U.S. Ambassador says corruption needs total fight
TIRANA, May 7 – U.S. Ambassador John L. Withers II took part Wednesday at
the launch of the 2008 Corruption Perception and Experience Survey conducted by
IDRA and funded by USAID.
Withers considered Albania’s NATO invitation, the independence of Kosovo, even
a little bit on Albanian culture and history as some happy topics he has dealt with
recently, adding that corruption was “unfortunately Šnot one of those happy subjects.”
The news from the survey on corruption unfortunately was not good, he said.
Corruption has been a main topic in the country and the one that likely gave the
power back to governing Democratic Party of Prime Minister Sali Berisha in 2005
that set the fight against that as the main target.
According to the survey, 92 percent of Albanians says corruption is widespread
among public officials and that is a decline of 8 points form a year ago.
The report shows no progress in bribery indicators. Nearly 70 percent of people
surveyed report paying a bribe for medical treatment. Nearly 60 percent have little or
no trust in the judicial system. By a 3 to 1 margin, Albanians
Today we are releasing the findings of a
USAID-funded survey, conducted by Director
Pasha’s institution, on corruption in Albania.
The survey tracks both the perception
and experience of corruption by ordinary
citizens. The news unfortunately is not
good. According to the survey, 92% of Albanians
says corruption is widespread
among public officials and that is a decline
of 8 points form a year ago. The report shows
no progress in bribery indicators. Nearly
70% of people surveyed report paying a
bribe for medical treatment. Nearly 60%
have little or no trust in the judicial system.
By a 3 to 1 margin, Albanians do not think
the judges are impartial when conducting
trials.
The figures show that Albania has a serious
corruption problem. Corruption affects
all parts of Albanian society נthe economy,
the potential for investment, Albania’s image
abroad.
But I do not want to continue reciting
numbers; I want to speak a little bit about
how corruption affects ordinary people. In
my many many conversations with Albanians,
not only here in Tirana but throughout
the country, I have discovered that almost
everyone has corruption stories to tell me.
Let me give you just a few examples.
One told me of little children who were
just learning their ABCs, their alphabet, being
told the day before the Teachers Day,
and I quote, “Tell your parents I do not want
flowers tomorrow!” What kind of lesson is
that for a seven year old child? What does
that teach to a seven year old? What mindset
is given to that seven year old for the future?
Several people told me about doctors who
do not look at the patient’s medical record
or even record the visit in the official register.
Instead, the doctor asks the patient detailed
questions about the income and their
financial status. If the answer showed that
the patient is poor, that patient gets no medical
treatment. If the patient is well-to-do, the
doctor starts calculating how high a fee he
can get away with.
Many people have told me about their
difficulties about getting basic documents
like a driver’s license or birth certificates or
property registration. They tell me how they
‘Corruption Is Not A Game; It Is A War’
have to wait hours or sometimes days or even
weeks to get these basic documents for themselves
unless they are willing to hand over
200, 500, 1000 leks or more in which case
they go to the front of the line.
People expressed great frustration over
the fact that the police will announce with
great fanfare a serious corruption case
against senior officials but then weeks pass,
months pass, the charges are reduced, somehow
the case goes away, somehow none is
punished. Now let me be very very clear:
corruption is not only an Albanian problem;
corruption exists everywhere. There is a
great deal of corruption in my own country,
in the United States, and you can pick up
any paper in the country and you can see
reports of that corruption. But the critical
ingredient is not that corruption exists, it is
how we respond to corruption.
One of the things that I find troubling is
that many times when I am speaking to my
Albanian friends and I ask, “You told me all
these stories about corruption. What should
be done about it” and they reply by shrugging
their shoulders and reply, “Mister Ambassador,
this is not the U.S.; this is Albania.”
I do not accept that answer.
Albanians value honesty as much as any
people in the world and as much as any people
that I know. Albanians hate corruption.
They hate the fact that the few who are corrupt
spoil it for the many who are not.
And I particularly do not like the implication
in that answer which implies that corruption
is a symptom of Albanian culture; it
is not. Anyone who knows the Albanian people
knows that it is a violation of the ethical
and moral code that Albanians have.
