公民社会在反腐中的作用.docx

公民社会在反腐中的作用.docx

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公民社会在反腐中的作用

CivilSocietyintheFightAgainst

Corruption

Prof.Dr.PeterEigen

Chairman,TransparencyInternational

I.

Thethemeofthisyear’sInternationalAnti-CorruptionConferenceis"Thestateandcivilsocietyinthefightagainstcorruption".AsarepresentativeofcivilsocietyIfinditbothexcitingandremarkablethatthehostsandtheorganisingcommitteeoftheconferencemadethatselection.Itisexcitinginthesensethatnewformsofcollaborationbetweengovernmentandcivilsocietywillbedevised,analysedanddiscussedduringthisconference,newformsofco-operationfromwhichbothpartnersstandtogain.

Andthethemeoftheconferenceisremarkable,evencourageousinthesensethateveryoneknowshowunrulycivilsocietycanbeperceivedtobe.Ourhostsarethereforetobecongratulatedonthechoiceofthistheme,congratulatedonitscourageinrecognisingandencouragingcivilsocietyasakeyplayer.

Inhistoricaldimensions,civilsocietyisarecentforceonthegloballandscape.Whilecommunitygroups,churchesandreligiousgroups,themediaorpoliticalinterestgroupshavelongplayedimportantrolesonthelocalandnationallevels,themoreproactiveinvolvementinglobalproblemsofnon-governmentalorganisationshasonlyrecentlygraduatedfromthenationallevel.Intheareasofdevelopment,theenvironmentandhumanrights,NGOshaveaddedanewdimensiontotraditionalpoliticsandhavehelpedhumankindfindnewformsforaddressingourglobalproblems.Today,itisnolongercontentioustosaythatwithouttheactiveinvolvementofcivilsocietywewouldliveinaworldriddenwithevenmoreviolenceandhumanrightsabuses,burdenedwithgreatersocialinjusticeandequippedwithlesssensitivitytotheecologicalproblemswearefacing.AsourTImemberJessicaMathewsputitinarecentarticleinForeignAffairs:

"Exceptin[...]afew[...]placeswherecultureorauthoritariangovernmentslimitcivilsociety,NGO’sroleandinfluencehaveexplodedinthelasthalfdecade."[1]

II.

Thisisparticularlytrueforthesubjectofthisconference.WeatTransparencyInternationalbelievethattheinvolvementofcivilsocietyisanintegralpartofanysuccessfulfightagainstcorruption.Anon-governmentalorganisationourselves,weregardthemobilisationofcivilsocietyaskeytoachievingsuccess.Itisourphilosophy,however,thatfordealingwiththisoverwhelmingproblemofcorruptionthebestpositionforcivilsocietyiswithinabroadercoalitionconsistingofthreekeypillars:

government,theprivatesectorandcivilsociety.Allthreepartnershavetobeinvolvedforthefightagainstcorruptiontobecredibleaswellaseffectiveandsustainable.

Moreover,incontainingcorruptioneachsocietyhastofinditsownwaytosalvation-experiencegainedelsewheremayenlightenandinformtheprocess,butarenosubstituteforhome-grownsolutionstohome-grownproblems.Eachofushasdifficultyinaddressingcorruptioninourowncountries:

noneofushasoff-the-shelfanswersforothers.

Co-operationisthekeyatalllevelsinourcommonquesttocurbwhatweseeasthe"abuseofpublicpowerforprivateprofit."[2]Atanearlystageinthiscollaboration,government,theprivatesectorandcivilsocietywillhavetocometogethertodiagnosetheproblem,eachplayerbringinginitsspecialexperienceanditsownperspectives.Learningfromeachother’sexperienceinthatfirstphasewillthenhelptodefinetheproblem,theunderlyingissuesmoresharply,whichinturnwillenableustodeveloprealisticcounterstrategies.Finally,ajointapproachisneededtoeffectivelyimplementandmonitortheconcretemeasures-ifpossiblejointlyagreedmeasures-tostemthetideofcorruption.Eachsectorneedsthesupportoratleastthevigilantpartnershipoftheotherstranslatingcoherentstrategiesintoabetter,amoretransparentreality.

Itbecomesclearerwhythisco-operationissovitalwhenonelooksatthefailureofthoseanti-corruptioneffortswhichdidnotenjoysuchbroadsupport.AsFreneGinwala,theSpeakeroftheSouthAfricanParliament,haspointedoutinarecentspeechinStockholm,amajorityofmilitarycoupsinpost-independenceAfricawaspubliclyjustifiedbytheneedtofightcorruption.Buttheanti-corruptionbattlesafterthecoupswereoftenfoughtbycommandsofthegeneralsfromabove-theydidnotinvolvetherank-and-filesoldiersandthesupplybattalions,ifyouallowmetospeakinthesemartialterms.Asaresult,mostofthesebattlesagainstcorruptionwerelost,andoften,thecommandinggeneralsweresimplyreplacedbyanothercoup.

