TI issued its annual report for corruption perceptions index (CPI) for 2012 which included a list of (176) countries, Iraq was ranked (169) with a score of (18%). However, Iraq`s rank has improved outwardly comparing to 2011 which was ranked (175). The direct reason behind that is the fewness of surveyed countries during this year comparing to last year.
The organization confirmed, about its technical notes, its incapability of comparison among the size of countries` scores in (CPI) for 2012 with the ones in 2011 report. Thus, the general impression and expectancy for this report will prompt directly to this comparison which is the main reason why Iraq is under continues oppression since joining TI reports.
It is worth mentioning that the organization, for all years, kept on avoiding reliable sources from inside Iraq that can be a standard for (CPI). But, the organization adopted instead, external sources with big reservations on those sources. They used 4 standards only among 13 to apply on Iraq which is considered unjustified injustice. It is unfortunate that the organization did not show seriousness to request assistance from Iraq to do the maximum effort by communicating with Iraq through civil society organizations (CSO), media, financial constitutions and businessmen alongside with requesting from TI directly to open offices in Baghdad and sponsor its activities regarding Arabian area and the region. Iraq demands did not find sufficient seriousness despite the initial approvals that TI showed through mutual meetings with Iraq (The last meeting was held in Amman, October this year) and did not take into consideration evaluating the obvious efforts of the Iraqi government which were declared in its conference in Malaysia and its approval that Iraq will send delegates to its headquarter in Berlin in the beginning of next year.
Iraq, representing by CoI, is expressing lack of satisfaction about using limited external sources in TI reports to evaluate his performance. Thus, the last report was frustrating for the satisfactions that we thought TI is Working within its field and be concerned with the future cooperation due to the unjust standard in comparison with what was executed with other countries including those witnessed wide upset in political, social, and economical fields and in which the irritation on corruption lead to a large change in its governments systems while TI keep giving them scores higher than what they deserve due to corruption, actually we don’t believe that these countries are better than Iraq.
Iraq realize that corruption is a global disease and we need a large and continues efforts to fight it as well as the need of national support and true will to fight corruption and this is what was pushing Iraq to sign and join the UNCAC and to cooperate with all the other entities in various specialties in which the fight against corruption was the first priority including TI in spite of the reality that TI is unofficial organization so that reports was not binding , Iraq concerned about TI reports because of the joint will of cooperation in fighting corruption.
The objective evaluation from a neutral and fair monitor to Iraq`s clear and rising efforts in the implementation of international standards in the practical fields within the levels of Legislation, Executive, and Judicial, will notice that Iraq had passed a great stage within the environment of its region , the cooperation and true will to produce a great environment to the work of parties aimed to fight corruption without finding the results in the evaluation will push us to review our opinion in this cooperation.
Jordan and Malaysia were the two assigned countries, which witnessed Iraq big progress in executing the agreement, to review Iraq obligations under UNCAC assured the credibility of our reservation.
Excluding the Iraqi environment from the organization`s work and choosing other work fields from outside to apply its standards. It is wrong, unuseful and it will lead to inaccurate conclusions that will not reflect reality whereas corruption perceptions in Iraq surveyed from bodies, groups and untrustworthy organizations outside Iraq. Iraq has steady CSOs that are able to obtain partnership with TI to achieve its work requirements inside Iraq and the best example is what TI ratified in its last conference in Brazil when it selected (CSO) to represent it in the Arab region to survey corruption perceptions and that’s why Iraq and his organizations are proud of the credibility and trustiness of many Iraqi CSOs, despite that the organization has excluded it from participating in the evaluation of its last report for 2012.
Not obliging Iraq to do anything with international operation report and the ratification of the organization (this indicator is not a judgment on corruption levels in public sector), that does not mean it will not affect Iraq`s reputation and its investment future and these are negative results effect on Iraqi work opportunity, monitoring entities credibility and on the trust of its future without having any justification of such unfair circumstances in a report prepared with no Iraqi participation. CoI, as Iraqi representative in implementing UNCAC, promised the people in its primary reading of such report that it will present detailed study of all the report contains, in addition, CoI notes of such report and it will publish widely.
Despite all what has been mentioned, CoI will work hardly and persistently in fighting all corruption fields including constricting its opportunity and all means lead to it, so CoI will find itself obliged according to its national legal responsibility to cooperate with TI when joint work environment , fair standards and high transparency are available.
