Hariri launches anti-corruption, public services initiative

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He called for stepping away from political bickering and fighting, and for taking steps toward providing the Lebanese with better services.

The nationwide initiative was part of the Cabinet’s policy statement and was launched during a convention held at the Grand Serail in Beirut, in the presence of Hariri, Justice Minister Ibrahim Najjar, and several MPs and local figures.

Hariri opened the meeting by stressing the importance of reform for a prosperous economy and future.

Hariri underlined the significance of the initiative in empowering the public sector – increasing its productivity and providing better services.

The main goals of the initiative were presented as follows: to implement the principles of the UN Convention against Corruption, to execute the Cabinet’s e-government project, to fill empty administrative positions and to reinforce cooperation between all the authorities concerned in combating corruption.

However, while he focused on the need to promote reform, the prime minister regretted that the subject has become merely a tool used for political posturing and for settling political disputes.

He also lamented Lebanon’s low scores in studies on corruption, governance and transparency. “It is the responsibility of everyone to thoroughly examine the reasons that led to these results and to investigate how much they reflect Lebanon’s reality,” he said, noting that constitutional institutions and watchdogs needed to be protected from political feuds.

Hariri had previously made remarks on reducing corruption and improving public performance during the opening of a World Bank sponsored conference on improving the country’s business climate in June.

He reiterated the crucial need for reform, adding that the new initiative was different because it was a global plan, implemented by the government, as opposed to previous individual and limited attempts.

It is the product of joint efforts between concerned ministries and administrations, and activists combating corruption.

After concluding his speech, Hariri engaged in a discussion with the attendees and shared his complaints about complex bureaucratic procedures.

“As prime minister, I receive papers with many signatures already on them and I don’t see the point of all them all. The Cabinet and Parliament should work together to lighten these procedures,” he said, explaining that complex bureaucracy only delayed administrative work.

“We are now working on adopting electronic prints and executing the project of an e-government,” he added.

Hariri also noted that when the gap between people and their government decreases, the country no longer suffers from corruption.

Nonetheless, the prime minister admitted that Lebanon’s political situation has not helped in combating corruption so far, especially that empty administrative positions were being assigned to people who stayed in their roles for about 30 years.

Hariri called for a decision to be made on whether or not to keep these civil servants or to replace them with more competent employees.