Last week, the European Commission expressed concern about Malta’s failure to secure convictions in high-level corruption cases and flagged “deep corruption patterns”.
Corruption, in fact, exists wherever there is absence of proper legal frameworks and enforcement of procedures. Also, lack of ethics and effective leadership are cause for corruption to spread. In addition, when relevant anti-corruption education and related skills are not available, it exacerbates the problem.
I personally believe that the increase in corruption is positively correlated to increased openness and globalisation. But greed is the root of corruption, brought by an addiction to power.
Although the symptoms of corruption are similar almost everywhere, fighting corruption differs from country to country. In fact, I cannot stress enough that the fight against corruption is a fight that is taking place everywhere nowadays, not just in Malta.
Many people have been taking corruption lightly for too long. And many are tired of being vocal about it, finding that it has permeated our ‘collective sense of normality’. Too many people have become complacent. A social indifference to corruption and a false sense of immunity to its enduring long-term effects are easier to accept than facing reality and engaging in the fight.
But there is hope.
More people are becoming aware of the problem, its underlying effects and the importance of fighting it.
Secondly, many instances of severe corruption are being exposed, way more than ever before, thanks to hundreds of professionals and journalists who are monitoring and flagging corruption around the world. To us, and to all those like us who are committed to fighting corruption, these recent exposed cases of corruption are an encouraging source of hope.
As an invisible power made up of many people networking constantly and on the move, many feel that the fight against corruption is impossible. But corruption is an enemy and once you identify the enemy, you can fight corruption.
In each country, governments are the only ones responsible for this fight. Malta, as a signatory to the UN Convention Against Corruption, recognises its rights and obligations and is duty bound to fight corruption.
Many times countries pretend to undergo reforms to give the impression that something is being done
Rwanda is an example of a successful fight against corruption. In 1996, Rwanda experienced an atrocious genocide. In time, its people realised that they wanted to rebuild their country and their economy, so they took a collective commitment to do so and to fight corruption.
The Maltese too can fight corruption only if a collective stand is taken and if there is national consensus that corruption is the nation’s enemy.
However, beware of a fake fight! Unfortunately, many times, countries pretend to undergo reforms to give the impression that something is being done. These ‘reforms’ are like taking aspirin for cancer. It is important for every country that is serious in its fight against corruption to make sure that, first and foremost, it sets out a proper national anti-corruption strategy.
Reforms must include an effective and independent judiciary where laws apply to everyone equitably and where everyone is truly accountable. Articulating a strategy must involve representative consultations from civil society and should not be left to elected representatives, who have some degree of accountability for the current situation.
Education, through structured programmes targeted at the younger generation, should also be in place with an emphasis on professional ethics and respect for the rule of law as norms of behaviour.
Aligning the country to Moneyval’s and the Venice Commission reports’ recommendations, which include expectations for strengthening the judiciary, investigation process and enforcement procedures and increasing awareness, education and skills are part of an important launch of the fight.
For a society to gauge the results of such a strategy, it must measure and quantify the extent of existing corruption levels and provide an independent mechanism for regular monitoring of anti-corruption progress, measuring and reporting to the public the effectiveness of the implemented national anti-corruption strategy and identify a set of weak points to improve the effectiveness of the strategy continuously.
Malta needs to stop romancing with corruption. Instead it should combat it with education, good governance, the prevalence of the rule of law and the upholding of the principles that fight corruption. No doubt that if Malta decides to fight corruption seriously, it can lead Europe.
Mike Masoud will be leading a webinar organised jointly by Get Governanz and the Malta Chamber on 10 Principles in Fighting Corruption today.
Mike Masoud, Director of the American Anti-Corruption Institute (AACI)