EVERY government in the world must maintain constant vigilance, working full time to eliminate graft and corruption, which are wasteful and harmful to meaningful economic development, growth, and progress.

That was the theme of recent Worldnet "Dialogue" television programme broadcast from Washington to Cotonou. Benin, by the United States Information Agency.

The programme featured Ambassador Herman Cohen, a former assistant secretary of state for African affairs, Peter Eigen of Transparency International, and Mamadou Dia of the World Bank.

Cohen, who is now a senior adviser to the Global Coalition for Africa, told the African audience of judges, academics, and Journalists that although corruption is somewhat limited in the United States, corrupt practices between the government and the private sector are still a problem.

"There are a lot of government levels: there is the federal government: there are the 50 governments of the states; there are thousands of municipal governments. So in all of those governments there are people who try to do something to get bribes, and we must work against that. There are also gray areas (unclear areas in the law as to what goods and services can be legally accepted by public officials)."

Cohen stressed that even the United States Congress has become much stricter in an effort to prevent corruption, by enacting laws which increasingly restrict what (complimentary services, meals, transportation, etc.) can and cannot be accepted by members of Congress from private sector lobbyists and businesses.

Additionally. Cohen said, ’’within government, there are constant audits." which help to keep things honest and open.

"Every budget, every expenditure. is public." he added, noting that on the federal level this is reinforced by the requirement that a full financial disclosure statement be made by each high government official

I was a high government official. I had to fill out a form giving all the details of my personal finances, and that was

open [available) to Journalists. I did not like that situation because I would have rather kept my privacy." he admitted, "but in’order to control corruption. I had to make all of that public.

Cohen added that another way to eliminate government corruption Is to streamline and eliminate many of the needless layers of bureaucracy which often are imposed by many governments to regulate and oversee business. Such a setup, he explained, often acts only to promote bribes and payoffs.

Commenting on the increased Importance lately of full disclosure by high government officials. Dia said: "Perhaps transparency in the past was not as important as it is today. Basically, there is freedom of the press today that makes It possible to reveal a number of corrupt practices that may have existed before but were never disclosed."

Secondly, he added, conditions now — more and more — seem to favor corruption — such as bribe taking or the use of government goods and services for personal gain.

Recalling the mindset which has led to increased bribery in Africa. Dia said: IVr have to look at the deteriora tlon of the standard of living of the population. In the sixties, after Independence as (Nigerian) President Obasanjo-said. Africa greeted independence as being the years of plenty. There was a lot of hope, thanks to Independence.

' The standard of living Iwas expected) to Increase in a short time. But after 20 years. 30 years of disillusionment many people are now beginning to look for other ways to secure these gains that they never received."

Picking up on that point. Eigen. of Transparency International, stressed that while expectations have changed, so have attitudes towards corruption. Public "patience and tolerance of corruption have seriously changed since the end of the Cold War, he warned

"Now people are furious if they see that all of their efforts are frustrated by corruption — which Is why a lot of things in the international context are now more open, more transparent, In the past, we accepted a corrupt leader if he was on our side in the ideolog-

ical war."

We accepted the JFerdlnand) Marcos. IManuel] Noriega, and the others, if they were on our side in the ideological war — and 1 believe that this has changed internationally. This has resulted In more transparency and a greater consensus that something^ must be done Very few people today accept corruption as an acceptable phenomenon."

Another guest who appeared on the programme in a video insert was Vivian Lowery Derryck. president of the African-American Institute, who. like the other guests, stressed that "corruption has a negative effect on both dcvcl opment and democracy."

She went on to make a number of succinct points:

— Corruption works against competition, and it is competi lion that stimulates private business and Investment. If you are a businessperson and you see that others are getting unfair breaks, then you are likely to opt out. and that is clearly bad for development because It Is the private sector which must fuel development in African countries."

— "’If Africa is Io develop, the private sector has to lx- In volved —- the domestic private , sector. You cannot attract foreign investment until the private sector Is ready to Invest in its own country. It Is not going to do that if the decks are stacked and there is a corruption factor."

— Corruption in a country damages that country's credibility with donors.

"Nowadays, citizens in donor countries are demanding that their development dollars are well spent, and if they are not. they want their governments to withdraw their funding."

Derryck cited Zambia as a positive example of how cleaning up corruption can benefit a country's economy. When the government cleaned up corruption. "the donors responded positively by increasing. very dramatically, aid levels there."

Every country must ensure that Its military and police elements are purged of cor rupt elements, she added, eliminating any chance for ex tortion or the Illicit procurement of goods and services, etc - USIS.