We’re putting together a much-needed do-it-yourself anti-corruption toolkit.
Or, as the character on the movie “Network,” Howard Beale, shouted during his prescient 1970s TV program: “I’m mad as hell and I am not going to take this anymore.”
Thus far, though, we have taken it.
Of course, we talk about corruption. We hold meetings about it. Our business associations send letters about it. The Kyiv Post writes and exposes it.
It is a continuing storm, but one that scarcely moves a leaf for in reality, corruption holds us prisoner, straitjacketed and in a soundproof room. No one hears our pleas. If they do, they just don’t care.
Chances are that we can have very little influence on institutionalized corruption at the highest levels absent someone coming in with a big broom and sweeping them all out. It’s a nice image for those of us who daydream in Technicolor and Dolby Sound.
At the Kyiv Post, we’ve decided to fight in the trenches, hoping to gain ground one millimeter at a time.
That’s right: For the last several weeks, we have run a notice on the front page announcing our “Yes, You Can Do Something About Corruption” contest. We are seeking thoughts on what you personally can do, or what others can do.
If you win the contest, (and, by the way in Ukraine we are quick to add that this is a transparent competition), you will receive two tickets to wherever Ukraine International Airlines flies in Europe.
We are not talking about pointing out corruption, which is like saying the sun’s going to come up on a clear day. We’re looking for plausible, actionable ideas, the baby steps that you and I can take at whatever level to diminish the country’s endemic corruption.
We’re looking for ideas for our toolkit.
For example, what can you personally do to dissuade the road police (DAI) from shaking you down for a bribe when you are pulled over for something you may or may not have done?
That one’s easy: Ask them to give you a ticket. Nothing frustrates them more, and nine times out of 10 they will just send you on your way.
At the Kyiv Post, we’ve decided to fight in the trenches, hoping to gain ground one millimeter at a time.
Another example is corruption in the news business.
Yes, we consider it corruption when a company pays to place an advertisement in a newspaper that’s disguised to look like a legitimate news story.
We also consider it a form of corruption for the publication to accept such articles.
What can be done about this practice?
Perhaps a giant spotlight needs to be put on those otherwise shining examples of commerce – we’re talking big multinationals here – that consistently buy press.
Would “naming and shaming” work, or are global corporations susceptible to embarrassment?
The first offering has come from my old sidekick at Willard, Scott Lewis. However, since Lewis is an executive vice president in a company of which I am chairman, he is (to his dismay) ineligible to win.
However, I thought he had some good suggestions. Euro 2012 will bring thousands of tourists to Kyiv. From past experience, Lewis wrote, we can be sure the police will be stopping foreigners at random after dark and extorting bribes for spurious “offenses.”
Lewis’ solution would be to pressure the Interior Ministry to create a phone number staffed by multilingual operators. Distribute pocket cards with the number and distribute them through hotels and bars.
If you are stopped by the police, you call the number, the militia can explain the offense and what he wants and the operator can explain it to the tourist. If there is a real problem, communication is enhanced.
On the other hand, if it is a shakedown, just calling the militia’s own assistance number should send the officer scurrying off to find an easier target.
Okay, we’ve offered some starting ideas. Challenge yourself. Be creative. The contest continues through March 15. The credible ideas will be printed in the Kyiv Post.
I know your question. Who will be judging? Answer: The Kyiv Post editorial board, which consists of Publisher Mohammad Zahoor; the CEO (yours truly), Chief Editor Brian Bonner and editors Roman Olearchyk, Katya Gorchinskaya, and James Marson.
And don’t even think about attempting a bribe. We’re the “Untouchables.”
Kyiv Post CEO Michael Willard can be reached at [email protected]
