“Corruption” fights the spread of “e-governance” in Iraqi departments and ministries

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[size=52]“Corruption” fights the spread of “e-governance” in Iraqi departments and ministries[/size]

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2024-10-27
Anti-corruption experts stress the importance of the e-governance system in combating corruption in some Iraqi departments and ministries, because it will define the relationship between the employee and the person who transacts, and as a result, corruption is considered the main obstacle facing the full implementation of this system in the country, in order to continue blackmailing reviewers and citizens and maintaining the manual system to spread an atmosphere of mistrust in the government apparatus, they said.[/size]
[size=45]E-governance is not only a means to eliminate corruption, but it has also become part of the science of administration, “therefore there is a need for this science in all aspects of the Iraqi state,” according to Kazem Al-Shammari, a member of the parliamentary committee on economy, industry and trade.[/size]
[size=45]He stressed that “the House of Representatives supports the government’s steps to spread this system across all ministries, and it has started in the ports, tax, and some other departments. We hope that the government will expedite its completion, and that this system will be part of the culture of the official and the employee.”[/size]
[size=45]Al-Shammari declares his rejection of anything that interrupts the efforts to transform to e-governance, “because that means keeping the country administratively backward and the scourge of corruption spreading in it, and the Iraqi employee will continue to rely on paper and will be unable to imitate the progress achieved in administration at the global level.”[/size]
[size=45]For his part, the head of the e-governance committee in the Baghdad Provincial Council, Muthanna Al-Azzawi, considered during his speech that “the first steps of the electronic system are the (Baghdadna) platform that was previously announced, and it will include all sector departments in the governorate successively according to the services and their maturity, and it is possible to export successful experiences to the rest of the governorates.”[/size]
[size=45]It is noteworthy that Al-Azzawi announced on October 15 the establishment of the Governance and Communications Committee to manage the digital transformation in the capital, Baghdad, and the launch of the “Baghdadna” platform to provide more than 25 electronic services to citizens via smart devices.[/size]
[size=45]It seems clear that the policy of Al-Sudani’s government is moving towards “fighting corruption through investing in automation,” according to financial and economic expert Dr. Safwan Qusay, indicating that “there are a set of goals set within the three-year budget program (2023-2024-2025) that call for the establishment of an integrated electronic system that serves the process of government units’ dealings with customers through the (OR) system, which currently has more than 400 immediate services. This system will contribute to tracking government procedures and their responsiveness to service seekers and improve collection through financial inclusion.”[/size]
[size=45]He explained to Shafaq News Agency, “The governance process means increasing the level of transparency and procedures within government units, and the possibility of developing government performance in a way that serves the interests of the citizen. The (Service Government) pledged within its program that it will force all government units and private sector units to follow electronic technologies in dealing with customers in order to control speculators, fictitious financial transfers, fictitious goods, and specifications that are not suitable for the needs of the consumer and the producer.”[/size]
[size=45]Regarding the extent to which e-governance contributes to reducing corruption, Qusay gives an example in the Ministry of Electricity, saying that “the Ministry of Electricity pledged that the volume of revenues from the electricity sector would be around 9 trillion dinars annually, but it did not reach more than 2 trillion dinars annually, as there is still electricity produced without collection under the title of losses, those who are hesitant to pay, and some violations. By moving to electronic collection, the latter will contribute to controlling these losses and there will be an effective system for purchasing the service in advance, as in communications and other sectors, meaning that electricity will be purchased from the producer according to cards for the sake of rationalization and at the same time activating collection.”[/size]
[size=45]He added, “Non-oil government revenues across all sectors amount to 27 trillion dinars, but the actual amount may not exceed 10 trillion dinars. If we succeed in developing the electronic (UR) system and linking the internal systems to it, there could be a 100 percent collection, meaning no less than 17 trillion additional dinars that can be collected in addition to evaluating the performance of government units in line with international transparency indicators.”[/size]
[size=45]Qusay concluded his speech by saying that “OR is a comprehensive system, and all federal ministries have a window within this system, through which all government activities are displayed. Some ministries have implemented these applications, while others are obstructing their implementation in order to continue blackmailing reviewers and citizens and to maintain the manual system in order to spread an atmosphere of distrust in the government apparatus. The more this issue is managed technically, the less corruption and waste of public money will be.”[/size]
[size=45]In turn, the researcher in combating corruption, Dr. Ghaleb Al-Dami, confirms that “what is obstructing the e-governance system in Iraq is corruption, and if this system is implemented comprehensively in Iraq, it is capable of ending and undermining corruption to a great extent, because it will define the relationship between the employee and the person in need or the person who is dealing with it.”[/size]
[size=45]During his talk, Al-Dumaimi gave an example from one of the Iraqi departments, saying, “One of the reasons for corruption in traffic departments is the mixing of employees with citizens, but when procedures are facilitated through the use of the e-government system and reducing friction between citizens and employees, here corruption ends and the need to pay bribes in exchange for the smooth running or handling of the transaction is eliminated, because one of the most important characteristics of the governance system is facilitating the speed of transaction procedures.”[/size]
[size=45]Al-Dumaimi concluded his speech by saying, “The governance system contributes greatly to reducing the citizen’s effort and money and to greatly undermining corruption. If it is applied to all government departments, the citizen will be fine and will avoid paper transactions, their loss and their disappearance, all of which are cases of corruption. However, what confronts the full application of the governance system in Iraq is the presence of corruption, because applying this system will undermine corruption and eliminate those who practice it as well.”[/size]
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