27 July, 2010

Interests



The Interests Commissioner:  Following on from the previous post, the first institution we would look for in a country’s system of government, to give us some indication that integrity in public service is taken seriously, is a functioning and strictly enforced Integrity Act.  This is the law that in well-regulated countries requires public officers, that is, civil servants, politicians and directors of statutory boards, to publicly declare their assets and liabilities.  In Anguilla, as in most of the British Overseas Territories, there is no such law. 
We need to have laws and regulations, backed with sharp teeth, put in place.  In the absence of such a law, members of the public are entitled to suspect that politicians and civil servants retire much richer than when they went into the service.  And, we are entitled to believe that they have come by those riches in an unethical and criminal way.
Related Posts:


No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.