Expert: “The transparency of politicians becomes interesting for people only during scandals”

“The situation of political transparency is changing slowly”

Among the most common mistakes is the lack of information about the business relations of spouses or partners. For example, the declaration of the representative of the Social Democrats, the current Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckos, does not show that his wife is a shareholder of one company. The declarations of other party members lack information about debt obligations or other important details.

Despite the public debate about the importance of transparency, the situation is changing slowly. Sergej Muravyov, an expert in anti-corruption behavior 15min emphasized in the program that transparency is not in itself the opposite of corruption.

Transparency is not in itself the opposite of corruption

“Transparency is the clarity that we as a community agree on. This does not mean that the system automatically becomes invulnerable. Transparency is a tool, but not the final goal,” the expert said.

He reminded that the real goal of transparency is not less corruption, but more quality and socially beneficial solutions.

“When people see how decisions are made, they feel more involved and trust the system.” Unfortunately, more than half of Lithuanian residents believe that decision-making in the country is not open enough at the moment,” added S. Muravjovas.

Skirmantas Lisauskas/BNS photo/Sergejus Muravjovas

Thousands of declarations, and there is no one to check them

In Lithuania, about 180,000 people must submit declarations of private interests. public sector employees, but the Supreme Service Ethics Commission (VTEK), the main supervisory authority for these declarations, has slightly more than 20 employees. Compliance officers are also in short supply. According to VTEK chairman G. Sakalauskas, there are about 100 such specialists actively working, so it is difficult to ensure effective supervision.

Commenting on this situation, S. Muravjov says that 180 thousand there is a huge number of declarations, so it is necessary to set priorities, distinguish target groups and optimize the process.

“For example, the Pareto principle could be applied when 20 percent 80 percent of the effort overall result”, suggested S. Muravjov.

However, the problem of deficiencies in private interest declarations is not only due to a lack of resources. According to the expert, in Lithuania, transparency and the reduction of corruption are often viewed through a legal prism, instead of evaluating it as a matter of social norms and behavioral changes. Currently, the majority of anti-corruption measures are limited to changes in legal acts, although the most important thing is to ensure their implementation and monitoring.

We have almost no data to show how people’s behavior changes in institutions

“Unfortunately, we have almost no data to show how people’s behavior changes in institutions. Research is usually limited to whether institutions have internal rules, but does not delve into how they are applied. This is a problem, because without accurate data we cannot decide whether the progress is real”, explained S. Muravjov.

“If politicians mess up when filling out declarations, it’s not just their personal problem”

The anti-corruption behavior expert criticized not only Seimas members making mistakes in their declarations, but also political parties, which, according to S. Muravyov, should take more responsibility.

“If politicians mess up when filling out declarations, it’s not just their personal problem. This is also a question of the image of their parties. Is it so difficult for the party to ensure that their representatives fill out the documents properly?”, asked the expert rhetorically.

In his opinion, parties should more actively involve experts who would help politicians not only ensure compliance with legislation, but also explain why transparency is important to society.

“It is not difficult, but it requires a little more proactivity and the desire to prevent possible problems,” emphasized S. Muravjov.

He also reminded that Lithuania in the European Union (EU) is a strong medium in terms of transparency indicators, second only to Estonia among the new EU members. For example, according to the expert, the Lithuanian parliament is one of the most advanced in the world in terms of the level of data openness.

We are still missing the most important things – consistency and data-driven analysis

“Despite progress, we are still missing the most important things – consistency and data-driven analysis.” We could learn a lot from the Scandinavian countries, which invest in long-term solutions and involve the public through citizens’ assemblies and participatory budgets”, points out S. Muravjov.

“People are in pain anyway and they want a lot of things to be different”

15min in the studio interview with an expert on anti-corruption behavior, another problem also emerged – transparency comes into the public spotlight only when there is a scandal.

“Yes, those good examples somehow don’t get as much attention as they would like. But I think that when there’s a scandal, it’s not that it becomes interesting just because we’re talking about transparency. I think that people are hurting a lot anyway and they really want a lot of things to be different. It’s just that the vast majority of people are turned away and they live their lives. And to expect them to take and now engage in a conversation against something, in my eyes, is naive these days. Research shows that otherwise people are not inclined to even listen to rhetoric and vocabulary that is about confrontation. They want to identify with positive messages”, asserts S. Muravjov.

His suggestion is to abandon the rhetoric about “fighting corruption” or “fighting bribery”. According to the expert, such phrases not only do not work, but often have the opposite result – they remind people of bad experiences and encourage them to think that nothing has changed.

“Instead, it’s worth talking about positive changes and encouraging behavior that is in line with societal norms.” For example, formulating messages that emphasize appropriateness and responsibility rather than threat or blame. This is the only way to encourage real changes and get people’s support”, emphasized anti-corruption behavior expert S. Muravjov.

The Media Support Fund has allocated EUR 9,000 in partial funding to the project “New Government: Wealth, Business and Influence”.

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