In Kazakhstan corruption is always actual. But it absolutely does not mean the absence of any dynamics in the considering problem. We asked Sergey Zlotnikov, Executive Director of the Transparency Kazakhstan Civic Foundation to comment both traditional and not very open subjects of corruption problems.
What does mean the present place of Kazakhstan in global indices of corruption?
Till 1999 Kazakhstan was not mentioned in such indices, because of necessity of fixed minimum of researches. Our present place is 113 of possible 165 (CPI 2006), i.e. far from first lines, more potential of corruption problems and risks. Of course CPI is not an absolute measurement, but it is a concrete evidence of actual state of affairs. CPI uses 10 score scale: fewer score, worse situation with corruption in the state and society. For the whole period of being in CPI Kazakhstan remains within the corridor 2,4-2,7. And everything which is lower than 3 score evidences about the high level of system corruption.
Theoretically, we can say about somehow acceptable state of affairs in this sphere beginning from the 5-th line. Unfortunately, more than two thirds researched in the last CPI are below the 5. The best showings have Finland, Iceland and New Zealand they are on the first position. And for example the USA have 22 place and 7,3 scores.
When we speak about system character and everywhere corruption in Kazakhstan it means that corruption schemes are existing beginning from maternity hospital up to cemetery. There are attempts to fight against corruption. Our Organisation is ready to award anyone who can find even one sector in Kazakhstan free of corruption.
Is there the concept of corruption identity? Or countries which have similar scores in CPI have absolutely different problems?
Of course, countries have their own distinctive features, but they are not principle. In some regions more strong corruption impulses are from drug mafia, in others they are in the sector of natural resources, in thirds these are law enforcement bodies. But reasons are the same: abuse of powers, ineffective law enforcement bodies, weak civil society institutes, etc. In general, when we have fight against after-effects of corruption, and not against the cause, in that case we can hope for any qualitative changes.
Causes of corruption can be divided into internal and external. We’ve already touched the first group, and the external bloc has its varieties. Let’s consider the situation with the ratification of the UN Convention against corruption. It had been signed by 140 countries, but only 40 ratified it. And from G8 countries only France and Russia ratified this document. In the result we have more than 30 African countries suffering from corruption in extractive industry and which ratified Convention, France and Russia, and document simply can’t work. This is a visible example of the “double standards policy”. And, frankly speaking we cannot speak that the most part of international organisations is free from corruption. This is a real problem.
Or let’s look at countries which have natural resources: Kazakhstan, Russia and Azerbaijan. The level criticism at these countries is less than at Belorussia. And all four countries are below 3 in CPI. I’m sure that if Minsk was farer from EU and has natural recourses the criticism against Lukashenko could be more “soft”.
George Bush announced fight against kleptocracy, but the USA did not ratified UN Convention against corruption. Iraq is under the control of occupation american authority has 1,9 score un CPI and become the one of the last. Even at Saddam Hussein there was no of such level of corruption. And where is the connection between declarations and real practice?
If we look at EITI, which had been announced in 2002 by Toni Blair, so now may be only Norway (one of the pure and free of corruption) and George Soros are trying to promote it. The ratification of UN Convention will allow putting more questions on counteracting corruption in practice.
Where is the point of irrevocability of corruption, when it leads state and social institutes to the complete dysfunction? And in connection to that does Kazakhstan has some reserve?
Corruption appeared together with the first state in the earth, but also it can leads to disappearance of any exact state. This question, in many respects, is theoretical. Now there is a principle of inviolability of boarders, and at that there is no more Yugoslavia. That is why the utmost point when corruption presses over the state can be in the moment when state stops to exist.
I think that corruption played some destructive role in USSR collapse. The absence of powerful system of protection against corruption became the one of the elements of the collapse. Any authority, even very powerful, but being undermined by corruption becomes incapable. Experts has the concept of “captured state”, when the politics and the state are knit and state institutes function in special regime, out of common norms and rules. Vitally Voronov, my colleague once said about Kazakhstan, that this is the country of “fearless officials”. I have to agree with him. When in Southern Kazakhstan children have been infected by AIDS – this is a demonstration of system crisis in health care, including caused by corruption. Tragedy in coal mines in Karaganda region – also one of the corruption consequences from the side of investor. But the fact that the reaction from authority appeared gives me hope.
Kazakhstan has a reserve. The middle class becomes stronger, and as we know middle class is the most influential factor for reducing corruption level. People more often appeal to courts and law enforcement bodies in order to protect their rights. Another matter, there are also plenty of corruption problems.
Now we can say that political authority of the state is seriously sees at the corruption scale and shows its political will. When the number of people who has suits of thousands of dollars, cars at price of tens thousands of dollars and houses for millions (at all that their official earnings are not connected to that), in that case it is impossible not to see the problem. Plus to that we still hear the soviet echo: in the USSR there was, yes ugly, but there was a system for preparing the personnel and control over them, and after the collapse nothing. Specialists who leave public service are not always can be changed into equal ones.
The fact that within anti-corruption activity of the state the department on protection of witnesses is creating gives some hopes. The chairman of the State Agency on fight against economic and corruption crimes subordinated directly to the President , from the point of view of system approach such state of affairs is better than in Russia, where the same Agency is in the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
In Kazakhstan we witness a very strange situation, when the state accepts experts’ opinion, researches, and proposals, improves legislation, but there are numerous problems in law application practice. For large-scale fight against corruption we need the integrated national integrity system. It supposes the real civil control in the framework of legislation. And fight against corruption must one special body. We need to exclude the populism of executive institutions around the fight against corruption; it damages more, than does good.
What institutes is affected corruption first, and what in the latter case?
First victims of corruption are those bodies which have huge uncontrolled recourses, and those who carry out the control, because there is no control over the last. The body which carries out the supervision should not carry out the control at the same time, because every body has the problem of corporate interests. In that case I completely against the idea of General prosecutor’s office to created inside it the Finance intelligence. The prosecutor’s office should supervise over the law, so let it be.
If we look at corruption map of Kazakhstan, so the greatest concentration of corruption in “rich” state institutions, such as customs, and in regions of Almaty and Astana, and of course National companies. In depressed regions there are no serious problems with corruption, but to live there also impossible – no work and earnings. In order to explain I give an example of filling station in the center of the city. Fuel at these stations is not let say of high-quality, octane number rises with the help of different reagents. At that city administration, principal of school which is near to this station, bodies which carry out technical control over this station, etc. have their share from total income of this station. It appears that corruption at the same time feeds and kills people, and we get accustomed to that. But this is the way to disaster, and we should turn off this way.
Among officials there is no practice of censure of corruption, which interfere the fight against it. Ordinary people are more developed in this respect, because more and more they are scared of being in the hospital where doctor bought the diploma by school of medicine, or die in the building where illegally destroyed elements of construction, of die because of car crash because the driver simple doesn’t know traffic regulations. Intolerance towards corruption in the society will create favourable conditions for fighting against this social evil.
Is there any connection between issues of modernization of the society and corruption problems?
For the first we need fair and free elections. We often hear that our Constitution is similar to French. But if we look at French experience so there three people can create the political party. At that financing by legal entities of political parties is forbidden categorically, only individuals can do this. Because, political corruption is in the base of everything. Everywhere should be system approach. Anti-corruption legislation should work in advance taking into account world experience.
Can we get some comments in the format “trust and corruption” with reference to Kazakhstan?
Nowadays the level of trust in the society is very low. I think that every single person should start from himself, but generally this format is the road of two-way traffic.
The state’s object is to promote anti-corruption policy and confirm its declaration by real actions. We need to create normal foundation for the state by means of behavior change.
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