Combating international corruption pandemic

By Secretary of State David Kilgour

PARLIAMENT HILL--After being convicted of electoral corruption, the late Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi attempted to justify herself by arguing that corruption is a global phenomenon. She was right. Over 3,000 international partner firms and thousands of employees across the globe were implicated in the Enron scandal. Within memory, some developed nations' tax laws considered bribes to be business expenses. The list of political leaders and public servants from around the world who have seriously abused their positions is long.

Corruption remains pervasive today, but the significant progress is this: the global community has now come together and committed to the concept that corruption anywhere will not be tolerated. Many necessary legal and social changes are being made to ensure that the tired excuses of cultural relativism and universality no longer resonate.

Some important concepts emerged at the 'Third Global Forum on Fighting Corruption and Safeguarding Integrity' I recently attended in Seoul along with representatives from Canadian civil society, government departments, independent agencies and the House of Commons.

First, modern corruption is a borderless and multi-sectoral problem demanding multi-faceted solutions. Globalization increasingly makes corruption abroad a domestic issue by linking economies and attracting the

attention of concerned citizens, whether in Sao Paulo, Genoa, or Edmonton.

Transnational crime is associated with corruption, and the political instability it can cause within one state invariably spreads to others. What's more, we know the poor and disadvantaged are disproportionately harmed by corruption. Recent corporate scandals demonstrate that it is not limited to governments.

In addition to political corruption of all sizes and sorts, businesses, NGOs, media outlets, and health and education systems are all potential sites for corruption, thus demanding that effective advocacy and prevention

not overlook them.

Second, transparency and accountability are critical to reducing the friction anti-corruption efforts face. When the fight against corruption is a struggle between governments and civil society, states tend to win. Clearly, where political corruption is rampant, the political will to create transparent and accountable governance cannot exist. The concepts, however, can still be powerful if adopted by the large number of democracies which

recognize it as a problem that must be addressed. There will always be misguided (and probably totally corrupt) states who argue that transparency and accountability violate their sovereignty. Yet when better governed nations adopt and advocate public access to information, they themselves become more just while simultaneously gaining the legitimacy and public support to push for the same rights elsewhere.

Third, while tough legislation must be pursued, there must also be stress on building communities intolerant of corrupt practices. There is also the matter of unsavory practices, such as nepotism, that cannot be clearly

legislated against, but depend mostly upon the integrity of public officials. Although integrity cannot be created by public policy, a population demanding just conduct from its government can be strengthened through laws and practices. Consider the story of a politician who was asked why he was favoring his family. He responded, "If I do not favor my relatives, whose relatives am I supposed to favour?" The response to such thinking is too often regretful acceptance rather than mobilization and protest. The efforts of international organizations such as Transparency International need to be supported so that effective public protest can be promoted and an advocacy network of concerned global citizens created.

The international community has taken important steps to combat corruption. The very existence of a Global Forum involving representatives from several sectors and ongoing work towards a UN Convention Against Corruption demonstrate that this is not a regional or sector specific problem. Regional initiatives, such as the Inter-American Convention Against Corruption, and domestic laws such as Canada's Access to Information Act help to create transparency and accountability. Advocacy networks created by NGOs and the United Nations have served to reinforce the view that no citizens must tolerate corruption in their politicians, private industry, or aid organizations.

The fact remains that without the sustained and committed action of Parliamentarians, we will be condemned to only nominal progress. Iron political will is needed to usher through challenging legislation, create government-to-government and Parliamentarian-to-Parliamentarian advocacy networks to complement those established by civil society and NGOs, and to bring state support to international initiatives. Canada has supported the efforts of Canadian Alliance MP John Williams, the MP for St. Albert, Alta., who created the Global Organization of Parliamentarians Against Corruption (GOPAC) to bring together Parliamentarians around the world who are committed to holding governments to account. With chapters forming all over

the world, the spread of GOPAC is a memorable advancement. The fight against corruption has involved the fall of multi-billion dollar corporations, street protests, and difficult political transitions. The road ahead may be no less turbulent, but with political leadership driven by communities intolerant of corruption, we can at least move in a better direction.

Liberal MP David Kilgour is secretary of state for Asia-Pacific and represents the riding of Edmonton-Southeast, Alta.

The Hill Times