The seventh five-year development plan (2022-27) can provide a golden opportunity in the fight against corruption; many regional countries have succeeded in going through the initial stages of containing corruption and increasing their score on the list of corruption-free economies. Iran’s score in fighting corruption is very low when compared with regional countries, which is a wakeup call for authorities, Nasser Zakeri, an economist, prefaced his article for the Persian daily Shargh with this note.
[The Corruption Perceptions Index ranks countries by their perceived levels of public sector corruption, as determined by expert assessments and opinion surveys. Published annually by the non-governmental organization Transparency International since 1995, 180 countries are ranked on a scale from 100 (very clean) to 0 (highly corrupt).]
A translation of the article follows:
Will the authorities take heed of this opportunity while drafting the seventh development plan? The following points should be considered:
For a society to emerge victorious in the fight against corruption, it should avail itself of expert knowledge and the experience of successful countries. Economic growth and development won’t be achieved, except by acquiring a deep understanding of development, choosing the right economic approach and applying the findings of scientists.
Likewise, the noble goal of curbing corruption and reducing its impact on economy will only be realized by taking advantage of the expertise of the right people. We’ll get nowhere, if we react emotionally and lack scholarly foresight.
Public participation in the battle against corruption is a necessity. Holding meetings without considering the views of institutions run by people cannot produce the desired result.
Degrading the fight against corruption from a major national endeavor to a government move will reduce the chances of success.
By looking at Iranian rules and regulations, you’ll realize that absence of law is not the problem when it comes to fighting corruption. With the correct enforcement of laws, a significant part of the problem will be resolved
The media plays a key role in the battle against corruption; without the presence and participation of the independent and free media, the anti-corruption campaign is doomed, even if it makes temporary improvements. Therefore, those in charge should create a favorable environment for the media, journalists and civil activists to do their job without worrying about the threats of powerful individuals who benefit from corrupt relations.
The fight against corruption is more important than the fight against the corrupt. Over the years, those in charge spent a great deal of effort to identify culprits in corruption cases rather than rooting out corruption itself. Such a course of action has resulted in the persistence of corrupt practices and the promotion of “whistleblowing” spirit.
It is essential to deal decisively with corruption cases and the offenders, but it is much more important to try to eliminate corruption-triggering relations. As long as corrupt relations exist in the economy, there will be opportunists who will take advantage by relying on influential people. The fact that the scope and extent of corruption cases have increased gradually over the years is the best proof of the claim that dealing with corrupt people can never replace efforts to eliminate corrupt relations.
By looking at Iranian rules and regulations, you’ll realize that absence of law is not the problem when it comes to fighting corruption. With the correct enforcement of laws, a significant part of the problem will be resolved. However, in some cases, the power of supervisory institutions will improve by approving new rules and regulations. Therefore, it is necessary to step up the process of approving and communicating laws to prevent opportunists from stonewalling.
For example, the conflict of interest bill, which can provide valuable legal help in curbing corruption in government and public institutions, has been on the agenda of the government since five years ago and despite the preparation of various drafts, the society has not yet enjoyed the fruits of such a text. Why should preparing, approving and communicating such a law proceed so slowly?
The lack of transparency, decision-making behind closed doors, and seeing people as outsiders allow the corrupt elements to gain the best opportunity to achieve their goals. Promotion of transparency is the best way to protect public interest from opportunists.
The enforcement of transparency will require all government and public institutions and all those in power to be accountable and respect people’s right to “know”.
It is vital to eliminate corruption from the executive branch in a society where the government acts as the main employer and public institutions run the main part of economy, but this is not the whole story. Policies that will be incorporated in the seventh plan to fight corruption must apply to all economic and social areas; private sector institutions should also get rid of corruption just like the public sector.
In addition to strengthening the efficiency of supervisory institutions, the fight against corruption requires the reform of economic relations. In other words, this endeavor should never be reduced to moral and legal considerations.
Corruption should be dealt with by employing the science of economics. The goal is to work out solutions that reduce the possibility of opportunists from using corrupt relations to their own benefit by flouting the rules.
I hope those who are in charge of drafting the seventh development plan pay attention to the principles of combating corruption, use collective wisdom and adopt an efficient approach instead of treading the same old path.
