The Corruption Problem

BY YILMAZ OZTUNA
TURKIYE- Columnist Yilmaz Oztuna comments on Turkey’s corruption problem and how to solve it. A summary of his column is as follows:
According to international statistics, Turkey has one of the world’s worst corruption problems. This issue is damaging our credibility and respectability on the world stage. Parliament is forming commissions to tackle it. However, Parliament also has a habit of prematurely leaking results of investigations to the media. We can’t forget that arrest and raids under the Ecevit-led government were trumpeted to the media, but later turned out to be mere shows and thus ended badly. Consequently, the Ecevit coalition lost points as well votes.
The previous administration could neither end corruption nor establish a mechanism to expose previous corruption and recover stolen money and goods. Now a report prepared by the Security Directorate General on the reasons behind corruption and measures to tackle it suggests certain steps we must take. In particular, our inability so far to recover money stolen from the state has constituted a national disaster. The justice system and legal circles should find a solution to this problem, one which can be implemented quickly.
If Turkey can free itself of the corruption scourge, it will emerge a better country, and after overcoming the Copenhagen criteria hurdles, it will be at a level where it can also meet the Maastricht criteria. Democracy and justice cannot survive in a land ruled by bribery and corruption.