During a symposium on civil service ethics and clean government organized by the Ministry of Justice's Agency Against Corruption on July 7, Premier Sean Chen ordered all government agencies to step up efforts to fight bribery and corruption.
Referring to the recent bribery scandal involving former Executive Yuan Secretary-General Lin Yi-shih, Premier Chen said the government must work hard to restore the public's trust. He hoped that, through group discussions and exchanges, officials at the seminar would take back to their respective agencies a deeper understanding of the current legal mechanisms and reinforce anti-corruption measures to deal immediately with suspected cases of fraudulent behavior.
Chen quoted former U.S. president James Madison as saying "if men were angels, no government would be necessary," noting the importance of internal and external auditing systems in fighting bribery.
President Ma Ying-jeou also attended the seminar and participated in several group discussions.
"Public trust is the government's most precious asset, but corruption has the most corrosive effect and can evaporate that trust in an instant," said the president. He urged each agency to examine its anti-corruption policies to rebuild the core values of clean governance.
Premier Chen added that at a previous meeting on integrity convened by the Executive Yuan, it was noted that the definition of corruption is the abuse of public power for personal gain—power that is entrusted by the public, government mechanisms or even work partners. This is also the definition agreed upon by the United Nations, Transparency International, the International Chamber of Commerce and the World Economic Forum.
The premier pointed out that the impact of corruption is manifold: First, it distorts the market by destroying mechanisms for fair competition. Second, it impedes economic development by diverting funds that would otherwise have been invested in the economy. Third, it damages the democratic system and violates the law.
Chen also emphasized that various legal mechanisms to fight corruption are already in place:
- The Act on Recusal of Public Servants Due to Conflicts of Interest, enacted in 1991, stipulates that a public servant who becomes aware of a conflict of interest with the organization he or she works for shall promptly give notice in writing.
- Under the Lobbying Act passed in 2007, the Ministry of the Interior is responsible for ensuring that businesses and interest groups understand and abide by the provisions of the Act.
- The Integrity and Ethics Directions for Civil Servants, amended in 2010, sets guidelines for public servants on accepting gifts, attending work-related social events, and entreating or lobbying favors. All government agencies are required to set up and follow mechanisms in accordance with these Directions.
- Further, as July 8 marks the third anniversary of the implementation of the National Integrity Building Action Plan, the Ministry of Justice will be making amendments to the plan. Government agencies should pay close attention to the updates, which will be announced later.
A total of 44 officials were present at Saturday's symposium, including President Ma, Premier Chen, Vice Premier Jiang Yi-huah, the political deputy secretary-general of the Executive Yuan and heads of various ministries and commissions. President Ma and Presidential Office Secretary-General Tseng Yung-chuan sat in on the entire seminar. Group discussion topics included establishing mechanisms for publicizing and registering lobbying cases, and learning from the past to prevent future corruption cases.