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May 12, 2010
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Corruption in Kurdistan

Kurdishaspect.com - By Kirmanj Ali

Administrative corruption is a widespread phenomenon in Iraqi Kurdistan, especially in government institutions. Transparency International organization indicates in its annual report for 2009 that the Republic of Iraq has the fifth rank among the most corrupt countries in the world. Administrative corruption has become the words of the press, media and organizations of civil society. The BBC reported in January 2008 declared that contracts are often given to relatives and passed down through a series of companies, each one taking a cut of the money.  International economic researchers stated that administrative corruption is one of the reasons that led to lack of big foreign investors, despite the presence of security stability in Kurdistan. According to Transparency International (TI) organization corruption is abuse of entrusted power for private gain. The International Fund defines the corruption in its report issued in the year 1996 as: Maltreating use of the general authority to achieve personal gains, this occurs when an official employee receives requests, begs or extorts a bribe. The definition of corruption in the social science Encyclopedia is: the use of general power to acquire personal profits including all kinds of bribes that local heads, national or political figures or judges take. However, it excludes the bribe that occurs in the private sector.

Corruption is a complex and multifaceted phenomenon with multiple causes and effects, as it takes on various forms and functions in different contexts. The phenomenon of corruption in public administrative ranges from the single act of payment contradicted by low to an endemic malfunction of political and economic system. The problem of corruption has been seen either as a structural problem of politics or economics, or as a cultural and individual moral problem.

There are several types of corruption that occur in Public administrative. Some are more common than others. The types of corruption are as bellow:

Bribery is the offering of something which is most often money but can also be goods or services in order to gain an unfair advantage.

Extortion is threatening or inflicting harm to a person, their reputation, or their property in order to unjustly obtain money, actions, services, or other goods from that person.

Embezzlement is the illegal taking or appropriation of money or property that has been entrusted to a person but is actually owned by another.

Graft is when a political office holder unlawfully uses public funds for personal or specific political party interest.

Nepotism is the practice or inclination to favor a group or person who is a relative when giving promotions, jobs, raises, and other benefits to employees regardless of their actual abilities.

Patronage systems consist of the granting favors, contracts, or appointments to positions by a public office holder or for a political office in return for political support. Many times patronage is used to gain support and votes in elections or in passing legislation.

The new Cabinet of KRG indicate in its program to the existence of corruption in the institutions and promise a comprehensive administrative reform (1), which affected negatively on administrative and political reputation of Kurdistan Region.  In a step in this direction, the Ministry of Finance (MOF) decided to grant a financial reward for each person reports of the case of corruption without disclosure of the name of informant.

The Corruption is a serious problem exists in Kurdistan region which has a negative impact.       Administrative corruption is a negative result of performing a bad model of management based on lack of transparency, accountability and integrity. KRG became aware of the phenomenon of corruption and its gravity and this is what pushed it to find ways to prevent the corruption. The government should focus on education and human development, reform administration, and support of all institutions involved in the fight against corruption. Accountability, transparency, and integrity, are the basic elements that lead to reducing corruption. These elements may not succeed in reducing corruption, if not based on a strong foundation supported by political will, fair judiciary, proper application of procedures and a democratic system correctly. At the field level to work and through meetings with officials manage institutions, dealing with fight against corruption, mostly confirm that corruption "is the activities performed within the state bureaucracies that lead to the removal of organs from public objectives to personal objectives. Managers who remain for a long time in on position leads to change their behavior (except rare of them) into the productive people to people who just rely on computers. Behavioral science theories emphasize that the phenomenon of corruption stemming originally from innate human tendency, the social and management environment should raise ethics by controlling and legal accountability. Anti-corruption reforms have a good chance of success only when they are moved by a top leader and constant enough to overcome bureaucratic resistance and inaction. They also have to involve civil society and be free from political handling. Anti-corruption programs that are nothing more than slogans or that are missing key elements will fail. Information is an essential tool for achieving accountability, transparency, and participation. The information system reform had a significant impact on government. A vital condition for building efficient, accountable, and transparent systems is the simplification and accessibility of information. Participatory workshops, information campaigns, and the office of information's computerized data system provide streamlined, accessible information for public consumption, thus increasing the probability for transparency and accountability. One of the reasons for not getting desired service from the government employees is the absence of an exact mechanism for ensuring accountability. Many of the officers suffer from partiality in the discharge of their duties. Corruption leads to under- investment and capital flight out of the country at a time which was supposed to use these funds to establish economic development projects to serve the citizens through the provision of employment opportunities. In addition to the migration of funds, corruption causes migration of economic skills and minds out of the country because of nepotism and mediation in public office. Reform is a long-term process where attitudes and conduct must be examined and reevaluated for effectiveness at all levels. Independent Media in Kurdistan try to reveal the corruption in a serious way.

