The Arab world .. Darkness is under siege and "open governments" are knocking on the door

Nidal Mansour /

The concepts and terms of transparency, accountability and good governance have been obsessively obsessed in the literature of these governments in recent years, perhaps to improve their image before the world or as a result of pressure The governments of the Arab world are not democratic, although some have put a lot of "powders" Democratically, at a time when legislation, policies and practices embody the opposite of all the slogans of governance followed by the countries of the world that respect their people and their will.

In 2011, former US President Barack Obama launched the Open Government Partnership Initiative (OGP), which initially attracted little attention from the countries of the United States. world, with the exception of Jordan and the only Arab country to join since its announcement. This trend is now attracting the attention of the world. The seriousness with which States apply a transparent and accountable approach to their policies and governance.

Morocco seized the opportunity to join the initiative in April 2018 to organize a conference and an international event entitled "Open Government and Access to Information" in Rabat, a few days ago, announcing the entry into force of the law on the right to information in the framework of the conference sponsored by the King of Morocco, and presents itself as a State attached to all the criteria that qualify it as a democratic state .

The conference, attended by many world governments and many experts, was a political and economic advantage for Morocco, which mobilized its ministers to inform them of the transformations it has made in the field of good governance. governance.

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

The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) believes that the transparent government initiative has evolved since public and civil society reformers united and united to form a global movement to create this initiative. By promoting democracy and inclusive growth.

The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) recognizes that the Initiative continues to rely on vague concepts based on non-standard methodologies and is not linked to policy outcomes. national and strategic.

He believes that the Open Government Strategy will only be effective if it is supported by a supportive environment, and its success depends on sound policies, a strong legal framework for norm-setting, delineation and the provision of rights and obligations to governments and stakeholders. Financial and human resources, strategic use of digital government and innovative tools in the public sector.

Only Jordan, Tunisia and Morocco in the Arab world have joined the Initiative for Transparent Governments: there is no law on access to information, a prerequisite for this. Membership only in Jordan, Tunisia, Morocco, Lebanon and Yemen.

But the most serious problem is who Arab countries can align with the principles of Open Government partnership and its three pillars of transparency, accountability and participation.

How can the most Arab countries that ignore Transparency International's 2018 Corruption Perceptions Index (TI) apply the principles of transparent government partnership?

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I attended the Rabat International Conference on Open Government and Access to Information and I talked about the role of the media in supporting this initiative, the IAD. importance of information for the media and media mechanisms for the transmission of information to the community.

This international conference coincided with the launch of the Fourth Government's Operational Plan as part of the Transparent Government Partnership Initiative, which includes several commitments, the most important of which is perhaps the strengthening of the right of access to information through the development of protocols for the implementation and classification of information, in parallel with the amendment of the law on the right to information. In his completion in 2007, he shows through practice and practice that he needs drastic adjustments.

The government's plan has this time highlighted that it is built in partnership with civil society organizations and includes realistic commitments that are achievable and measurable, and this is registered for Jordan.

Many questions and concerns came to my mind, perhaps the most important being that time has passed and the control and control of totalitarian governments, particularly in the Arab world, of the flow of information to their societies became impossible. Government scandals are no longer covered.

In the absence of information to the public, transparency, accountability and participation can not be claimed, which means that without independent media seeking truth, it is impossible for the world to promote the principles of transparent governments.

The struggle for information and the discovery of the truth are the very essence of the work of the media, which is why many professional and ethical codes of conduct have defined journalism and the media as "the search for the truth and information of people about it ". State legislation.

There are many details to discuss some of the dilemmas and challenges the media face in accessing information: the first problem is that information is often in the possession of the public authorities, who control and block it when it is in many cases, they do not think that individuals have the right to information. But it is provided by Mina and further away he is forced.

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

Third, the problem of the network of restrictive and anti-transparent laws arises: if you know that a country like Sweden, one of the oldest and oldest democracies in the world, has passed a law guaranteeing access to information more than three centuries ago, you can know why the Arab world is dominated by Despotic?

We were preparing a report on the situation of media freedom in the Arab world several years ago, when the prominent lawyer and lawyer Nejad Al-Borai suggested to name many countries of the Arab world the name from "dark states" because people do not know what's going on in them. In which documentation and monitoring of violations that occur or know them?

Even if we assume that there is an intention to disclose information, the systems of preservation, documentation, archiving and retrieval of information are still weak in the Arab world, with the exception of intelligence services in this area, which are neither absent nor rejected. Before that happens.

Sushil Media is a "pandemic" sweeping the world, changing the rules of the landscape, politics and cultures. Each person has a "media platform" to express their points of view and produce information. Even though it was lies and rumors.

While it is hoped that the initiative of transparent government partnership will materialize eight years after its launch, it is a safe bet that authoritarian governments will succumb to beatings of a professional informant who unveils the facts, social media monitoring governments, breathing and revealing all their secrets, He can no longer resist the specter of democracy and contempt for corruption.

The world celebrates the partnership initiative for open government The question remains: does the Arab world adhere to countries of light and openness, or is it still black and is it only slogans and praises the democracy, and separates from the open and transparent partnership initiative of governments?

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