Good Governance and the Fight against Corruption-
Key Tools in the Peacebuilding and Conflict Prevention
Mr. Chairman,
At the outset I would like to thank the distinguished panelist for their thought provoking and candid presentations on the sub-topics of today’s discussion. I am confident; their inputs would contribute towards the development and implementation of effective good governance and anti-corruption strategies.
- Good governance and fight against corruption are not mutually exclusive. Good governance entails process of decision making and the processes by which decisions are implemented. The public institutions conduct public affairs, manage public resources and guarantee the realization of economic and development rights of individuals. Good governance ensures accomplishment of these objectives in a manner essentially free from abuse and corruption.
- Governance has three constituent components, namely, political; administrative; and socio-economic. However, in the uncertain regional and international security environment, and especially, in the post conflict and unstable societies, “security” become a fundamental constituent of governance.
- Without providing a minimum level of security to its citizens, a state can’t perform its regulatory function. Additionally, an efficient security sector is also crucial for sustaining state building and governance reforms. Transitional societies need to focus on important ingredients of “security governance” including, establishing and maintain State monopoly of power; granting physical integrity; reforming the police service at all levels; and small arms control. In the post conflict societies, States will, especially, need to fight warlordism in the areas beyond the full reach of State and reduce the role of the security forces to the pre-conflict levels. However, success of these measures not only depends on the institutional conditions but also on population’s ability to transform its behaviour pattern to deal collective and individual challenges.
- In addressing the political and administrative constituent of good governance, States need to ensure that all population groups feel represented. This could be ensured through horizontal separation of power as well as through decentralized administrations. Appropriate “democratization” and “democratic stabilization” play pivotal role in ensuring stability of post conflict societies.
- The socio-economic constituent of governance entails macro economic stability and equitable distribution of “goods and opportunities”. The restoration or creation of viable state structures in post-conflict socities requires a pragmatic approach to socio-economic governance. Success in this area is also a “normative pre-requisite” for the emergence of an effective statehood and reduces the potential for renewed conflict.
- Pakistan played key role in integration of international cooperation in these diverse areas. In 2003, we introduced the concept of “Ad Hoc Composite Committees” at the United Nations, bringing together members of the Security Council, the General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), and other relevant actors including troop contributors, financial donors and institutions. The concept ultimately evolved into the establishment of Peace-building Commission.
- Over a long period of time Pakistan has remained one of the top troops contributor to the United Nations peacekeeping mission, which play main role in ensuring security in the post conflict societies. As of 30 September 2006, Pakistan was the largest contributor with 9769 personnel deployed in 11 UN operations of which 7 were in Africa, with major participation in the DRC, Liberia, Sudan and Cote d’Ivoire.
- From domestic experience and decades of exposure at the United Nations and at the peace keeping missions, we have learnt good governance cannot be ensured without an administrative and political environment “free from corruption”. The first victim of corruption becomes the “development process itself as inequalities get entrenched and law and order breaks down”. Eventually “corruption does not remain restricted to one sector” of the economy; it “permeates in the whole society”.
- Let me quote South African President Thabo Mbeki, who, while addressing the March 2005 Anti-corruption Summit in Pretoria said, “Corruption is inimical to development. It constrains our ability to fight poverty, negatively effects economic development, damages social values and undermines democracy and good governance”. Repeated research studies show corruption negatively affects “growth, efficiency, equity and welfare”. It has also been established that “no system is free of corruption” but “its effects are most destructive in the developing world”.
- The Government of Pakistan announced its first National Anti-corruption Strategy in 2002. The long term objective of the Strategy was “to eliminate corruption by engaging all stakeholders in the fight against corruption, through a programme which was holistic, inclusive and progressive”. The short term objective of the strategy was “ to set in motion systemic improvements that will strengthen the national integrity system and the people against corruption”. The strategy is based on three principles:
-
Prevention: This includes systemic, institutional, legislative and administrative reforms and public education and awareness aimed at removing incentives and opportunities for corrupt practices;
- Monitoring: This entails regular and systemic measuring of nature, causes and extent of corruption, through reliable and verifiable data collection; and
- Combating: This includes improvement in the legal and institutional arrangements for the detection, investigation and prosecution of corruption.
- Implementation of the strategy has yielded positive results. However, we have come across impediments, which are international in nature. These include, “transfer of assets of illicit origin” and “illegal practices of international corporations”. The general level of cooperation from some developed countries in addressing these problems is not encouraging.
- These problems are mainly attributed to diverse approaches adopted by different legal systems in the areas of “jurisdiction, evidentiary requirements and relationship between criminal proceedings and recovery proceedings”. These problems are adequately addressed in the Secretary General’s report “Preventing and combating corrupt practices and transfer of assets of illicit origin and returning such assets to the countries of origin” (UN Document: A/61/177).
- We believe the United Nations Convention against Corruption provides an adequate framework for international cooperation. Its provisions address “bribery, money-laundering and transfer of illicitly acquired assets”. There are 140 signatories of the Convention, including Pakistan. The first meeting of the State Parties to the Convention will be held in December this year. “The conference will have to define the most efficient and effective way of reviewing the implementation of the Convention”. At national levels we will be required to undertake appropriate legislation to accommodate the provisions of the Convention.
- In the end, I would like to stress that establishment of “sustainable parliamentary institutions” should be the first step to ensure good governance and fight corruption. Parliaments have multiple roles of legislation and over-sight; in most cases they also play a role in election of the executive and maintain a check on the executive. Hence, they could effectively contribute towards implementation of all aspects of good governance and anti-corruption strategies. The imperative of good governance and the fight against corruption for “sustainable international economic development” should remain the principle motivation for the parliamentarians of the World to lead the way.
REMARKS BYM
HON. MOHAMMEDMIAN SOOMRO
CHAIRMAN, SENATE OF PAKISTAN
AT THE
CONVOCATION OF THE 2006 PARLIAMENTARY HEARING
Theme: Good Governance and the Fight against Corruption-
Key Tools in the Peacebuilding and Conflict Prevention
14 November 2006
United Nations, New York