As we analyzed in the previous publications, political corruption in our country occurs for a variety of reasons that make this concept much more complex, and, consequently, more difficult to find effective solutions to fight it. In Peru there is an expression that says: "Hecha la ley, hecha la trampa", literally, make the law, make the trap, referring to the fact that when a law is proclaimed, workers find ways to violate it without being spotted. Nevertheless, it would be a great demonstration of progress if, instead of using ingenuity to commit fraud, it was used to promote correct conduct and innovation. This is why we believe that under adequate political leadership, the problem of ethics and morals could be recognized, resulting in a national change that supports the prevalence of honesty, social welfare, justice, truth, equality, solidarity, dignity and other values that reflect the best of our beloved Peru.
Based on this introduction, below we will expose and analyze possible solutions to this problem that, unfortunately, does not only occur in our country, but also in many more.
First of all, one of the solutions that we can propose is extracted from an article published by the Concepción Campos website, where various solutions are proposed for the problem of corruption in Spain - but which can be also applied to Peru. Therefore, this solution is to "promote an open government", which means that, in addition to allowing citizens to choose their representatives, they can also collaborate when it is necessary to make political decisions. In order for this measure to be valid and profitable, political entities have to provide the necessary tools to enable citizens to exercise this right.
Moreover, the 16th edition of the magazine Probidad is developping the idea of the INA group (National Anticorruption Initiative) and its "Anticorruption Plan" according to which the success of the fight against corruption is only possible if some social and political conditions are met. They are 4 in number: rejection of impunity, the constitution of a long-term political-social alliance against corruption based on the articulation of interests, the strengthening of public and private leadership and the establishment of a limit to systemic corruption. It is also mentioned that it is essential to take into account 4 central guidelines, which are: institutionalizing the fight against corruption, strengthening public ethics, promoting transparency and accountability, and as well as citizen surveillance. If these recommendations are applied, political leadership, knowledge and information in addition to citizen vigilance will produce a decrease in corruption and greater governance in our nation, according to the INA.
However, it must be taken into account that if these suggestions provided in the guidelines are applied separately, they will not give any results. Therefore, it is necessary to fully respond to the problem of corruption.
Another solution is suggested by the web portal called Proética, which belongs to our country. For example, it exposes the idea of "not hiring public officials corrupt according to Legislative Decree 1243". While it may sounds like something obvious, it refers in fact to disqualify those individuals who did not comply with the ethical and professional behavior required for their position, in order that they cannot take over any political position anymore. To go further, an investigation could be made in order to verify that the politicians in charge are capable of carrying out their work in a profesionnal and legal way. Indeed, people with a criminal record, especially for similar cases of embezzlement, should not be able to take over a leading position at the highest instance of the government. Consequently, it goes hand in hand with the improvement of the judicial system, which is primordial in the fight against corruption.
Indeed, an other way to try to put an end to corruption is to eliminate all types of parliamentary immunity law, since this type of law does not allow regulatory entities and institutions to fulfill their job correctly. Indeed, this kind of laws does not allow criminal proceedings to be opened on parliamentarians, while there are proofs that they have committed a crime or are suspected of it. This would be an effective solution because if these politicians can be prosecuted and removed from public office so that they would no longer exercise their function. In complement, it would also reduces the time of criminal proceedings - since it is not necessary to approve any investigation - leading to the criminally prosecution of more corrupt suspects in less time, thus fighting corruption.
Complementing, we must specify the recent events that have occurred in our country, precisely with the current president of the Republic, Pedro Castillo. He is currently being investigated by the prosecution allegedly because he would have headed a criminal organization. Likewise, others public officials, such as the former Minister of Transportation and Communications, Juan Silva, have also been convoked. After commenting on this case, we can focus mainly on that fallacy that some people fell into: the origin of the president. It was believed that, being from the "people", he would be honest and hardworking. Now, we can firmly say that this principle is not fulfilled and that the people should not base their vote on stereotypes.
Therefore, in addition to what was previously mentioned, one of the solutions would be to implement a new type of law according to which a public official cannot remain in public office for a long time. It would lead to the implementation of a rotation between different officials in different axes from time to time to prevent them from becoming encysted in the entities, which would limit corruption risks. In addition, harsher prison sentences could also be applied to those guilty of corruption, all based on the political measures taken in Singapore.
Finally, obviously, a greater transparency exposes the possible crimes committed at the different levels in the government, so the risk of corrupt actions coming to light is higher. Consequently, it would also create accessibility to these processes of transparency, since they are necessary to democracy and justice. Indeed, as we already analyzed, citizens play a big role in the fight against corruption and they should possess all the valuable informations to be able to alert, and consequently, fight for our rights.
REFERENCES
- Mejía Mori, B. (2001). Corrupción Judicial en Perú: Causas, Formas y Alternativas. Derecho & Sociedad, (17), 208-215. Retrieved from: https://revistas.pucp.edu.pe/index.php/derechoysociedad/article/view/16871
- Concepción Campos (n.d) 10 propuestas para mejorar la prevención y la lucha contra la corrupción. Retrieved from: https://concepcioncampos.org/9n-10-propuestas-para-mejorar-la-lucha-contra-la-corrupcion/
- Proetica (2018) SIETE PROPUESTAS ANTICORRUPCIÓN PARA UN PAÍS ÍNTEGRO. Retrieved from: https://www.proetica.org.pe/contenido/propuestas-anticorrupcion/
- Tegel, S. (2021, 28 diciembre). Peru’s Castillo Is No Friend of the Poor. World Politics Review. Retrieved from: https://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/articles/30214/under-castillo-peru-still-suffers-corruption-and-inequality
- Anti-Corruption in Peru. (2017, 7 mayo). Global Compliance News. Retrieved from: https://www.globalcompliancenews.com/anti-corruption/anti-corruption-in-peru/
- Gossaín, J. (2019, 11 julio). ¿Quiere saber cómo fue que acabaron con la corrupción en Singapur? El Tiempo. Retrieved from: https://www.eltiempo.com/colombia/otras-ciudades/como-se-acabo-la-corrupcion-en-singapur-386920
- Revista Probidad (2004, 5 noviembre). Un Perú sin corrupción: Condiciones, lineamientos y recomendaciones para la lucha contra la corrupción. Retrieved from: http://www.oas.org/juridico/spanish/per_res27.pdf
- Universitat de València (2016, 13 abril).5 medidas para acabar con la corrupción. Retrieved from: https://www.uv.es/uvweb/master-politica-economica-economia-publica/es/blog/5-medidas-acabar-corrupcion-1285949223224/GasetaRecerca.html?id=1285964907304
- Celeste Meza (2021, 12 febrero).Eliminación de la inmunidad parlamentaria: ¿Todo es color de rosa? Retrieved from: https://facultad.pucp.edu.pe/derecho/ventanajuridica/eliminacion-de-la-inmunidad-parlamentaria-todo-es-color-de-rosa/
- Fernández, J. M. M. (2016). Transparencia versus corrupción en la contratación pública (Doctoral dissertation, Universidad de León). Retrieved from: https://produccioncientifica.usal.es/documentos/5e4fc32329995245c6b24dfa
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