By IPS Correspondents
BOGOTA, Nov 22 2000 (IPS)

The communications media play a vital role in the war on corruption, say experts of the Andean Community of Nations (CAN), and have a strong impact on the social and political spheres.

At the CAN’s second conference on communications, held in the Colombian city of Cartagena and sponsored by the non-governmental Foundation for the Americas, the Andean Development Corporation and the Organisation of American States (OAS), specialists studied the role of journalism in anti-corruption efforts.

OAS secretary-general César Gaviria underscored the extent of the corruption problem as he opened the two-day conference, which included the participation of delegates from the CAN members, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela.

Research conducted for the World Bank shows that “administrative corruption is less” in those countries with efficient information systems, affirmed Daniel Kaufman, a Bank expert, at the meeting this week.

For his part, Ricardo Uceda, chief of investigations at ‘El Comercio’ newspaper in Lima, called attention to the role of the independent communications media in informing the public during an institutional crisis like the one Peru is currently enduring.

The peak of the Peruvian political crisis came Tuesday, when Congress removed Alberto Fujimori from the presidency on grounds of “moral unfitness,” and refused to accept the resignation he had presented earlier. Fujimori, of Japanese origins, is in Tokyo and is said to be seeking political asylum there.

Uceda commented that the denunciations made by journalists, working under the restrictions imposed on press freedoms by the Fujimori government, “played a fundamental role in the elucidation of what is occurring today.”

The Peruvian journalist told the programme “Analysis,” of Colombia’s state-run National University, that “now public opinion and the new government leaders should investigate all of the cases reported by the press.”

The president of Peru’s Congress, Valentín Paniagua, was designated Wednesday to replace Fujimori.

The charges of corruption “began opening the eyes of the Peruvian people about what was happening, and now we are initiating a stage in which we expect to see results,” Uceda said.

But he warned that the efforts of journalists alone are not enough, and that an organised civil society is needed in order to promote collective action to oversee government functions.

Though corruption exists throughout the Americas, from Canada to Argentina, does not necessarily mean it is worse than in the past, said Uceda, but that civil society is increasingly aware of it and realising we must take steps to fight it.

It is essential that the press cover such issues in a responsible and professional way in order to help bring corrupt activities to light, he added.

The Colombian magazine ‘Cambio’ also played a part in providing information on the presumed irregularities of the Fujimori government.

‘Cambio’ published statements by Roberto Escobar, brother of the late drug-trafficking giant Pablo Escobar, about the alleged handover of money to Fujimori’s top aide, the former Peruvian spy chief, Vladimiro Montesinos, who is now a fugitive.

Enrique Segura, director of the Foundation for the Americas, stated that the media are civil society’s great ally, especially in fulfilling the need to inform, in a serious and responsible way, such that citizens can exert pressure to clear up cases of corruption.

Juan Lozano, meanwhile, a columnist for the Colombian daily ‘El Tiempo’ and member of the corruption watchdog, Transparency International, maintained that the press has a long list of responsibilities, especially defending freedoms of expression, in being able to perform its fundamental role in the war against corruption.

Freedom of expression, though it is protected under law, is threatened by new forms of censorship, primarily in the management of advertising dollars and “gifts” from public officials, Lozano stressed.

He explained that the antidote to these new challenges is “an organised civil society that condemns headlines of acquittal.”

Gaviria was emphatic in his opening speech, pointing out that 80 percent of Latin American citizens consider corruption to be the region’s leading problem.

The OAS secretary-general cited the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) report, “Economic and Social Progress in Latin America,” which indicates that just 35 percent of the citizens surveyed are satisfied with their democratic governments.

The study shows that most Latin American countries are among those with the less control over corruption, followed by African nations, which occupy last place.

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