Fighting China's corruption will take time and consideration
- By Eugene Clark
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E-mail China.org.cn, March 17, 2014
Whistle blowing and social media. A significant percentage (approx 40 percent of corruption cases were signaled by whistle blowers. In many of these cases, social media was also involved. China should consider following the lead of other countries in strengthening its whistle blowing mechanisms by giving both greater protection and reward to those who take the risk in blowing the whistle on corruption.
Compliance programs/education. Legal and best practice compliance programs should be encouraged in both public and private sector organizations. An important component of such programs is education and training for staff, ongoing audits of compliance success, prompt and serious action to address breaches, and regular updates and evaluation of the effectiveness of such programs.
Transparency. Effective governance and combating corruption require transparency. Justice must not only be done, but seen to be done. Recent reforms regarding the publication of trial proceedings, publication of reports, open houses, availability of mobile apps, and creation of public websites and social media to keep citizens informed are all positive steps in the right direction.
Independence and public trust. It is vital that the administrative bodies and courts have sufficient independence, competence and integrity that the public is able to develop a high level of trust regarding the commitment to prosecute and punish corruption. China's moves to give greater independence to the judiciary and improvements in the selection, placement and training of judges are also important.
Lessons from other countries. China can also learn valuable lessons from other jurisdictions. Close by, Hong Kong's Independent Commission Against Corruption, now over 40 years old, has done a commendable job in making Hong Kong one of the most competitive and least corrupt jurisdictions. Singapore, too, has developed a well-deserved reputation for preventing and fighting corruption with a strong rule of law, dedicated and high quality public service, and a strongly supportive education system.
Education, use of technology, big data and other media. In the long term, it is better to prevent corruption in the first place. Ethics should receive greater attention in the school curriculum and especially professional education in areas like law, accounting, management and political science. Technology too can play a major role in both preventing and detecting corruption. Big data analytics are able to detect patterns that suggest corruption. Also, by greater automation of government bureaucracy, one takes the "people" out of the equation and thus reduces the opportunities for corruption.
Finally, a creative solution is to use modern media (such as films, TV and computer games) to raise awareness about and even create heroes who fight corruption. Think about how TV shows featuring dedicated police officers, lawyers, forensic scientists and other professionals can lead young people to want to emulate similar behavior. Unfortunately, it is all too popular these days to give top billing to the anti-hero and even villain.
The author is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit: http://www.keyanhelp.cn/opinion/eugeneclark.htm
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