Looking for leaders of probity

(Beginning Statement of the Eighth Annual Meeting of Christian Officials and Public Servants)

I would like to start by thanking, first and foremost, to our good God and to the Congressman Humberto Lay, for allowing us to be here today, in this eighth Annual Meeting of Christian Officials and Public Servants. A special greeting to those who are following us now, through our Internet signal in Arequipa, Trujillo and Cuzco, as well, those in Brazil, U.S.A. and Argentina. We also received with much pleasure the delegations of Arequipa, Chimbote and Cuzco, who accompany us in this room. And of course the Compassion young professionals who represent the new generation to whom we are accountable and responsible leaders of the country.

"Man is discouraged by virtue, laughs at honor and is ashamed of honesty", incredible words that describe this present time and for that reason, the organizations that support REESPUBLICA, have found necessary to address one of the most difficult problems and complex to be solved, named corruption. A negative force of destruction, organized by leaders and systems that pervert any dynamics of probity desired to be established. But this is no news to us, because corruption is as old as mankind and is part of our paradoxical existence. As the apostle Paul described it: "I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want, that I do" which under the psychoanalytic perspective, it developed the tension between eros and thanatos.

It is then, that the existence of corruption runs through history, but in this present time has reached a critical point since it has charmed, persuaded and handcuffed the agents of probity. Today we live in a culture of corruption and that means that the paths to solve our daily relationships go through mechanisms that are outside and generally against the law. Giving money to speed up records, or to stop them. Or the percentages for winning bids going into the hands of those who carry the process, the well-known bribes to the police, but also to other officials at all levels, the promotion manipulated based on particular interests and not in the institutional interest; and thousands of similar situations, they scream every day that today corruption has become a normal way to solve our daily lives and therefore, we are all tolerant to it. So today it is not enough to be honest, but to be decidedly probity promoter. If we only are honest, we will witness just a lost war. We need to rise up as a united army, building a state from within by serving with integrity. We need to find and persuade remarkable men and women to assume the challenge of promoting the integrity of the state. It is not enough to be a technology expert, a technocrat, at this time of our national life, since according to the National Survey of Perceptions of Corruption, 9 out of 10 Peruvians do not follow the law. We need leaders who would fight and inspire probity, within and outside the state.

The dramatic situation in the country that has allowed us to almost triple in 10 years the  public spending, would not make us feel better if we keep charging more than 30,000 officials with complaints as our Premier will inform you or if we continue losing 5% of GDP through corruption.

The new leadership is committed to honesty, let me exemplify this. In 1992 the former General Directorate of Taxes became a bastion of bribes and corruption. SUNAT was created and led by a man who had a special talent, technical knowledge complemented with his mystic. This mystic was instilled in the young generation who entered to the work arena. I was part of the first group; we were students facing our first formal job. But we felt a clear leadership over us. I keep remembering the day when we were all summoned and heard a message about what the country needed from us. It was a time of bombs and attacks. But that leadership coupled with a clear political will of the government, made possible, for example, the order of the old Polvos Azules, with tanks and policemen, producing a strong and necessary change which we all applauded. We felt we were doing something good for the country and we were so reminded of it. Unfortunately, that original inspiring effort was lost in time and corruption entered to derailed the meaning of an entity that promised so much as SUNAT. It was a man and his mystic supported by a strong political will that made SUNAT an organization with integrity, efficiency, and modernity. History teaches this to us and we need to replicate the experience. Therefore, tonight, let me acknowledge Mr. Manuel Estela with a loud applause and gratitude for what he built in our generation.

Technocrats are not enough, we need leaders of integrity. And that is the ultimate meaning of the Heart of David Order, which was created NOT to reward public servants, but to remind those who have achieved prominent places that God has allowed it so they would be light and hope in the midst of millions who need to have a model for their life. But we also need a leadership from outside the state to lobby the necessary changes. Let me explain. In Huánuco three judges were accused by a group of family members, victims, residents and Human Rights organizations to the National Judicial Council, because they let free the rapists of four children and because they usually ruled in favor of drug traffickers. The permanent mobilization and the addition of the  press, managed to Impeach these corrupt judges in November 2011. Despite of these events, these judges manipulated the system so they would continue in office months later. Thus the mobilization had to continue until they were effectively removed from their positions. We also need leaders of integrity from outside the state. Therefore, one of the first measurements taken as a corporation of Christian organizations, is to create a cooperative alliance with Micah Challenge and join a Global Campaign, through which we would train professionals and public servants within our communities and encourage citizen controls against government corruption. But at the same time, we have begun discussions with the High Level Anti-Corruption Commission in order to generate training modules to be applied in our government agencies for the same purpose.

Christians have always said: “No to Corruption”, but today, we also say: “We will work to confront corruption”. And training is not enough, for that reason, I propose to the President of the Audit Commission, who is here, to work together to create the National Observatory of Government Corruption, fueled by the information of public servants from each sector from different parts of the country and supported by young Christian professionals who wish to join to this endeavor, in that way, every citizen would see political developments and sanctions in each sector of the government. At the same time, we will elaborate a bill that would create a unique anticorruption window through which we’ll all know where to present a complaint due to some abuse suffered by the government and monitor the long delays of the state apparatus to respond and thus avoid the abusive and accomplice archiving thereof.

More education and exemplary sanctioning. An adviser of the High Level Corruption Commission told me that if all accused officers were sanctioned, we would not have enough space in prisons for them and I said that, if only we had in prison the highest leaders: national, regional and local; for acts of corruption, Peru would begin to change.

Now is the time to start, and I'm sure the notable board members, who with their presence honor our VIII Annual Meeting, will enlighten us even more. I just want to conclude by recalling the words of the apostle Paul at the end of his days: "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith". May our lives leave a legacy of hope for the millions of young people who need for us to inherit a more worthy Peru, with justice and unity. Thank you very much.

JORGE MARQUEZ CHAHU