Some ideas about how to fight corruption in Venezuela:
1) create a Corrupedia, the free Encyclopaedia For Venezuelan Corruption that contains information about all corruption affairs reported in Venezuela's history. This encyclopaedia should
- keep a given format that gives the looks and feel of an encyclopaedia
- document all possible corruption affairs from all parties and individuals, independently from their political views
- contain necessary sources documenting the issue
- contain information comparing Venezuela with some countries such as: Chile, Norway, Canada and Congo, Haiti and Afghanistan on the other side (see here for further reference).
- contain reference articles about mesures carried out in other countries to combat corruption and results obtained
I actually wanted to start, but I have little spare time with this blog and all.
2) Ask opposition candidates to go everywhere in Venezuela, from Maturín to Tucupita, from Charallave to El Tocuyo to propose a Venezuelan version of an idea British politician David Cameron brought forward:
From The Economist
"In a speech broadcast to the rarefied TED conference in California [...], he announced that all government contracts worth more than £25,000 ($39,200) would be published online. Businesses could pore over them item-by-item in an effort to undercut established contractors."2) Ask opposition candidates to go everywhere in Venezuela, from Maturín to Tucupita, from Charallave to El Tocuyo to propose a Venezuelan version of an idea British politician David Cameron brought forward:
From The Economist
(I never thought I would be promoting an idea from the Tories, but then...what the heck!)
Before Hugo Chávez came to power there was the obligation to make tenders in a public way, but this government has almost completely obliterated that. This proposal would not only bring back that but bring in more transparency after the deals are accepted...much more!
A Dictionary of Venezuelan Corruption already exists for the decades of 1960-1990's (three or four volumes by Ruth Capriles).The format is different than the one you suggest. It should be brought up to date. Ruth Capriles teaches at the Catholic University, Andres Bello, in Caracas.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the reference, Gustavo.
ReplyDeleteIndeed few ideas are really new, we just try to update, build upon and adapt;
But 3 to 4 books? It must be something like "A very brief history of Venezuelan corruption" :-)
I am curious about that publication, though.
I proposed the Wiki- format because it is free, it is more accesible.
Of course, the problem would be the editing wars...still, I reckon that can be solved.
I initially thought of some kind of Louvre of Venezuelan corruption: a real place where visitors from all over the world could go through very well documented exhibitions presenting corruption from early colonial times.
As I am for descentralization, I already imagine the museum in a secondary city like Calabozo. It offers the advantage of more space for the building.
I imagine the buses full of Japanese tourists flocking to the building and admiring in absolute awe our incredible creativity when it comes to the craft of graft.
I already see it all: permanent and temporary exhibitions, shops like at the British Museum or Louvre with cards and bags with paintings of the Boliburguesia, the statues of José Vicente Rangel's wife, a replica of Pérez's ship to Bolivia, objects from the haciendas Páez and Gómez and Monagas got through their threats and shenanigans.
This could give jobs to hundreds of people currently getting some money only through Milicias Bolivarianas or the like.
Instead of playing soldiers for a few days a year, they would be producing bags and pens and paintings and working as tourist guides within the museum.
Well, I can always dream. Perhaps we stick to the Virtual Museum firstly.
it is done in Clombia and developing as we speak:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.corrupedia.com
and an article about it
http://www.elmundo.es/blogs/elmundo/catalejo/2010/03/03/fichados.html
Oh, that is brilliant! It is just a pity it is only for Colombia.
ReplyDeleteI see a lot of potential for such an encyclopaedia, with versions in all languages of the world.
I can also see a lot of possibilities for cooperation between Colombia and Venezuela, two countries that are at the top when it comes to striving for new levels and types of corruption.
:-)