The Coalition for Integrity and Accountability (AMAN) wants to lay the basis for the values of integrity, accountability, and transparency in Palestinian society, so as to have good governance where equality and equally opportunity are respected in assuming public offices for all citizens, away from factional or familial interference in receiving social and public services.
The surveys carried out by AMAN Coalition revealed that the most blatant forms of corruption in Palestine are the use of WASTA, favoritism, and nepotism in the public sector. Also, AMAN Coalition has completed a series of research papers that address the reasons, symptoms, forms, consequences, and methods for dealing with corruption. Some of the mentioned issues were discussed during AMAN’s second conference on Monday, 28 March, in the Best Eastern Hotel, Ramallah. The Palestinian Prime Minister, Mr. Ahmad Qurai, attended, in addition to Dr. Hasan Abu Libdeh, Minister of Labor and Minister of Social Welfare, and a large number of governmental and civic society representatives.
Welcoming Note
On behalf of the coalition for Integrity and Accountability, Dr. Hanan Ashrawi welcomed the participants and the Prime Minister Mr. Ahmad Qurai. She spoke about the importance of citizenship rights in the fields of health, education, and social services. Dr. Ashrawi stated that the phenomena of WASTA, favoritism, and nepotism are most rampant in Palestine, and the citizens and officials are participating in it thus contributing to an increased feeling of injustice. Dr. Ashrwai explained that such phenomena “are contributing to a growing social anger especially among the marginalized groups.”
The Prime Minister Opened the Conference
In his opening remarks, the Prime Minister Ahmad Qurai said that serious reform in the security establishment is the key to reform in all other sectors. He added that “implementation of the Civil Service Law and the Military Service Law will constitute key mechanisms that are needed for supervising employee performance.”
In opening the Conference, Mr. Qurai said that “law can only prevail in an atmosphere of security, and security can be achieved only when we have a judicial system.”
Qurai spoke about the accomplishments of his Government, whether on the political, judicial, administrative reform, finance, and security levels. He said that up till now, his government has adopted the administrative structure for 18 Ministries, and that “we put for each one of them an administrative structure and developmental plan. Also we completed the rules and regulations that govern the operations of 12 Ministries.”
The Palestinian Reform Plan for Next Year.August 2004 – August 2005(PDF)
Conference Axioms.
Axiom Number One: General Framework for the Phenomena of WASTA and Favoritism in Palestine.
Tribalism is rampant in Palestinian society. Such ties govern all aspects of life, and sometimes constitute a serious obstacle to democratic transformation and good governance as known by Western democracies. Nepotism, favoritism, and WASTA, on familial basis, are a main characteristic of tribal societies. Tribes and the large influential families may find among their members people who can assume powerful positions and can therefore be of service to the family or the tribe in the future. There is an intricate relationship between corruption, favoritism, and WASTA, as they all create an atmosphere of mistrust because people will depend on personal and familial ties instead of qualifications and expertise in assuming public jobs.
The Paper on the General Framework of WASTA and Favoritism in Palestine.
By: Dr. Hadeel Qazzaz.
Dr. Qazzaz stated that the mentioned phenomena are rampant in all societal institutions yet at varying degrees, and that family relations are the basis for generating loyalty and rallying support. Dr. Qazzaz spoke about the dangerous ramifications of WASTA and favoritism in the official executive agencies and in government as a whole.
Axiom Number Two: Opinion Survey on WASTA and Favoritism.
General Overview of the Survey Results.
The survey prepared for AMAN was presented. It indicated that 82% of the population believes that corruption is most rampant in the Government sector. 52% believe that WASTA is the most blatant form of corruption. 22% believe that bribery is the most rampant form of corruption. 81.5% believe that corruption is rampant in the public sector. 6.3% believe that corruption is most rampant in the private sector. 5.1% believe that corruption is rampant in civic society.
Survey on WASTA and Favoritism.
Axiom Number Three: Registry of the Behavior of Civic Society Institutions.
Relations between the Palestinian Authority and civic society institutions should be based on the Civic Institutions Law, so as to preserve the independence of civic society institutions. Also, discussion focused on the issues of conditional funding, normalization with Israel, Israeli-Palestinian projects, good governance, and the creation of organizations that will serve as focal points for implementing the law that governs operations of civic society institutions.
Axiom Number Four: WASTA and Favoritism in the Distribution of Relief and Social Assistance.
Overview of the Paper.
The prevailing conditions in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, as a result of the lack of progress in the peace process and the outbreak of the Second Palestinian Intifada (Al-Aqsa Intifada), inflicted severe damage on the Palestinian economy, and increased to unprecedented levels the rate of unemployment and the number of people living below poverty level.
