The issue ofcorruption is not a new story or a solo incident of someone who uses hisauthority to seize state lands or public funds. In a press conference held byKuwait Transparency Society announcing the results of the global CorruptionPerceptions Index 2018 issued by Transparency International, it showed Kuwaitranked 78th in the world, 8th in the Arab world and fifth in the Gulf region onthe index.
Of course,corruption is an offense to the country and people, and devastating if notcombatted. I heard on the radio about an anti-corruption strategy launched bythe Kuwaiti government. The strategy is for a period of five years from 2019 to2024 and is based on four main axes and objectives, including 13 prioritiesdistributed over 47 initiatives for achieving better rates in sustainabledevelopment indicators and combatting corruption.
I think the planis a step in the right direction, but I wonder how this strategy will beimplemented and who is the party that will arrest these corrupt people oragencies, regardless of their social status and positions and insist onbringing them to justice without interventions and wasta? What will be the roleof the media on this issue, especially social media? I guess people may rush tovoice opinions through social media either to support or reject themeasures.
The chairman ofthe Kuwait Transparency Society said that the reasons for Kuwait's progress inthe Corruption Perceptions Index are many, such as the conflict of interest lawand the Cabinet decision to form a committee of 16 bodies to review theindicators and prepare the necessary measures to amend the country's ranking inthe global Corruption Perceptions Index.
The comparativeanalysis of data on democracy in the world reveals a correlation betweencorruption and the level of democracy, as the index showed the weakest rate forauthoritarian regimes, which registered only around 30 points in the CorruptionPerceptions Index.
The CorruptionPerceptions Index is related to the extent of corruption in the public sector,specifically corruption by officials, public servants and politicians. But someaspects are not measured by the index, like perceptions of citizens or theirexperiences with corruption.
I believe thatpeople's views on the subject of corruption are essential. It is natural thatevery country in the world wants to be the first in the fight againstcorruption, so it is necessary to place specific measurements to take intoaccount the experiences of the public and their opinions, and incorporate thechanges they notice to be part of the final assessment of each country.
The executivedirector of Transparency International said the international community shouldmake greater efforts to strengthen democracy and protect the rights ofcitizens, especially when corruption seeps into democratic systems andultimately weakens them. I believe that the relationship between democracy andcorruption must be studied carefully, because the two must work together toachieve real success.
TransparencyInternational called on all governments to make real progress in fightingcorruption and promoting democracy around the world, bridge the gap between theenactment of legislation on corruption, its implementation on the ground andits provisions, which will enhance political participation and control publicopinion on government spending. I believe that true success in combatingcorruption does not come through good speeches and wishes, but practicalapplication as an indicator of success.
By Muna Al-Fuzai
muna@kuwaittimes.net