By: Saloni Jain
Transparency is a means to make information available and accessible to people who get affected by the implementation of that information. Transparency is a right of every citizen of the country, and it creates harmony between the government and the citizens and is a sign of good governance.
But do the Asian government believe in transparency in governance?
The cold hard truth to this question is No. Not only do they believe that there is information that has to be kept away from the people of the country but they even put restrictions on news agencies and telecasting agencies to broadcast such information, keeping people unaware of important events of their own country. Corruption is greatly ingrained in many Asian countries and continues to wear down public trust in democratic processes and public institutions.
Here are some instances of the same –
- According to a study by International Budget Partnership, there is a lack of transparency in Southeast Asian countries. Vietnam, Cambodia, and Maynmar were the countries with the least public participation and transparency in the budget process.
- Transparency International has asked China to prioritize modifications to the penal code to line up with the United Nations Convention against Corruption and ensuring easy access to information for citizens.
- The Whistleblower Protection Act has been diluted in India, curbing their rights and they can be prosecuted for processing the documents.
- Such event in Maynmar, government despite UN making several calls and procedural visits for human rights of. Rohingya, the government did not pay attention nor did it let anyone know about other institutions helping them.
- In Myanmar, land deals lack transparency imbibing the practice of land grabbing and forced evictions
In Asia, it is a reminder that occasions for corruption can be lessened if we make the budget process more transparent while strengthening mechanisms for inter-agency liability. Such low levels of transparency have notably contributed to high levels of corruption in Southeast Asia
Democracy cannot flourish in an environment of secrecy, as the free flow of information is vital for people to follow and examine the operations of our presentative government, assess the policies and decisions it makes, and evaluate the conduct of its personnel. Transparency is not only a requisite for maintaining a democratic polity, it is also important for making the economy work.
REFERENCES
https://www.jstor.org/stable/resrep20600?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/292817999_Transparency_and_Corruption_in_Southeast_Asia
https://www.adb.org/sectors/governance/issues
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