Whatistrueforgovernment,isjustastruefortheprivatesector.Evenifthereisstrongdedicationinthebusinesscommunitynottogetinvolvedinanyactsofbribery,itwillbeextremelydifficult,somewouldsayimpossible,toholdontotheseprincipleswithinaframeworkwhichdoesnotadequatelyrewardhonestyandfaircompetition.NicelyelaboratedCorporateCodesofConductwillwitherinaclimatewherecorruptionissystemic,wheregovernmentisnotaccountableandwheretheprivateorpublicdecision-makingprocessispervertedbybriberyandextortion.

Andtherecanbenodoubtthatcivilsocietywouldbecomeengagedinanoblebutfutiletiltingagainstwindmills,ifitattemptedtoconfrontcorruptionwithoutinvolvingthosethatcansetthekeyparametersoftheframeworkinwhichcorruptioncanbefought-government-andthosewhoshouldhavethestrongestinterestinacorruptionfreemarketplace:

theprivatesector.

III.

Ofcourse,tostatewhatdoesnotwork,doesnotautomaticallytelluswhatwillwork.Lookingatthecaseswhereunilateralactionbyjustoneplayerinthemagicanti-corruptiontrianglehasfailed,doesnotbyitselfinvokewhythecollaborationofallthree-government,privatesectorandcivilsocietyissovitalforthefightagainstcorruptiontobewon.

Sowhyexactlyhavethecollaborationofallthree?

Woulditnotbesufficientifgovernmentandtheprivatesectorcameupwithanactionplanagainstcorruptionthemselves?

Cannotthegovernmentintroducenewlaws,imposetoughersanctionsandinventnewcontrolmechanismsallbyitselfandstillfightcorruptioneffectively?

Thelastcanbeansweredsimply:

ifexistinglawslanguishunenforcedorunenforceableandenmeshedinsystemiccorruption,whathopecantherebeinsimplyreplacingonefutilelawwithanother?

However,tofindanswerstoallthesequestions,itisimportanttolookattheunderlyingnatureofallthreesectors,tounderstandwhatspecificcontributiontheycanmaketoovercomecorruptpractices.Thekindofinputeachofthemcanprovideisintricatelylinkedtothesourcesoflegitimacyofeach,witheachsourceopeningnewdimensions.

Itiscommonlyheldthatthelegitimacyofgovernmentsisderivedfromthepeople.Agovernmenttoenjoylegitimacymustbeaccountabletodemocraticcontrolbythepeopleandbytheruleoflaw.Itisthislegitimacywhichgivesgovernmentthemoralstandingandthestrengthtoundertakereformstoquellcorruptionthatmayreachfarintopeople’slivesItisthislegitimacywhichmakesgovernmentastrongandreliableguardianofthepublicinterest,whichenablesittosetaframeworkbetterequippedtodealwithcorruption.

Thelegitimacyofcivilsocietyalsorestswiththepeople,althoughitisdifferentlystructured.Whilemanynon-governmentalorganisationscanclaimamandatetospeakonglobalconcernsandrepresentthoseinterestsunderrepresentedinthetraditionalpoliticalprocess,theyareoftennotaccountabletodirectdemocraticcontrol.often,theseorganisationsarenotevendemocraticallystructuredinternally.Whatlegitimisesthemisaconcernaboutissuesthatarenotbeingdealtwithadequatelyinthenationalorinternationalarenas,aconcernaboutproblemsthatoftengobeyondthelimitedreachofthenation-state.

Also,manyproblemsaresimplyignoredandneglectedbygovernmentsoraddressedinafashionwhichdoesnottakeintoaccountthelegitimateinterestsofthoseaffectedbygovernmentalaction.Andthelegitimacyofnot-for-profitorganisationsisfurtherfosteredsimplybecausetheirconcernsdonotariseoutofself-interestedprofit-orientation,butaspeoplewhogenuinelycareaboutthepublicinterestandthewell-beingofboththelocalandtheglobalcommunity.

Incontrasttotheothertwopillars,thebusinesscommunitycanclaimtobeanessentialpartnerinthefightagainstcorruptiononasomewhatdifferentbasis.Theprivatesectormorethantheothers.isatthesametimetheperpetratorandthevictimofcorruption.Economiclifeisstifled,therisksandcostsofcorruptionevenforthemostskilfulsharksinthemuddywatersofcorruption,becomesooverbearing.thatthegreatmajorityofprivateentrepreneursaresearchingforanescaperoutefromthisviciouscircle.Itisthesimpleselfinterest,theenlightenedselfinterestoftheprivatesectoranditsstakeholdersthatgivesitsactiveroleinacoalitionagainstcorruptionlegitimacyandpurpose.Theprivatesectoralsocommandstheskillsandresourcestodealwithcorruption,particularlywithinternationalcorruption,inaconcreteandpracticalmanner.

Thisdoes,ofcourse,notmeantosaythattheprivatesectorenjoyssupremacyovertheotherspheres-itsimplymeansthatthereismutualdependencebetweentheeconomicfoundationsofasocietyandthesocialstructuresitbuildsthereon.

IV.

Thereisnodoubtaboutthemandateandlegitimacyofgovernment,theprivatesectorandcivilsocietytojoininacoalitionagainstcorruption.Whatistheinputeachofthemcanmaketothebattleweareallheretojoin?

Asanumberofpreviousspeakersat