Public urged to elect people with integrity

An executive director of the Asian Institute of Management Policy Center (AIMPC) has challenged the public to elect public servants with integrity in the coming elections as part of the drive towards a nation with integrity.

Speaking at the Integrity Summit held in Makati City, Professor Ron Mendoza, AIMPC, along with other speakers, Cagayan de Oro City Mayor Oscar Moreno and Dr. Peter Koeppinger, have discussed how upgrading the public sector’s integrity standards can lead to fair market conditions and inclusive growth.

But in restoring the integrity of the government’s leadership, Mendoza said, it must start from the public.

In his talk, Mendoza stressed that while it is important to have integrity in the leaders, “it is highly correlated with the lack of integrity in our nation itself.”

“We seem to be so divided at this point,” said Mendoza.

Mendoza cited that the AIM has a study, surveying poor households whether they have sold their votes in the last 2013 midterm elections.

“It estimates 20 percent to 40 percent of poor households in Metro Manila had sold their votes in 2013,” he said.

If people want to restore integrity in the leadership and among citizens, Mendoza said the people must begin to restore faith in collective action and cooperation.

“You restore that by electing good leaders,” said Mendoza, adding that they must be “transparent and more accountable.”

While political dynasties have long been present in the country’s political structure, Mendoza said, not all dynasties produce bad results.

“What we can say, as far as dynasties are concerned, is that the pattern of leadership is lacking integrity and it opened the risk for abuse,” he said.

Thus, Mendoza said the public must also be concerned in the rise of pattern of that kind of leadership.

“While we think about integrity in leadership, there is also a need to recognize integrity in citizenship,” he said.

He also noted how education can also empower the next generation in restoring the integrity of the government system.

“The alternative future with a lot more integrity is citizens empowered, economy that is vibrant,” Mendoza said.

During the event, the leaders stressed that integrity building within the government is essential to strengthen the confidence of the people in the public servants and government institutions.

Also, national and local government institutions must invest in institutionalizing integrity standards, in reforming public service and in building integrity platforms that engage civil society and the business sector to participate in integrity building process.

Investing in integrity building and reforming public service can lead to creating fair market conditions that will attract more investments and help generate more employment to achieve inclusive growth.