"Mafia" corruption in the Arab world

Nidal Mansour /

As usual, the countries of the Arab world accuse Transparency International's annual Corruption Perception Index, which is not surprising or shocking: public authorities in these countries do not declare neither the state of emergency nor the state of public alertness to tackle this scourge that destroys the state structure and causes the failure sustainable development. If there were originally projects promoting sustainable development.

Corruption is an international phenomenon that crosses continents and borders and is practiced in rich and poor countries, as in democratic countries, which dominates and certainly colonizes tyrannical states and is now an integral part of their structures. International reports reveal that two-thirds of the world's countries suffer from widespread corruption, in different proportions and in many forms.

Statistics show explicitly that the cost of corruption in the Arab world represents 3% of GDP, estimated at 90 billion dollars a year. These "stolen" funds, which go into the pockets of leaders and businessmen, could have bridged the growing class gap in these countries, addressing the increasingly serious problems of poverty and poverty. unemployment and prevent endless disasters.

Somalia ranks 180th in Transparency International's 2018 corruption perception index this month, last index country and the most corrupt of the country list, slightly better than Syria 178th, followed by Yemen 176, Sudan. Umm al-Libya, which has not settled for years since the fall of Gaddafi and whose balance of power still exists, has exceeded 170, Iraq ranking 168th, Mauritania at 144.

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The top Arab countries in the corruption perception index were the UAE at 23rd place, followed by Qatar 33, Jordan 58 and Saudi Arabia of the same rank 58, followed by Tunisia with a difference of 73.

The examination of the figures did not require the clear conviction that corruption is a brand and brand well known in the Arab world. It can also be concluded that the absence of rules of democracy and the peaceful transfer of power from the Arab world, with very few exceptions, are among the causes of endemic corruption. We can also say that war unions, military coups and instability, the marginalization of citizen participation, the lack of good governance, the loss of democratic structures, the The absence or weakness of control mechanisms, the weakness of civil society and the erosion of the independence of the media and the judiciary fuel and perpetuate the situation of corruption.

Some Arab countries may derogate from this general rule despite the weakness of the democratic structures of countries such as the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, which have managed to escape the list of corruption cases, which may explain -being by the political will of the power to present the state as a different model. On the whole Arab context, in the spirit of enterprise and the attraction of investors.

Jordan, Tunisia and Egypt have made little progress in the fight against corruption, because of measures and the imposition of certain rules of good governance, even if the way forward is long and difficult.

The discovery of corruption does not require much evidence in many countries of the Arab world. The rapid and sudden wealth is a sufficient function of the suspicion of corruption. Every day the media present information about abuses and attacks of funds. public and offer films on corruption. Adel Imam, a businessman who buys everything and is able to bribe everyone and adapt, buys the poet for what he assigns the poetry library, buys a entire university to outdo itself and wins the State Theater Award. Football Championship after the purchase of the M referees and the opposing team, this film is not a cynical exaggeration, it was in the time of the deposed President Hosni Mubarak, the names cited all the joints of the state Méndez penetrated.

Yes, it does not take too much effort to "feel" everyone smells of corruption, this minister who comes into power has no salary, no matter the amount, finds him shortly thereafter in a palace, luxury cars and money deposited in his personal accounts both inside and outside the country, It is raised by the general public and does not pay attention to the public authorities. Where are you from?

Abuse of power is the political crisis par excellence that fosters economic and administrative corruption: the space between public money and power almost disappears and the hidden and public relations between the government and businessmen are the costs of transparency, integrity and respect for the law.

In the Arab world, it can be said that corruption has become a culture and that this culture is not exclusive to the ruling power but applies to people who do not see corruption through a medium. They do not find it detrimental to the concept of equal opportunity for appointment if their children, their relatives, the quotas are really not corruption, and the power consecrates these phenomena and feeds them up to this point. that they neglect their great corruption.

And the conflict of interest is a Western lie created by civil society organizations and international organizations to destroy the values ​​of extended relations and kinetic relationships. … etc. plots conspiring against our Arab values.

Corruption in our Arab world is a mafia that has been established and which has production chains ranging from personal interests to public work, through networks that facilitate crime, prostitution and human trafficking, as well as "brokerage" and commissions for arms transactions and drug trafficking.

Years after the so-called revolutions of the "Arab Spring", we wonder if there is justice, rule of law and rights for protected persons. If their right to education, health and a decent life is available … Have they sacrificed for change? If it were not for the supernatural wealth they saw with their own eyes, men of power and business people, they would be angry and burst, even if they paid the price of the stability of their country and their personal safety.

Legitimate issues, aggravated by the pain and tragedy that appeared at the start of the prosecution, as well as national and international prosecutions to recover billions of dollars for leaders, such as President Ben Ali, Muammar Gaddafi and Mubarak, were filed in European banks and safe havens in the United States and have not so far closed any records.

I have a popular question related to the conspiracy theory: why have Western countries silenced the acts of corruption committed in our Arab world, which have permeated us from the perspective of the dangers of corruption and its consequences? ?

Does Arab corruption serve the interests of Western countries, do not argue much when you pay billions of commissions for arms sales as long as the seller and the recipient need them, and as long as the money will be deposited at the end of this one and that all those who know their corruption are in the hands of the donor and do not get out and do not withdraw from the voluntary commitment?

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If you want to count the stories of corruption known in the Arab world, you will get tired without being able to "inventory", in each country stories that correspond to movies and can be added to the list of figures, "Guinness" and recalled when I I went to a country after the fall of his regime, I said: According to estimates of an economist, political leaders were enough to encompass the entire territory of his country with gold. pure. "

To win the Arab world in his fight against corruption, he must first win in his other fights: he must be freed from the legacy of the tribe and sects, he must also wait for democracy to see the light in his country. Citizenship has meaning, not creation. The rule of law has value, not slogans. Not a number in the dictionary of their systems.

The opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions or official policies of the Middle East Broadcasting Network (MBN).