Need to combat corruption at all levels
Wednesday, 12 October 2011 02:06
The local newspapers last month reported that the State of Qatar and the United Nations signed a memorandum of understanding to establish the office to support anti-corruption efforts in the Arab region through a special regional project that aims to provide technical assistance based on the best international standards and practices in the fight against corruption. Our newspapers stated that this office is the first of its kind in the Arab region and this is an important initiative in driving the efforts to promote transparency, fairness, rule of law and fighting the corruption.
There is no doubt that this news gets us to talk about our reality, stressing initially what is stressed by the researchers in this area that there is no clean city and the corruption exists in all societies and nations, but the rate varies from country to country according to variables associated with it. The most important of which is the nature of the political system, the level of economic growth and the prevailing culture in the society. The existence of a stable democratic system, for example, based on the rule of law and separation of powers, with transparency and accountability, reduces the corruption to low levels.
If we look at the corruption in our societies, we will find it, as the researchers say, either big corruption or small corruption. The first is a swamp in which senior leaders and political officials of the state live, and the second is a swamp in which the administrators at various levels live.
The big corruption is very vast and it is associated to the big transactions in the world of contracting, arms trade, seeking commercial agencies for big international companies, granting the licenses for the exploitation of natural resources, participation of senior traders in their business without contributing to them in the capital, establishment of huge tenders or contracts for foreign companies, appointment of sons, relatives or close associates in the centres and higher positions, wasting of public money, playing with the state property and its investments and others.
The small corruption arises to overcome the obstacles to the service provided by management or to win the bid or transaction and contract or the appointment of unqualified kin in some public office or personal use of the possibilities allocated for management or the staff’s exploitation of their works or others.
The small corruption may increase and decrease according to the variables relating to the level of economic growth and the prevailing culture in the society. Therefore, we find it at low levels in some Gulf States, despite the absence of democracy. The large-scale corruption may arise from the sense of those who are involved in it that the state is their property, so it is linked in a big way to the variable of the nature of the political system.
In conclusion, I hope that the anti-corruption office will achieve its objectives and it will not take us out of the scope of its interests, like some of our institutions that are concerned with the freedom of media and democracy.
There is no doubt that this news gets us to talk about our reality, stressing initially what is stressed by the researchers in this area that there is no clean city and the corruption exists in all societies and nations, but the rate varies from country to country according to variables associated with it. The most important of which is the nature of the political system, the level of economic growth and the prevailing culture in the society. The existence of a stable democratic system, for example, based on the rule of law and separation of powers, with transparency and accountability, reduces the corruption to low levels.
If we look at the corruption in our societies, we will find it, as the researchers say, either big corruption or small corruption. The first is a swamp in which senior leaders and political officials of the state live, and the second is a swamp in which the administrators at various levels live.
The big corruption is very vast and it is associated to the big transactions in the world of contracting, arms trade, seeking commercial agencies for big international companies, granting the licenses for the exploitation of natural resources, participation of senior traders in their business without contributing to them in the capital, establishment of huge tenders or contracts for foreign companies, appointment of sons, relatives or close associates in the centres and higher positions, wasting of public money, playing with the state property and its investments and others.
The small corruption arises to overcome the obstacles to the service provided by management or to win the bid or transaction and contract or the appointment of unqualified kin in some public office or personal use of the possibilities allocated for management or the staff’s exploitation of their works or others.
The small corruption may increase and decrease according to the variables relating to the level of economic growth and the prevailing culture in the society. Therefore, we find it at low levels in some Gulf States, despite the absence of democracy. The large-scale corruption may arise from the sense of those who are involved in it that the state is their property, so it is linked in a big way to the variable of the nature of the political system.
In conclusion, I hope that the anti-corruption office will achieve its objectives and it will not take us out of the scope of its interests, like some of our institutions that are concerned with the freedom of media and democracy.
ليست هناك تعليقات:
إرسال تعليق