Officials stand up against corruption



The Lao government has defined immediate and long term objectives to combat corruption, said the Minister of Public Security, Mr Thongbanh Seng-aphone, on the 4 th International Day against Corruption, on Friday in Vientiane.

He was speaking during an address to government officials and representatives of international organisations, as Laos joined other countries in educating society to understand the adverse impacts and dangers of corruption.

Mr Thongbanh said the government had taken its anti-corruption policies into account when implementing the 6 th Five Year Social Economic Development Plan, in a bid to stem corruption.

“The working methods and regulations at all levels of public administration have been improved, to raise capacity in public administration and to strengthen our activities. In its efforts to prevent corruption, the government has developed policies and passed the Law on State Audit, the Law on Accounting, and the Law on State Inspection,” he said.

Mr Thongbanh said the government had also improved regulations and mechanisms to ensure a safety net was in place, to combat non-cost effective expenditure and corruption. This year, the focus will be the improvement of regulations relating to forestry management and the timber industry.

At the same time, measures will be taken to monitor capital investment in projects in all sectors, and improve revenue collection and the management of expenditure. More effort will be made to improve public service delivery, and to enable business operators to work faster and more transparently.

Mr Thongbanh said the government had been successful in piloting a one-door service policy and hoped to extend this throughout the country.

The government has also initiated a project to introduce information technology into the governance sector to improve public administration and economic management and increase the well-being of society as a whole.

Policies also aimed to reduce or eliminate undesirable and corrupt practices among government officials.

The Lao government considers the prevention of corruption to be both an immediate and a long-term task, that needs to be implemented both proactively and in focus, Mr Thongbanh said.

“Laos is not the only country facing corruption challenges and working to tackle the problem,” said World Bank Country Manager to Laos Patchanuthu Illangovan.

He observed that corruption was a global challenge and affected both developed and developing countries. Each country must act to put in place the necessary mechanisms to prevent and tackle corruption.

Mr Illangovan said the World Bank recognises the Lao government's efforts to fight corruption and that it has made a long-term commitment.

A long-term strategy is needed to systematically and progressively attack the problem, and the commitment and participation of governments, citizens, the donor community and the private sector is essential, he said.

“The UN system in Laos stands ready to support the efforts of the government. There is a growing urgency to take firm action and we encourage the government to actively work with development partners on this issue,” said the Representative of UNODC in Laos, Mr Leik Boonwaat.

He said UNODC is supporting the Lao government to develop a national strategy on anti-corruption measures.

“We look forward to assisting the Lao government's fight to end corruption and to create a prosperous society,” he said.

Mr Leik expressed his appreciation of the Lao government's dedication to fighting corruption in all its forms, saying strong leadership is essential to end the culture of corruption.

By Meuangkham Noradeth
Vientianetimes