As part of the commemoration of the International Day against Corruption (Monday, 9 December), the date chosen by the United Nations this year to attract the attention of world leaders, on the relationship between this phenomenon and socio-economic development of nations and the need to combat it in all its aspects, the Prime Minister, Laurent Lamothe sent a message to the Nation.

"[...] I welcome the concordance between the theme 'Zero corruption, 100% development' chosen for the commemoration and the action of my Government to strengthen the institutional framework for the fight against corruption, of the improvement of skills and the accountability of public officials, including through the various activities of the Office of Human Resources Management (OMRH) responsible for the implementation of the policy of modernization of the national public administration.

I am also pleased to note that this theme perfectly meets the concerns of my Government regarding the optimal recovery of tax and customs revenues, notably with the implementation of an inter-institutional commission to combat smuggling, corruption, tax and customs fraud, commission whose the results in a short time proved to be particularly significant [...]

It is this same concern for fight corruption effectively and to ensure judicious use of financial resources of the State that had determined my government to order an audit of the Universal Schooling Program Free and Compulsory (PSUGO) through a commission coordinated by the General Director of the Unit for Combating Corruption (ULCC). Because, to achieve the development dreamed it is necessary that every penny collected by the tax authorities is well spent and not diverted to unknown destinations.

So that 'Zero corruption, 100% development' is not illusory, the governmental action must have the support of Parliament, including by ts efforts to provide the judicial system with a proper legal framework, taking into account the recommendations of the international instruments ratified by Haiti on the matter. So it would bring a significant contribution to the goal of eradication of corruption by focusing on projects and legislative proposals submitted to it [HL - Note that the law on the prevention and punishment of corruption, filed parliament in 2005 was passed the Senate in May 2013 and still awaiting ratification by the lower house...].

'Zero corruption, 100% development' would be more realistic if the representatives of the business sector would focused the management of their firms on ethics by advocating the refusal of the granting of bribes to obtain a public service or a public contract, if the civil society continue to play their role of vigils, if the universities, schools, the churches of all faiths, became places of promoting integrity, honesty and culture of rejection of corruption.

I remain convinced that it is at the price of combination of all our efforts, all our energies and all the good will that we can build a more equal, clean, more egalitarian and more just Haitian society, a society whose development will allow each member to find his part of happiness."

HL/ HaitiLibre