United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is spot on in the zero-tolerance approach to corruption and human rights abuses. Nothing guarantees peace and human well-being more than the equal and fair treatment of others by others and the understanding that no one is beyond the reach of the rules or the law. “Human-rights abusers will have no refuge within our jurisdictions,” he tweeted, echoing what is the epitome of what is good and right about America.
It came at the tail-end of a press release on International Human Rights Day, December 10, 2020, and International Anti-corruption Day on December 9. Pompeo was on target, acting based on the Global Magnitsky sanctions programme, “corrupt actors and human rights abusers worldwide. These actions target actors across the globe who disregard individuals’ human rights and international standards to prevent and combat corruption”.
Much has been said and written about the advent of Covid-19 and its devastating socioeconomic impacts across the globe. Parallel to this, international non-governmental organisations, local civil society organisations and activists have appealed for governments, donors and international financial institutions to ensure that recovery plans are people-centred and aimed at “building back better”. Nowhere is this more needed than in the governance and procurement of public resources.
By some estimates, more than 50% of public funds in developing countries are spent on procuring goods and services from the private sector, compared with just 30% of public funds in high-income countries. As such, developing countries face higher risks of private sector capture of public funds, which have been made more acute by the tight timeframes of the pandemic.
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The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) was busy in the weeks leading up to International Anticorruption Day, which was commemorated on Dec. 9. The agency uncovered two instances of alleged bribery that implicated Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Edhy Prabowo and Social Affairs Minister Juliari Batubara in two sting operations.
The arrests of Edhy and Juliari came as controversies within the KPK eroded public trust in the institution. These included an ethics violation by the commission’s new chairman, Firli Bahuri, and a restrictive new law that stripped the agency of some of its power to investigate graft cases.
Other controversies included a KPK plan to procure cars for its highest-ranking officials and a recent reorganization that added 19 new positions or departments and removed three existing ones.
VIETNAM NEWS HEADLINES DECEMBER 13 Chia sẻ | FaceBookTwitter Email Copy Link Copy link bài viết thành công
13/12/2020 10:06 GMT+7
Vietnam reports four imported COVID-19 cases on December 12
Four new cases of COVID-19 were recorded on December 12, all Vietnamese citizens returning from abroad and being quarantined, according to the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control.
Of the newly-detected patients, one arrived from UAE on flight VN88 which landed at Cam Ranh airport on December 8, and another returned from Russia on flight VN5062 which landed at Da Nang airport on December 6. They are being treated at the General Hospital of Phu Yen province, and Lung Hospital in Da Nang city, respectively.