Fighting Corruption in South Asia: Building Accountability
This is a brief description of Transparency International’s reports on the findings on anti-corruption activities in Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Around 70 institutions across these six countries have been analyzed for corruption risks.
Most of the report’s focus assessment is on the judiciary and anti-corruption agencies which are decisive agents in fighting corruption.
The following are the key findings of the report:
a. People don’t have ways to learn how their governments do their jobs to make them accountable
b. Would-be whistleblowers are not meaningfully assured of their security
c. anti-corruption agencies are being impeded from performing their roles
Positively, there have been developments among the six countries in terms of fighting corruption. They have ratified the UN Convention against Corruption. However, just like many countries that signed the Convention, they still have a lot of work to do to translate such commitment into real action.
In sum, the following are some of the key points that may help citizens be able to promote and help the decision-makers fight against corruption…
“The right to information: A long way to go”
Some of the six countries have the right to information legislation in place. However, when the citizens request for relevant information public agencies do not properly respond. This situation prevents the citizens to make the decision-makers accountable for their actions. Worst, when they ask to information some are being harassed while some were demanded some money in return for the information.
“Whistleblowers left out in the cold”
Seemingly, there are no whistleblowers protection legal systems in existence in the region. According to this report, prior to 2014, Bangladesh is the only nation that tries strongly in promoting its whistleblower protection law. In 2014, some countries established whistleblower protection laws but fall short in incorporating international standards.
“Anti-corruption watchdogs: tied up and toothless”
The report mentions that the anti-corruption agencies and bodies of the countries under this study are unable to check on government’s misuse of their power and positions. The effectiveness of those countries’ supposedly independence is severely impaired due to a number of reasons: systematic political interference and manipulation, such as appointments to key positions that affect decision-making process.
“Building a culture of accountability in South Asia”
The report also mentions that in countries with instances of strong political will to implement reforms usually shows some impacts on their fight against corruption, such as India and Pakistan. In order to promote the political will of the governments, the report says that a “strong and sustained pressure from below” is a prerequisite in achieving such a goal. These pressures can be brought about by non-state actors including civil society, the media, non-governmental groups among others.
Key Recommendations
Therefore, in response to the above issues found by the report, Transparency International recommended the following points:
-Make the right to information a reality
-Ensure protection of whistleblowers
-Strengthen the independence of anti-corruption agencies and the judiciary
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Fighting Corruption in South Asia 2014