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ISMP Remarks

Ambassador Garvey’s Speeches

Remarks for Ambassador Garvey Visit to the Institut Supérieur de Management Public

April 24, 2008, 1600 – 1730 hours

  • Good afternoon everyone.  I am grateful to Director General Lawrence Effiam for inviting me and my embassy team here today.  Thank you also, Prof. Ndi Zambo, for taking the initiative to meet with my public affairs team to set up this opportunity for us to share our thoughts.  I would also like to show my appreciation to Minister Claude Mbafu under whose able leadership this institution has flourished in the last three years. 
  • Let me present some embassy colleagues here with me today:  Counselor for Media and Culture Affairs Lonnie Kelley, Cultural Affairs Assistant Mathias Tientcheu, Press Specialist Thomas Bouba and First Secretary for Political and Economic Affairs Scott Ticknor.
  • I am here today to discuss transparency and ethics in public administration.  We in the US Embassy and you as public servants in Cameroon – we are all guardians of the public trust.  Citizens look up to us to set an example, to wisely use our resources, to ensure accountability and to be responsible for our actions.  Our leadership – in deed as well as in principle - should inspire the rest of society, including business, NGOs and others.  
  • Cameroon has taken some positive steps in fighting corruption.  The recent detentions of two former ministers and a half dozen other senior officials who are alleged to have stolen tens of billions of CFA from the people of Cameroon are indications of the government’s determination.  While I applaud these steps, I encourage the government to continue moving ahead with further investigations, audits, arrests and efforts to recover the stolen funds. 
  • I am encouraged by the government’s desire to recover proceeds of corruption located overseas.   It is important for all Cameroonians to bring this ill-gotten money back and put it to good public use. 
  • But much more work remains to be done.  I look forward to seeing a truly effective CONAC and the implementation of Article 66 of the Cameroonian Constitution, requiring detailed declarations of personal income by public servants.  I look forward to a change in the culture of acceptance toward corruption which pervades many parts of Cameroonian society.  There is no reason Cameroon should be in the bottom rung of countries on Transparency International’s global corruption rankings.
  • As you know, corruption at any level erodes public trust for government, and this in turn makes government less effective.  Corruption undermines the confidence of the international community and investors who would want to come and increase the potential wealth of the country.  The World Bank estimates that corruption adds 10% to the cost of doing business in many parts of the world - that is to say, corruption costs companies real money that is passed on to consumers or in many cases contributes to decisions not to invest.  Of course, such corruption also undermines governance and economic prosperity.  In February 2006, when President Obasanjo was Chairman of the African Union, he estimated that corruption costs African countries 25% of its combined national income.  It costs average people their hopes for a better life - the schools, infrastructure, roads, hospitals, and other services they do not get because of public money that is squandered.   
  • Corruption is a universal problem, including in the United States.  The U.S. Government takes a number of measures to limit corruption and enhance transparency and ethical practices. 
  • In the United States, we counter corruption with systems of accountability and checks on authority.  Government purchases and procedures undergo oversight from various departments and even from other branches of government.  All interactions must be published and available to the public and the media.  Procedures exist for government employees to alert those in responsible positions of wrong doing, malfeasance, and corrupt or unethical behavior.  We call them “whistle blowers,” and they are great popular heroes.  We have laws to protect them from reprisal.
  • A few months ago, senior officials in the U.S. Government filed a financial disclosure statement.  I had to file one myself, and was glad to do so.  This is an annual declaration where we list our assets, liabilities and bank accounts.  
  • The U.S. federal government requires that officials abide by 14 principles of conduct.   These include:  Federal employees shall not use public office for private gain; employees must avoid actions that create the appearance that they are violating ethical standards; they must avoid conflicting financial interests and conflicting personal or business relationships.
  • We also have guidelines to follow when it comes to gifts from individuals, companies, our own employees, and foreign governments.  For example, I am not allowed to accept a gift worth over $25 from non-government sources, with strict limits also set on gifts from government officials. 
