December 13: As part of the National Corruption Free Week, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) organized an open public forum on the theme, “Fighting Corruption: Collective Responsibility” yesterday. The forum was meant to receive feedback on the performance of ACC.

The discussion was intended to focus on the collective responsibility of the society in fighting corruption. Instead it ended up with participants reviewing the work of the ACC.

Participants said there is a need for a strategy. They said having clear-cut strategies not only for the ACC but also for other agencies will help combat corruption. Some said the ACC should review the cases properly and investigations should be conducted professionally to the extent possible.

Some said once the ACC takes up a case, efforts should be made to come up with concrete results. Participants also hinted that the ACC is pursuing only low profile cases.

The Chairperson of the ACC Neten Zangmo disagreed. She said if this is the case, media and the public should question the Commission. She said the culture of holding public servants accountable should be promoted.

Some of the participants said the Anti-Corruption Act is being interpreted differently complicating the fight against corruption. They said the Commission should consult the Judiciary and work out a uniform interpretation of the Act.

Some said coordination and information networking among different agencies like the Judiciary, Royal Audit Authority, RCSC, Office of the Attorney General and Ministries should be improved.

On December 14 the Commission will be organizing a talk on "GNH Begins at Home: But, how?" by the former Vice Presiedent of the World Bank, Aum Meiko Nishimizu.