Whether the answer lies in oversized snail turds or not it is hard to see how the original question mutated into supercilious treatment of officials in the third world, even given PPRuNe's amazing ability for "topic creep".
How many bars does a CAPTAIN wear? Heavens! Captains wear, as they always have done in recent decades, 4 (four) bars. 3 bars denotes an SFO. 2 bars an FO and one bar a second officer. Only 4 bars belongs to a Captain.
Has there ever been a variation to this in Western aviation?
Being commander has nothing to do with the number of engines, has it???
This is, however, usually accepted as applying to Professional pilots only. The wearing of gold bars by non-professionals is usually seen as in questionable taste at best.