Albanian culture places honesty and integrity
above all else. For Albanians, a promise
given is a promise kept. And the principle
of Besa, the quintessential Albanian virtue,
is a bond that cannot be broken. So, I
repeat, anyone who implies that corruption
is natural to Albania is wrong; corruption is
a violation of what it means to be Albanian.
So, what is to be done?
Let me talk about two particular topics.
The first, addressing corruption is a high
level responsibility. The political elite of this
country must take charge in fighting corruption
in a meaningful way not just through
speeches and words. And when I say the
political elite, let me be clear: I am not pointing
at the government, or the opposition or
any particular political party or individual;
all of the political elite must take responsibility.
And that means that political leaders
must expose acts of corruption even by their
colleagues.
They must not use influence to protect
friends or relatives and they must not use
political power to change the course of justice.
The political elite of Albania should lead
by example. One important straightforward
step that can be done is to change the immunity
law, which protects senior officials in
courts, in Parliament and in other offices
from prosecution. They should be as liable
to prosecution as any Albanian citizen. Put
another way, none should be immune from
prosecution or illegal acts.
And the political leadership of Albania
should empower the institutions that seek
justice; empower the prosecutors who go
after the criminals; and, should make clear
that whoever the suspect is, regardless of
wealth, regardless of family ties, regardless
of political connections, is subject to prosecution.
Let me cite one case as an example of
what I mean: I was very pleased that in the
most recent the Human Rights report, the
HRR for 2007, there were no reports of violence
against journalists. However, the day
before the report was released, a member of
parliament Tom Doshi, beat a journalist for
asking tough questions. Next year’s human
rights report will not give Albania a passing
mark in that category. An investigation into
the case has been promised but no further
word has been forthcoming.
I cannot judge whether Mr. Doshi was
guilty or innocent in what he did but my
question is will there be a fair hearing? And
I also ask the question: What is the media
doing? The media has an important role,
particularly in protecting one of its own. As
far as I am aware no newspaper reported this
incident until days after it occurred; my question
is: are they following it now? And is it
not their duty to be following up?
The second theme that I would like to
discuss is public responsibility. And by that
I mean citizens who see corruption or victims
of corruption, protesting it, criticizing
it, exposing the incidents of corruption, demanding
more of the leadership to do something
about corruption. The professions can
police their own; the professions can assist
in eliminating corruption from within the
profession.
For example, if nothing happens to the
doctor who takes bribes, the names of hundreds
of doctors who save lives is smeared.
If nothing happens to the judge who
drives a 30,000 Euro Touareg, the names of
judges who issue fair and just decision every
day, is smeared.
If nothing happens to the police officers
who tip criminals of upcoming police raids,
the whole 15,000 police officers force is
smeared and weakened.
If nothing happens to the official who one
day wakes up rich, the entire public administration
is smeared and weakened.
I do not accept the answer that there is
nothing that can be done about corruption.
None can convince me that what are
called “t롦ort뢠in this country are more
powerful than the thousands of parents who
want decent education for their children or
for young people like yourselves who want
to live here in a free, open, and honest society.
If people take charge, good things happen.
I heard the story of a hospital administrator
in a northern city who learned that
the nurses were demanding bribes to tell
patients where the doctors’ offices were
located. She simply put up signs showing
the way to the Doctors’ office and that reduced
the bribes.
I heard of one agency that issues a certain
documents that ended the problem of
people jumping the queue through payment
of a bribe by setting up an appointment system:
a person arrived at a certain time, met a
relevant officer, and paid no bribes.
What is the importance of a citizen taking
responsibility – let me read a quote by a
very respected Albanian Anton Harapi who
said this before he was executed in 1947 –
“Do you know that the foundations of a
building are laid in the ground? Even though
buried we have to be the foundation of the
building we call Albania.”
Corruption is not a game; it is a war.
There is one and only one reason for the
words I told you today: and that is because I
know you can win that war, because my government
wants you to win that war and because
every Albanian wants to win.
