Transparency initiative to be supported

No country is immune from corruption. The right deterrents are needed to address it.

Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces (C), chairs an Executive Council meeting. (Ryan Carter / Crown Prince Court - Abu Dhabi)

Corruption is one of the deadliest diseases that can affect a society. Like a cancer in the human body, it can start slowly, its tentacles gradually reaching all parts. Like a bug infestation in a house, once it starts it can be difficult to halt. That is one of the reasons why it must be rooted out early.

Last week, the Abu Dhabi government took an important step towards preemptively tackling one type of corruption. Approved by Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, the new anti-corruption taskforce will seek to bring transparency and accountability to government contracts and projects that involve public funds.

The UAE is consistently rated as one of the least corrupt countries in the world – it is the least corrupt country in the entire Middle East. But there is no room for complacency. Even the least corrupt country in the world – Transparency International, an NGO, says it is Denmark – does not have a perfect score.

Considering that no country is free of corruption, it is only to be expected that it would exist in the UAE. The unit set up by the Executive Council last week will focus on the abuse of civil positions, profiteering from government contracts, possibility of fraudulent behaviour during the execution of contracts and other misuse of public funds.

This type of corruption, by its very nature, can be difficult to investigate and prove. That process might require several kinds of bureaucratic scrutiny, for instance, a detailed investigation of financial transactions, the ability to question individuals and corporate entities, some of which may wield considerable power. That is why a holistic approach towards investigating corruption is essential. In making the announcement, Abu Dhabi’s Executive Council noted that there would be need for collaboration between the judiciary, security services and the authority. It is important that the anti-corruption taskforce has the power necessary to go after even the powerful.

Corruption is not a significant problem in Abu Dhabi or the country as a whole. But by making sure that there is as little room as possible for lapses to occur, and making sure that the tools exist to investigate them, the emirate can ensure there is no dark space for the cancer of corruption to grow.