The Arab world … darkness besieges it and “ open governments ” knock on its doors

Nidal Mansour /

Concepts and terms of transparency, accountability and good governance have crept timidly and urgently into the literature of some Arab governments in recent years, perhaps to improve their image in front of the world, or under popular pressure. Most governments in the Arab world are not democratic, even if some of them put a lot of “powder” and make them look good Democratically, at a time when legislation, policies and practices all embody the slogans of the Arab world. governance pursued by democratic countries around the world that respect their people and their will.

In 2011, former US President Barack Obama launched the Open or Transparent Government Partnership Initiative (OGP), which initially received limited attention from countries around the world, and Jordan was the exception. and the only Arab country to join the initiative since its announcement, and today this trend is gaining attention and attracting countries around the world, and it has become an indication. The extent of the seriousness of countries to enshrine the approach of transparency and accountability in their policies and systems of government.

Morocco seized the opportunity to join this initiative in April 2018 to host a few days ago in the capital, Rabat, an international conference and event under the title “On open government and access to information ”, announcing the application of the law on the right to information in conjunction with the holding of the conference, which was sponsored by the King of Morocco, and presenting itself as a state that adheres to all the criteria that qualify as a democratic state.

The conference, in which many world governments and many distinguished experts participated, is a political and economic gain for Morocco, which has mobilized its ministers to address the world of the transformations it has made in the field of good governance. .

In short, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) defines the sponsor and incubator of the Open Government Partnership Initiative as “a culture of governance based on innovative policies and practices inspired by the principles of transparency, accountability and participation that promote democracy and inclusive growth. “

The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development believes that the Transparent Governments initiative has come a long way after reformers in the public sector and civil society came together and united in a global movement to establish this initiative, and the The different nature of the government agendas open to the countries of the world have brought about it varied and numerous political objectives, but it starts with the promotion of transparency by supporting democracy and achieving global growth.

The OECD recognizes that the initiative is still based on general concepts based on methodologies that are not standardized and are not linked to the results of national and strategic policies.

He believes that the open government strategy will only be effective if it is supported by an appropriate enabling environment, and its success depends on the existence of strong policies, a strong legal framework to set rules, draw borders and grant rights and obligations to governments. and stakeholders, and this requires an active role of governments and the provision of resources, financial and human resources, the strategic use of digital government and innovative tools in the public sector.

So far, only Jordan, Tunisia and Morocco from the Arab world have joined the transparent governments initiative, and there are no laws on the right to information, which is a prerequisite for it. membership, except in Jordan, Tunisia, Morocco, Lebanon, and Yemen.

But the problem seems to run deeper, which Arab countries can identify with the principles of the Open Government Partnership and its triangle pillars with transparency, accountability and participation?

How do most of the Arab countries at the bottom of the Corruption Perceptions Index according to Transparency International 2018 to actually implement the principles of a transparent government partnership?

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I participated in the Rabat International Conference on Open Governments and the Right to Information, and I spoke about the role of the media in supporting this initiative, the importance of information for the media and the mechanisms media in the transmission of information. to the society.

This international conference coincided with the launch of the Jordanian government’s fourth implementation plan under the Transparent Government Partnership Initiative, which includes multiple commitments, perhaps the most important of which is to establish the right to ” access to information by establishing protocols for the application and classification of information. , and all this goes in the same direction as the modification of the law on the right to information, of which Jordan was a precursor. When it was made in 2007, it became clear to him through practice and practice that he needed drastic adjustments.

The most important thing in the government’s plan this time is that it is done in effective partnership with civil society institutions, and includes realistic commitments that can be implemented and measured, and this is recorded for Jordan. .

Coming back to the conference, many questions and concerns came to mind, perhaps especially as the times have changed, and the control and control of totalitarian governments, especially in the Arab world, over the flow of information to their companies has become impossible and impossible. , and thanks to the communications and social media revolution, the space has become open to people. Government scandals are no longer hidden.

The media are a major partner in the implementation of the concepts of transparent government. In the absence of public information, it cannot be argued that transparency, accountability and participation can be achieved. This inevitably means that without independent media seeking to search for the truth, it is impossible for the world to move forward towards consolidating the principles of transparent government.

Fighting for information and revealing the truth is the very essence of media work. This is why many professional and ethical codes of conduct define the function of the press and the media as “to seek the truth and to inform people of it”. required that the initiative impose a basic condition for joining it, namely the existence of a special law on the right to obtain information in state law.

There is a lot of detail to talk about some of the dilemmas and challenges that the media face in accessing information. The first problem is that information is in most cases in the possession of public authorities, and they are the ones who control it and block it when they want to, and the most important is that in many cases they do not believe not the right of people to obtain information, but rather it is presented as a favor and a favor when needed.

The second problem is that the public authorities in totalitarian countries do not see the prior disclosure of information as an obligatory path towards transparency, the fight against corruption, political participation and even sustainable development.

Third, there is the problem of the network of restrictive and anti-transparency laws. If we know that a country like Sweden, considered one of the first and oldest democracies on the basis of all international indicators, has passed a law guaranteeing the right to information there are more than three centuries, you can find out why the Arab world is overwhelmed by the majority under state control.

We were preparing a report on the state of media freedom in the Arab world years ago, when prominent lawyer and human rights defender Najad al-Burai suggested that we call many countries in the Arab world the name “land of darkness”, because people do not know what is going on with them, and a lot of information about them is not leaking, and the citizens are afraid. Where is the documentation and follow-up of the violations committed against them or of which they are aware?

Even if we assume that there are intentions to disclose information, the systems for maintaining, documenting, archiving and retrieving information are still weak in the Arab world, with the exception of the main intelligence services in the Arab world. this area, which are not absent. , a remote or an incoming Before it happens.

Lack of information is not the only thing tormenting the media now. The media that people have known for hundreds of years are no longer at the forefront of the scene. Social media is an “epidemic” sweeping the world, changing the rules of the stage, politics and cultures, and each person has a “media” platform for expressing their point of view and producing information. , even if they are lies and rumors.

If there is any hope that the transparent partnership with governments initiative will intensify after eight years of its inception, the gamble is that tyrannical governments will surrender to the painful blows of the professional media exposing the facts, and the media. social workers who watch governments, counting their breaths and exposing all their shame, and an international community with a conscience He no longer tolerated the storming of democracy, and turned a blind eye to corruption.

The world is celebrating the Open Government Partnership Initiative, and the question remains: will the Arab world join the ranks of the countries of light and openness, or will it remain in the dark and will he be content with slogans, praising democracy and flirting with the open and transparent government partnership initiative that is knocking on its doors?

Also read to the author: A society in which women do not have their freedom, everyone will remain a slave

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