The Amman Institute for Urban Development (AIUD), of the Greater Amman Municipality (GAM), recently held the Second Amman Centennial Forum, titled “Transparency in Urban Governance”, and included a lecture delivered by the former Mayor of the Bolivian capital, La Paz, Mr. Ronald MacLean-Abaroa.
MacLean-Abaroa is the co-author of the book, “Corrupt Cities: A Practical Guide to Cure and Prevention”. He stressed the need to deal with corruption cases through diplomatic means, instead of tough measures, and to employ smart talents and skills in fighting commercial and economic domination.
“Fighting corruption should not be considered as an end itself, but an orienting principle for reforming urban administration. The collapse of corruption comes from institutional reform, not from combating corruption directly,” he told the forum.
He pointed that corruption emerges once people start to get unending privileges and try to monopolize businesses, in a way to hinder growth and development in the urban communities. “Corruption is not just a moral problem; it hinders the growth and development of a city and erodes the legitimacy of the government,” he said.
McLean-Abaroa, a veteran Bolivian statesman and international expert on corruption-related issues, called on major financial sectors to innovate new and inventive tools that prevent creating corrupt people on the long run. He noted that only open-hearted communities give right for those who long to have equal opportunities of development that help in advancing creativity and social equity.
He pointed that “Governance is firmly related to a set of institutional matters that aim at curbing poverty. We can encourage competition, enhance public interrogation, and improve corrupt regimes to advance our lives.”
The lecture was attended by GAM City Director, Eng. ‘Ammar Gharaybeh, and deputies of Amman City Director.
“Corrupt Cities” book addresses the historical, traditional, and cultural contexts that create perverse incentives for corruption to exist. It was translated into Arabic by AIUD, and published in cooperation with the World Bank. The book highlights case studies made by three former mayors of Hong Kong, La Paz, and New York.
During his speech, the former mayor stressed the importance of engaging citizens in the anti-corruption process, commenting that long-term change to society arises when citizens and employees lose their fear of denouncing corruption. “If you don’t change policies then it is difficult to combat corruption,” he said, “but in Bolivia the real change came when the electorate themselves began to punish the corrupt.”
He said that during his leadership of La Paz Municipality in the late 1980s, the city was suffering from inflation and high rates of corruption.
McLean-Aboroa, who previously held ministerial posts in fields of strategic planning, foreign affairs, finance, development, and information technology and communications, noted that he pursued a revolutionary scheme in fighting corruption.
He first analyzed facts on the ground, outlined a road-map to define those who suffer from corruption, and moved forward by implementing a clear strategy based on certain platforms, together with members of the municipal council. He said that the book’s first rule in breaching corruption is called “Fry Big Fish”, which means prosecuting the corrupt people.
The book is the first of its kind to be presented in Arabic. Mayor of Amman, Eng. Omar Maani wrote a brief preface for the Arabic version, in which he expressed his admiration of “the great work and content that hopefully become a guideline for all municipal councils to fight corruption.”
It is worth noting that AIUD has launched in February its first Amman Centennial Forum under the theme, “A Youthful Vision for Amman”, during which Maani held an open dialogue with Jordanian youth about their future aspirations.