greetings, this is a test.
thanks
Ndey Jobarteh wrote:
> I just got back from Abuja, Nigeria where i was coordinating a training
> workshop on Leadership and Management for Nigeria Women NGOs. During this
> trip we had the West Africa Democracy Network(WADNET) Conference at the ECOWAS
> Secretariat in Abuja.
>
> The Theme for the conference was "Organising for Sustainable Democracy and
> Development in West Africa in the Next Millenium" and the Sub themes include:
> Democracy and the Rule of Law
> The Civil Society and Democracy
> Democracy and Development
> Democracy and Diveristy
> Peace Building and Conflict Management
> Transparency and Accountability
> Many issues were raised during the three days conference and I find the
> session on Transparency and Accountability very interesting and
> challenging.For that reason i decieded to get a summary of the session and i
> hope that we will be able to explore the issue further.
>
> The Struggle Continues!!!
> Ndey Jobarteh
>
> TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY.
>
> PRESENTER: GENERAL ISHOLA WILLIAMS (TRANSPARENCY
> INTERNATIONAL,
> NIGERIA)
>
> MODERATOR: MR. SADIKOU AYO ALAO, PRESIDENT (GERDDES AFRIQUE,
> COTONOU,
> BENIN)
>
> COMMENTATOR: LARRY DIAMOND, SENIOR RESEARCH FELLOW (HOOVER
> INSTITUTION,
> STANFORD, CALIFORNIA)
>
> RAPPORTEUR: MRS. BINTA MANSARAY ( CAMPAIGN FOR GOOD
> GOVERNANCE, SIERRA
> LEONE)
>
> The moderator introduced the subject of the panel. He set the tone for the
> ensuing discussion by saying that the problem of
> Transparency and Accountability is that of bad governance. He also mentioned
> that to promote Good Governance, one must fight against corruption and there
> should be a separation of powers as well as co-operation among the branches of
> government.
>
> General Williams focused his presentation on corruption . In his view the
> elites in society are the corrupt social class because they have the
> political and economic access and opportunity to be corrupt. He described
> four categories of elites like - 'The Mafia', 'Fragmented Patronage',
> 'Elite Hegemony' and 'Group Interest Bidding', all of whom use the power of
> their ill-gotten wealth for influence peddling, making and breaking leaders as
> and when it is convenient and holding the democratic system to ransom.
>
> According to the presenter, the rural people and the Grassroots who are so
> far removed from the elites are not corrupt because they lack the economic and
> political access to be so, and they don't even understand the workings of the
> political game. Dr. Larry Diamond supported the notion that there is a
> psychological, social, economic and political gap between the governed and the
> leaders. He however pointed out that corruption is not a monopoly of the
> elites, arguing also that it cuts across social classes as there is corruption
> at the very top and at the grassroots level. His argument was buttressed by
> most participants in the audience. It was also noted that as wealth corrupts
> the elite, so the lack of it corrupts the poor. There was a general feeling
> during the discussion that corruption is endemic in African societies even
> though it is a universal problem.
>
> THE EFFECTS OF CORRUPTION :
>
> Corruption as a pervasive evil practice has its attendant effects. During the
> discussion the following effects were highlighted:
> A. The Rich and Powerful minority deny the poor and powerless majority
> equal access to national wealth and the exercise of political power.
> B. It exacerbates poverty and inequality
> C. It impoverishes states - a reference was made to the keynote
> speaker's
> (Ms.
> Ellen Johnson Sirleaf) address in which she mentioned that the private
> capital of Africans abroad is worth one hundred and fifty billion US dollars
> which is a substantial drain on the African economy. The late President Abacha
> of Nigeria and President Mobutu of Zaire were mentioned as some of the most
> corrupt leaders who embezzled their countries resources. The audience wanted
> to know how the International community and the banks can help African states
> recover embezzled money - this question was not answered by the panellists.
>
> HOW TO CONTROL CORRUPTION:
>
> A. Decentralisation was mentioned as a means of controlling corruption. The
> panelists felt that if government is brought close to the people and they
> ultimately take control of their resources, the level of corruption will be
> minimized.
> B. Political system reform - candidates must present their plans for their
> communities to the electorate before elections so that they will be elected on
> merits.
> C. The presenter and the commentator disagreed sharply on where to start to
> control corruption. The presenter thought that corruption must be controlled
> from the bottom, meaning community levels to the national level, meaning top
> level of government. The commentator felt that one must start at the highest
> level of government to fight corruption and it will flow downwards.
> D. Asset Declaration - It was suggested that high level elected officials,
> civil servants and political appointees must declare their assets before and
> every year thereafter. High-level officials should make these declarations
> public, with an empowered anti-corruption commission and Judiciary to
> investigate and prosecute any fraudulent misrepresentation of assets.
>
> CONCLUSION:
> It is interesting to note that during the discussion, what came out in a
> compelling way was the pervasiveness of corruption, its causes, effects
> and ways of combating it. Except for a brief mention of asset declaration,
> Transparency and Accountability were not explored as the main issues of the
> panel. No mention was made of how Transparency and Accountability could be
> instruments for deterring corruption, promoting democracy and foster good
> governance. In other words, what was not established was the fact that
> Transparency and Accountability of the political, economic and administrative
> activities of elected officials and democratic institutions to the
> electorate are imperatives for ensuring Good Governance. Furthermore,
> Transparency and Accountability in the civil society organisations and
> non-governmental organisations are necessary for the moral authority to deal
> with the lack of it in government.
>
> For any further information regarding this conference or WADNET please contact
> the Centre for Democracy and Development
> 12 Leathermarket
> Weston Street
> London SE1 3ER
> UK
> Tel: 0171 407 0772
> Fax: 0171 407 0773
> Email:[log in to unmask]
> Website:http:/www.cdd.org.uk
>
> ____________________________________________________________________
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