What is the responsibility of the citizen to prevent abuses by the government
Corruption is a oftentimes used word. But what is the exact definition of corruption? Is it the abuse of office or is it the absenteeism of laws penalizing and preventing it? Does it mean a lack of enforcement of laws or the absence of justice altogether?
Although at that place are plenty of definitions of corruption, I will only share my view, with accent on how ordinary citizens perceive information technology. Such a view has been shaped over years of experience in the field of development in Egypt at various levels, and in many sectors and institutions.
Corruption, as officially divers, is associated with the misuse of ability. There is a general consensus on this definition amongst ordinary citizens, as many believe that those in public role at all levels misuse their positions for personal proceeds or to serve a few individuals rather than the whole of social club.
Nonetheless, there are enough of laws, statutes and decrees that are supposed to prevent the misuse of public office for personal gain. Therein lies the problem: at that place are 54,000 laws, regulations and statues that are supposed to govern the relations between citizens and various land institutions, that create both an enabling environment for and a line of defense against, decadent practices.
The double standards and inconsistencies in many laws provide public officials with loopholes to escape legal liability. In some cases, the laws enable the enactment of decisions that address the demands of marginalized segments of social club. Some call this the "positive side of abuse". This, in plough, creates a civilisation of tolerance for corruption among ordinary citizens; as a fashion of ensuring needs are met, be information technology by illicit ways or otherwise.
Corruption is ultimately associated with land institutions that, equally some might debate, marginalize the roles of other land sectors, i.e. civil lodge, private sector, and media. Yet, these sectors have too been afflicted by corruption in a number of different ways. Information technology is axiomatic in their identification of evolution priorities, the choice of sectors they operate in, and the resources they draw on under the pretext of 'denizen driven' development.
Corruption permeates the unabridged lodge; used by the few, in whichever social sector they operate, who accept the ability, influence, information and money. Some aspect this to the lack of efficiency and effectiveness in the use of resources, which in turn affects the effect of and returns on evolution for ordinary citizens.
Moreover, the state'due south endeavors, taken in reaction to citizens' discontent, have been driven past the views of its experts on how to bargain with the root causes of abuse. As a outcome, the state has amended the laws and regulations, adopted the private sector governance methods and mechanisms, and, finally, established anti-abuse commissions to review performance and hold decadent officials accountable. That said, some fence that the trouble with the commissions is that they are non independent of the government.
In do, these efforts accept neither improved performance nor minimized corruption, and have non increased citizen satisfaction with state institutions. Many recollect that this was due to a lack of citizen engagement in the process designed to identify the root causes of corruption, and more than chiefly, the lack of pop input on how to tackle these causes. This lack of input has had a negative touch on on citizen confidence, which was already mistrustful of all sectors and the fight against abuse.
Strengthening the role of citizens and Civil Order Organizations (CSOs)
It is necessary therefore to prefer a dissimilar machinery and arroyo to fighting corruption that widely and genuinely seeks to streamline "denizen engagement" in all steps and stages. Ordinary citizens should all have a way of providing input to the process. Their opinions should not but be listened to, but also respected and acted upon.
The main challenge here is how to engage citizens. In this regard, the CSOs should accept an important role to play. They should seek to improve their functioning, and to stand for and advocate for ordinary citizens and ensure their voices are well heard and respected. They should not restrict their focus to service delivery alone.
However, since there are 40,000 CSOs in Egypt, it may be difficult to hear them, as they do non speak with a coherent voice. The media could play an important role by shedding light on the efforts of civil society, and ensuring that citizens' voices are heard and responded to.
Nosotros therefore conclude that focusing on preventing and fighting regime corruption lonely is not plenty, as corruption has affected all sectors of order. Fighting corruption is a multifaceted and complicated process requiring synergy amidst all sectors. It is particularly important that all sectors of social club recognize and presume their responsibilities toward the ordinary denizen. Corruption has undermined the rights of citizens, and they cannot afford to wait any longer to repossess them.
* The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of the World Bank
Source: https://blogs.worldbank.org/arabvoices/citizens-are-key-fight-against-corruption
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