International Anti-Corruption Day, 2008. Today, 9th December, is International Anti-Corruption Day. Transparency International has released the 2008 Bribe Payers Index. This survey reveals that companies based in
The survey also reveals that public works and construction companies may be the most corruption-prone when dealing with the public sector. They are the most likely to exert undue influence on the policies, decisions and practices of governments.
Public officials and managers of State-owned enterprises must be particularly careful in avoiding corrupt transactions when dealing with companies from those countries.
Perhaps the clearest thinking and writing on the subject has come from Transparency International of Trinidad and Tobago. Their website reminds us that political corruption affects us all. Citizens of three out of four countries polled by Transparency International and Gallup International in 2003 and 2004 singled out political parties as the institution they perceived as most corrupt.
Government must put in place the system of checks and balances that the Prime Minister of
Public and private sector executives must make corruption prevention as much a priority in their organizations as health and safety.
See previous posts on the need to enhance procurement integrity in
Don: How fitting that Illinois Governor Blagojevich got arrested on December 9 for trying to sell what had been President-elect Obama's US Senate seat. Clearly, he was observing International Anti-Corruption Day in his own special fashion. Perhaps his intention was to teach by example and to show us what bad flows from corruption. Keep up the good work.
ReplyDeleteSteven Seligman