Results of the survey carried out by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics during the last quarter of 2004, regarding the effects of the actions taken by Israel during the current Intifada on the economic conditions of Palestinian families, indicated that out of 163,000 families, half of their income was lost. 72% of the families had to lower their expenditure. 35% of them are in dire need for food. Israeli measures (the military closure) is preventing 62% of the families from access to medical services. Half of the Palestinian families are unable to cover the cost of health care.
WASTA and favoritism are rampant, according to the speaker, because there are no criteria for the distribution of relief assistance and there is no supervision process, and there is a multiplicity of parties that offer such assistance.
Mr. Hasan Abu Libdeh, Minister of Social Welfare and Minister of Labor, spoke about assistance that is offered to needy people, and he described this situation as “a big problem.” Abu Libdeh added: “there is no horizontal networking between those who provide social assistance, and there is no mechanism to ensure that assistance is going to people who need it most.”
Discussion focused on the need for a plan that will call upon the providers of humanitarian assistance to form specialized coordination committees. Dr. Abu Libdeh said that the Palestinian Authority established a Social Protection Fund of $ 240 million dollars.
Axiom Number Five: WASAT and Favoritism in the Assumption of Public Posts.
Dr. Azmi Al-Shuaibi presented this paper. He spoke about the urgent need to reform the civil employment system. He said that remedial action can take place through a comprehensive plan over the course of ten years and by restructuring the Civil Service Bureau.
Discussion focused on the need to specify the maximum number of employees in the civil service system, and to establish a Fund for Training and Rehabilitation of Public Service Employees.
Axiom Number Six: WASTA and Favoritism in the Provision of Health Services.
Overview of the Paper.
Health services are one of the largest sectors supervised by the Palestinian Authority. Because of the current circumstances of the Palestinian people during the last four years in particular, the people must be given the opportunity to be part of an insurance system without having to pay fees. Limited resources are available to the Palestinian Authority in general and therefore to the health sector as well. Palestinian Authority funding to the health sector amounts to 8-9% of the general expenditures, and this sector is considered as the one most inflicted by corruption, WASTA, favoritism, and nepotism.
Speakers noted the rampant WSATA that amounts to corruption in medical referrals. The paper highlighted the interference of powerful people with the Referrals Department to the benefit of certain patients.
Dr. Akram Samhan, Director General of the Specialized Medication Department, admitted the presence of WASTA and favoritism in medical referrals. He said: “yes there is WASTA and favoritism, but this pertains to saving the life of a patient so people are given preferential treatment over others.”
Samham held the citizens themselves responsible for the spread of WASTA and favoritism, because citizens do not know their rights. He said: “we established a Complaints Box but we found only one letter in it and it was a thank-you letter.”
Axiom Number Seven: WASTA and Favoritism in the Allocation of Scholarships.
This paper addressed WASTA and favoritism in the Palestinian Territories, on the official and civic institutions level in the allocation of scholarships, and the shape of such interference if it really exists, its causes, ramifications, and the mechanisms that can curtail it either through the available means or any new measures that might be suggested.
The Paper on WASTA and Favoritism in the Allocation of Scholarships.
Mr. Hisham Kuhail, Assistant Deputy Minister for Higher Education, stated that the issue of WASTA in the field of higher education is exaggerated. Yet, he spoke about the large number of letters that come to the Ministry of Education and Higher Education from important personalities, with the aim of interfering to the benefit of scholarship applicants. Mr. Kuhail said: “everyday we receive letters and phone calls from security officers, people at the highest levels of government, and Legislative Council Deputies, seeking to interfere to the benefit of scholarship applicants, but we show no responsiveness and we keep such letters in our files.” Mr. Kuhail considered “WASTA and favoritism as part of our culture and we are all responsible for it, yet we cannot consider the behavior of officials or citizens as institutional phenomena.” He added that “Legislative Council Member and security officials were not elected to interfere to the befit of someone, but I assure you that all the WASTA letters that we receive are kept in our records and we show no responsiveness.”
The Government decision was revealed regarding the establishment of a Higher Ministerial Committee from the Ministries of Education, Planning, Social Welfare, Labor, the Secretary General of the Cabinet, and the Higher Committee for Scholarships, to determine the criteria and the mechanism for the allocation of scholarships locally and abroad. The basis set by this Committee will be adopted by the Council of Ministers in its upcoming meeting next week.
In the end of the Conference, AMAN honored a group of researchers who prepared papers on how to combat corruption. As part of AMAN’s conference next year, a segment will be designated for “Palestinians Against Corruption,” and it will highlight the work of employees who prevented corruption in public institutions.