Former U.S. Ambassador Heather M. Hodges Speeches

Ambassador Hodges' Remarks at The Eurasia Foundation Conference on Government and Civil Society.

April 26, 2006.

Thank you very much for the opportunity to participate in this discussion. 
 
First, let me congratulate the Working Group for Moldova’s MCC Threshold Country Plan on expanding its membership to include three representatives of civil society and the media. The MCC places particular emphasis on broad consultation with civil society groups, the business community, and ordinary people in the development and implementation of Threshold Country Plans and Compact Programs.
 
We are very pleased to see that the Government of Moldova is taking such serious and tangible steps to provide opportunities for citizens to have input into the identification, prioritization, and design of development programs proposed for MCC funding.
 
As the Working Group puts the final touches on Moldova’s Threshold Country Plan, we encourage them to continue their efforts to broaden participation further and look for opportunities to involve civil society in the implementation and oversight of the Plan.
 
Local civil society organizations have important skills and significant capacities to: provide training, run anti-corruption “hot-lines”, collect data on corruption in different sectors and agencies, participate in the drafting and reviewing of legislation, and most importantly monitoring how well government departments and agencies perform in implementing the Government’s anti-corruption policies and achieving the Threshold Plan’s objectives.
 
I would also like to applaud the political will and understanding demonstrated in President Voronin’s recent statement calling on representatives of public administration, the political opposition, the business community, and civil society to actively participate in fighting corruption and in the implementation of Moldova’s Millennium Challenge Account commitments. The “challenge” inherent in the Millennium Challenge is not a goal that can be achieved solely by the decrees of political leaders. This challenge can only be met by all of Moldova, working together.
 
Similarly, Moldova’s EU Action Plan and the EGPRSP are ambitious challenges that require broad consensus and broad commitment from across Moldovan society; and all three commitments have many objectives in common. Among these are the strengthening of democratic institutions; ensuring respect for freedom of the media and freedom of expression; ensuring the effectiveness of the fight against corruption; and fostering the development and engagement of civil society.
 
These are not just tests for Moldova to overcome or boxes for Moldova to check. The broad participation of society though NGOs and a free and independent media not only enhances country ownership and serves as a check on the practicality of proposed programs, but it also strengthens transparency and accountability, which are in themselves major factors in the MCC criterion of good governance.
 
Opening up government, operating transparently, eliminating political influence over Teleradio Moldova news programming, seriously de-politicizing the Audio-Visual Council, and involving broad participation in decision making are essential steps on the path to MCC Compact Status and to European integration as well.
 
It is understandable that some government officials may be concerned that it might be difficult to manage public expectations once the broader public is engaged in a process to identify their needs. Often this concern is reinforced by misperceptions about how a democratic government makes use of the input generated in broad public participation. Once information has been gathered from across society, it still remains the government’s responsibility to make informed decisions about how to prioritize development goals for MCC support, taking into account the public’s needs and concerns, existing domestic resources, ongoing national development strategies, and resources from other donors.
 
To successfully fight corruption and achieve MCC Compact status, Moldova needs to accomplish more than just the physical reform of institutions that the Threshold Program’s money can help with.  Moldova needs to transform its daily processes and procedures at the front lines of government in ways that can transform state institutions into competent and effective organizations and make corrupt practices difficult.
 
Moldova needs to bring together actors both inside and outside of the government, who have complementary stakes in reform and encourage the alliances and cooperative efforts with civil society and the media that can make certain that the government’s policies are carried out and that change is real and sustainable. 
 
Some government officials may be resistant to the serious reforms that we are embarking on together. Some may be resistant to change for reasons of money, fear of a loss of control and influence, fear of change itself, or even just plain stubbornness. Deeply rooted habits will not melt away simply because a new law is passed, a directive is written by the President, or by attending a training program. Moldova’s civil society and an independent media free of political influence are the only effective tools that government leaders have to get an unvarnished view of how well their policies are being carried out. It is critically important for the Government to ensure the independence of civil society organizations and the media, and their participation in implementing and monitoring the Plan.