Al-Ekri: Need to Confront Corruption and Nepotism

The President of the Bahrain Transparency Society Abdul Nabi Al-Ekri said that ‘confronting corruption and favouritism and working towards attaining transparency and integrity is the core duty of all sincere citizens and residents of any country in the world as well as political, economic cultural and religious elites’. This came in a conference held on 7 October 2009 in which Transparency International’s annual report was launched. He also added: ‘during this new era the forces of good in society and in the Government are struggling to confront corruption and favouritism. This has led to the adoption of new steps including: the establishment of an office for financial control, Government’s ratification of the United Nations Convention against Corruption, the establishment of the Supreme Council for Biding and some transparency and openness in the Government’s administration of the country and its resources. The reference in the King’s recent speech to passing a law, which establishes an office for administrative control, and the need to confront corruption through the ‘Bahrain’s Vision, 2030’, which was launched by the Crown Prince, are all positive indicators which should be transformed into a strategy for the State and society and to effective policies and legislations capable of gaining national consensus and support of the State and society’.