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| Sunday, 2 January 2005 |
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Battle on corruption in South Asia
Reforming political process is an important factor in combatting corruption in South Asia, says DR. GOPAKUMAR THAMPI, Chief Executive, Public Affairs Foundation, Bangalore, India, in an exclusive interview with the Sunday Observer staffer M. P. MUTTIAH. Dr. Gopakumar said that politics was the most sensitive and fundamental root of corruption. The long arms of graft and bribes had virtually left no institutions untouched. Therefore, political reforms were an urgent need to combat corruption in India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal and Maldives. According to survey, the police was perceived to be most corrupt sector in four out of five countries in the region. In Nepal, the police was perceived to be the third most corrupt after land administration and customs. "Politics was an area where all political parties across the spectrum have failed to usher in standards of probity and transparency. The primary task is to come clean on a publicly articulated plan to reform the political process," he added. He said that existing Electoral Laws should be reviewed with emphasis on accounts, disclosure of public auditing, tax exemptions for political contributions, state funding in kind and allocation of air-time in government and private electronic media. Public disclosures should be made mandatory and stringent penalties imposed on defaulters. Law to regulate political parties Gopakumar said that it was essential to enact law for regulating the functioning of political parties. The law should require political parties to hold regular organisational elections at various levels, maintain systematic accounts and submit audited accounts to the Election Commission, and strictly comply with income tax regulations and guidelines. Election Commission should be given authority to derecognise political parties if they failed to observe the legal requirements. Public service Answering a question on reorienting Public Service in the South Asia, he said that the competence and integrity of public service in the region was a distant dream. The ambit of the regulatory functions of the government should be reviewed to reduce the incentives and opportunities for corruption. Deregulation and debureaucratisation were the key strategies, he pointed out. He added that focus should be on more corruption-prone public agencies having a high degree of interaction with people. Clear guidelines for public seeking services and approvals, stricter supervision, decision making in open forums and access to information on such decision would go a long way in ushering in a culture of transparency and openness. Anti-corruption agency Dr. Gopakumar said that creating an independent anti-corruption agency was essential to combat corruption. He said the experiences of Hong Kong and South Korea clearly pointed to the potential of an independent anti-corruption agency to control corruption. The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) in Hong Kong had changed the tide of corruption. It had educated people on the evils of corruption. It concentrated more in schools and colleges, with a view to enlighten younger generation. Electronic media had been widely used in anti-corruption campaign. The commission was empowered to prosecute and confiscate property of those involved in corruption. Gopakumar said, in Hong Kong, instead of retired persons, mid-career professionals were being appointed to the ICAC and always headed by men of integrity. Referring about Nepali experience, he said that the Commission for Investigating of Abuse of the Government was able to summon a former Prime Minister to inquire corruption charges against him. He pointed out that anti-corruption agencies should be empowered to investigate even the highest levels of government, provide adequate resources to carry out their operations and sufficient powers of access to documentation and for the questioning of witnesses. Silence of public Dr. Gopakumar said that the silence of the masses was the worst enemy in fighting corruption.In Central India people rose up and demanded information on the spending of the government institutions on projects.The peoples movement started in a simple manner forced the state governments to introduce an Information Act. He also stressed the importance of Citizens Manifesto or Citizens Charter, which people themselves put forward their needs to the contestants and warned that if their aspirations had not been fulfilled, they would be recalled. In several areas of India these Manifestos were submitted during the State elections. He said the media should focus not only the negative but also the positive side as well. Referring on the UN Convention against Corruption, Dr. Gopakumar said that it was significant that only Sri Lanka has ratified this Convention in Asia. He expressed his optimism that the government would translate its commitment to practical action. |
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