President Ma Ying-jeou met on the afternoon of May 14 with a delegation led by Transparency International (TI) Chair Jose Ugaz. Apart from applauding the organization's contributions in promoting clean government and anti-corruption around the world, the president also explained the ROC's achievements in establishing clean government.
In remarks, the president stated that Mr. Ugaz was the founder of TI's chapter in Peru. A lawyer and professor of law, he also served as ad-hoc state attorney five times. From 2000 to 2002, Mr. Ugaz investigated and prosecuted former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori, as well as 1,500 accomplices, for corruption. This demonstrated his intelligence and bravery, and his actions serve as a model for all law enforcement officials, President Ma said.
The president noted that TI has played an important role in promoting anti-corruption work throughout the world since its establishment in Berlin in 1993, with the organization's work and results being closely followed around the globe. The president pointed out that he served as minister of justice when TI had just been founded, and he followed various activities carried out by the organization with great interest. He toured the organization's headquarters during his visit to Berlin, Germany in 2004, and exchanged opinions on related topics with the organization's founder.
The president remarked that each year TI releases its Global Corruption Report and Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), which receive considerable attention in countries worldwide. Last year, Taiwan's CPI was 61, which ranked it 35th among the 175 nations and areas rated. Taiwan ranked seventh in the Asia-Pacific, although it had the same score as in 2013, it moved up one position, he said.
The president further stated that TI in 2013 released its first Government Defence Anti-Corruption Index (GDAI), which focuses solely on corruption in the defense sector. The index indicates that a government's anti-corruption work must be even more thorough to be effective. The ROC's Ministry of National Defense's (MND) corruption risk rating was listed in Band B, indicating low risk. That rating band also included the United Kingdom and the United States, and ranked behind only Germany and Australia, which was quite gratifying.
The president also mentioned that TI in 2013 released its Global Corruption Barometer, but regretted that the Taiwan poll results were somewhat at odds with the facts because the poll sample was not a representative sample, and the polling organization was not familiar with Taiwan's situation. TI understood the situation, and subsequently addressed the problems, he said. The president believes that public opinion polling requires specialized knowledge of each place, and that different polling techniques are appropriate for different places. He suggested that TI could engage TI Chinese Taipei (TICT) to conduct the survey, as the chapter's members are professors from many local universities and experts who have a high degree of credibility.
The president stated that back in July of 2009, the ROC referred to the National Integrity System framework advocated by TI and the United Nations Convention against Corruption in formulating the "National Integrity Building Action Plan" to foster clean government. The Agency Against Corruption (under the Ministry of Justice) was founded in 2011 and is dedicated solely to preventing and cracking down on corruption. Meanwhile, the MND in 2013 established an Ethics Office and an Inspector General Office, thus creating an effective network to monitor corrupt practices in the defense establishment. In addition, TICT and the MND's National Defense University signed a cooperative agreement on integrity education, which further demonstrates the ROC's determination to promote clean practices in the military sector, he said.
The president explained to the visitors that although the ROC is not a member of the United Nations (UN), the government has incorporated the UN Convention against Corruption into domestic law through legislative measures. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Justice-drafted Act to Implement the United Nations Convention against Corruption was passed by the Legislative Yuan on May 5 and took effect when the president signed it today (May 14). The draft of the Whistleblower Protection Act is also currently under review by the Executive Yuan, and in the future this will create an even more comprehensive regulatory system to promote clean government, the president said.
The delegation also included TI's Public Sector Integrity Programme Coordinator in Asia Pacific Maren Thompson and TICT Chair Edward Huang (黃榮護).