  • These rules apply not only to U.S. diplomats, but to public servants in all departments of government.
  • Rules of ethics apply to all of our activities.  Another example is how the embassy sells excess property such as cars, computers or furniture.  We offer these items to the public in open auctions.  The Cameroonian office of taxation comes to the embassy on the day of the sale and tax inspectors record the amount of each sale and calculate the VAT.  The VAT is paid at the time of the transaction.  We make a sale, your government gets the right tax owed, and the money is recorded and collected.  There is no way to exaggerate or minimize the price of the item sold, and the amount of the tax collected.  In the end, all parties benefit - the customer, your government and my government.
  • One of the most sensitive activities handled at our Embassy are the services we provide to the 15,000 Cameroonians who come to make visa applications.  Our efforts to ensure a transparent and fair consideration of these applications are extensive.  We employ a series of internal controls that makes clear records about what actions are taken by each individual involved in making visa decisions, and in printing the actual visa documentation.  Furthermore, all visa decisions are reviewed by supervisors at posts, and by fraud investigators in Washington to ensure that procedures are being followed.  Applicants are also advised of hotline numbers and e-mail address to report fraud or abuse, and a public notice advising applicants that consular employees may not accept any gift of any kind, nor may they be involved.  Finally, consular officers may not be ordered or pressured by colleagues, or by myself as the Ambassador to change a determination on a visa case.  Despite these efforts both American officers and local employees do succumb to temptation to misuse their position in various ways, and are disciplined, dismissed from service, fined or jailed if they are found guilty of visa-related corruption.
  •  Educational institutions like the Advanced Institute of Public Management hold an important position in the overall anti-corruption campaign of every country.  Institutions such as yours can sensitize government officials to the high cost of corruption, and highlight the local and international benefits of accountability and transparency in fostering the development of the country and enhancing good governance.
  • I appreciate your efforts to recognize and correct the entire gamut of hurtful corrupt practices - whether petty corruption at the level of a police officer (“mange-mille”) taking 1,000 francs from a taxi driver; parents having to pay bribes for registering their children in school or get them a seat in the front row; or at the other end of the spectrum, a director general or a minister siphoning off millions of CFA.  Correcting these practices takes determination, but also yields enormous benefits in reestablishing the public trust and realizing Cameroon’s enormous potential for economic and political development.
  • I have heard it said that in some countries corruption is “in the culture.”  I disagree with this notion.  Corruption reflects the breakdown of systems and is fueled by a climate of impunity.  Bad practices are never inevitable, and can always be confronted.  Effective mechanisms can prevail, as long as there are committed individuals and the political will to create and enforce high ethical standards. 
  • The U.S. Government is committed to helping Cameroonians in the pursuit of better management practices and transparency.  Each year the U.S. Embassy sends a number of government officials, civil society activists, journalists and parliamentarians to the U.S. for programs on the themes of accountability, transparency and good governance.  Our goal is to help you help your government and country.  In addition, we organize a number of programs with American experts who travel to Cameroon or participate in digital video conferences to share their experiences with Cameroonians to promote good governance.  We also have an Information Resource Center in the Embassy in Yaounde.  It is open to you for research by looking through our massive resource library, or through on-line searches to our many subscription services.  All are free of charge to you and this institution.
  • I would like to conclude by stating again how delighted I am that you are committed to a better future, and to the acquisition of skills which will help your country’s future.  You are on the front lines of promoting good governance -- and what you do matters.  I wish you the best of luck in your in your careers. 
  • At this time, I invite Director General Effiom to stand with me.  It is my pleasure to donate 50 books on management, corruption, good governance, democracy, finance, human rights, communication, and business to your library.  I am also pleased to donate two computers to help upgrade your library, which we will
  • Thank you again for inviting me and giving me a chance to talk with you today.  Now, I look forward to hearing from you, and invite your questions and comments.