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Good governance: More than just a slogan
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September 26th, 2007 issue

Czech officials managed to pull the wool over the eyes of the European Union membership committee when it came to many good governance issues, a knowledgeable source recently confided. He went on to suggest that with the country now a member of the EU club, officials don’t have much reason to change their ways.

Complaints about the way business is done in the Czech Republic are legion, especially among foreigners who come here expecting fair and professional treatment. From petty problems like the arbitrary traffic fines imposed by predatory police officers to the shadowy process for winning large government contracts, this country is still burdened by many of the corrupt practices that flourished under communism.
It may be too much to expect those to disappear in a generation. But there’s no denying their corrosive effect. Who among us, for example, faced with the endless delays and frustration involved in getting a simple document, has not been willing to pay what is essentially a bribe to speed things up? And it’s hard to disagree with locals who complain that while the system may run under a different name, the same corrupt people and practices still hold sway.
So it was exciting to see the U.S. Embassy and the Senate co-host a conference on transparency and ethics this past week. U.S. Ambassador Richard Graber set exactly the right tone for the gathering in noting that ethical lapses cost a society not only economically, but in terms of the public trust.
Which is not to downplay the economic cost. According to figures quoted by Graber, fraud and waste in this country cost every Czech citizen more than 20,000 Kč, or more than $1,000, per year.
Transparency International, a Berlin-based anti-corruption organization has launched a fraud hotline to combat the problem. Anyone can call #199 in the Czech Republic to report fraud, abuse or waste confidentially.
Those phones should be ringing off the hook, if anecdotes at the conference are any indication. Shadow Justice Minister Marie Benešová, who knows the system as well as anyone, accused prosecutors of developing into “mafias.” Mike Short, chief executive of Plzeňský Prazdroj, said that an executive involved in a bidding tender put out by his company had his life threatened.
As Justice Minister Jiří Pospíšil pointed out, the government can make good laws to fight corruption. But, if they don’t fit in with the morals and ethics of the larger society, they will never work.
So reform efforts have to happen on every level. Pilot projects are already in the works EU-wide to train police and judges on good governance procedures. Additional fair and open procedures should be put in place to guarantee transparency on government contracts. Graber also suggested teaching the concepts of ethical responsibility, integrity and public service to students, an idea we enthusiastically endorse.
Certainly, corruption isn’t confined to the Czech Republic. It’s a problem in all developed societies, democratic or otherwise, starting with the United States, where there are currently questions about the millions, and perhaps billions, of dollars meant for Iraq’s reconstruction that disappeared into a black hole. And EU contractors are struggling to blacklist companies that have had corruption problems in the past.  
As Thomas Jefferson once said, “Information is the currency of democracy,” and that’s more true now than ever. Which means that journalists have a job to do, too. The public also has a role to play, especially with new options like the #199 corruption hotline.
The stronger our democracies are, the more prosperous and secure we all will be, Graber told the conference.
We couldn’t agree more.


Other articles in Opinion (26/09/2007):

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