Through my point of view I think the bellow steps will reduce Public Administrative corruption in Kurdistan:
  • Foundation of an independent Commission of Integrity of Kurdistan.
  • Increase awareness and education programs against corruption and raise the culture of loyalty and dedication to work to achieve the public interest.
  • Raise the standard of living of the citizen, whether an employee of public or private sector to promote the economic level of the individuals, focusing heavily on the public sector based on the principle " don’t put a hungry guard on the food'.
  • Strengthening the relationship between the media and anti-corruption agencies of administrative.
  • Adopt a comprehensive and accurate strategy, include preventive and deterrent measures, within a specific timeframe to institutions and individuals who support the corrupt and corruption at all administrative levels and without exception, and take into account the principle of putting the person in the right position and the development of objective mechanisms of the job description in the selection of the administrator.
  • Focus on the ethical dimension of human in the fight against corruption through focus on the call of all religions and humanitarian doctrines to combat corruption in its various forms, as well as through civil service laws or regulations and charters of the privileges of doing the job (codes of conduct). 
  • Reduce red tape and simplify procedures and speed up transactions to the extent that the employee could not manipulate easily. making the process of evaluating the performance of staff and institutions is an ongoing process to detect and correct deviations on an ongoing basis and to prevent the continuation of these deviations to become part of the mainstream culture in the work.
  • Giving freedom to the press and to enable access to information and granting immunity for journalist to do their part in the dissemination of information and the work of the investigation revealed corruption cases.
  • Qualified, creditable and honest people should be appointed as instructors in training institutes of government.
  • Effective measures should be taken to take stock of the wealth of government servants after their retirement through the Commission of Integrity.
  • Computer technology should be quickly strengthened in public administration to assist in efforts for ensuring transparency and accountability and reducing red-tapism.
  • Honest and qualified officers should be assigned to be responsible in different projects of the region.
  • Education and training should be provided to government servants on ethics and morality.
  • Arrangement should be made for a session of self-criticism each month for all heads of units from the bottom to the top of administration hierarchy where the responsible official would present his case. During these review sessions, everybody would be praised for their good deeds and criticized for their bad ones.
  • The structure of the departments and define their functions and powers to be configured on scientific grounds and well-known and free of duplications.
  • Benefit from the experience of States that have succeeded in the fight against corruption.
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(1)"The sixth cabinet will fight against corruption, through the rule of law and transparency in government activity. The Minister of Justice will also shoulder the duty of Public Prosecutor
the KRG will put an end to political party interference in governmental affairs. It will also work to create the necessary atmosphere for political activity and the development of multi-party traditions, by amending the laws pertaining to parties and communities, and also by issuing a law regarding political party funding" The KRG’s programme: Renewal and reconstruction. (2009). 1st article. Transparency and Reform.

References:

1.Adam Kuper, Jessica Kuper. (1985).The social science encyclopedia.
2.Bardhan, P. (1997): “Corruption and development: A review of issues”, Journal of Economic Literature, XXXV/3 (September): 1320-1346
3.Clark, Kate, (2008). “Corruption in Iraqi Kurdistan,” BBC News, 1/11/08
4.Hill, R, Jonez. Balkin. (2006) Administrative corruption. Strategic management journal N0.4.
5.Kurdistan Region Government. (2009). Program: Renewal and reconstruction.1st article. Transparency and Reform.
6.Transparency International. (1996) A National Integrity Source Book for Building More Transparent and Accountable Government.
7.Transparency International. (2009). Annual report on corruption in the world.













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