998.

Masduki cited the growing number of political parties, compared to just three under Soeharto, as one of the reasons. Other analysts have also pointed to the much wider powers held by the regions following the government's decentralisation drive.

Airing the same sentiment, Kastorius Sinaga of the Gempita corruption watchdog group said he saw "no changes" made by the last two Indonesian presidents to combat corruption.

"From Abdurrahman Wahid to Megawati, corruption continues to grow because neither government is serious in implementing the supremacy of law," he told AFP.

Sinaga said major political parties were currently "trying to find ways to finance their parties" by placing their colleagues in "strategic positions" in the government.