26 July

Corruption is a headache for a democratic government which is working for the emergence of a clean government with good governance.

That is why the incumbent government is committed to fighting corruption as a national duty.

A country’s economic dignity depends upon how free of corruption that country is.

Corruption Prevention Units have three duties: to scrutinize and explore corruption, to solve corruption problems; and to prevent civil servants from engaging in corruption. Corruption Prevention Units have been formed in 14 Union Ministries as pilot projects since January 2019. The number reached 32, with 18 ministries today as there were Union ministries that deliberately sought to include them.

Due to the successes in fighting corruption by the Anti-Corruption Commission-ACC, the public is increasingly aware of the dangers of corruption. At the same time, actions taken by ACC against those who are corrupt has alerted governmental departments and individuals to the danger posed by corruption.

The farther the journey of democratic transition takes steps forward, the larger will be the risk among people who are involved in corruption.

As democracy strides forwards during this transitional period, there is a better chance of being exposed, if corrupt. It is important for the CPUs to be alert, to keep their departments from the dangers caused by corruption and to work in the best interest of the public.

The concept of Corruption Prevention Units-CPUs evolved at Union Ministries to monitor internal bribery and corruption, and to take action under the Civil Service Personnel Law and Regulations, or refer cases to the Commission, which can then start an investigation and take action, as necessary, under the Anti-Corruption Law.

The CPUs will also be responsible for corruption risk assessments to determine areas of risk in their related fields, as an early intervention approach.

It was the people’s wish that once the civilian government took their oath, it would transform the demoralized civil society into a society free from corruption. This was the simple and honest aspiration of the people.

Now is the time to eradicate corruption from society. It cannot be done only by the CPUs and ACC, and no one can root out deep-rooted corruption from the country within a single day. As there are two sides, with give and take in corruption, we need cooperation from the people and to develop methods for reducing corruption.

The nature of eradicating corruption is a long struggle between honesty and dishonesty. Honesty has risen from a long period of hiding, as seen by the increasing support of the public.

There is no doubt about CPUs. Please cooperate with them to return dignity to our country.

GNLM