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