[okfn-za] Open Contracting Standard Launched (Jerome)

Thu Nov 20 13:51:12 UTC 2014

I think that what you are talking about goes to the whole core of the 
debate around open data. Governments are in power, true, but they are 
put there (in South Africa's case) by a democratic election. If enough 
people want to find out more, then government will be pressured to do 
so. So it comes down to finding out what people want to know about 
government, and then making them aware of what information is available.

Or am I being overly naive in assuming that this is part of the major 
hurdle. Obviously there are numerous other considerations as well....

mtb

>    1. Re: Open Contracting Standard Launched (Jerome)
>
>
> 
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Thu, 20 Nov 2014 12:59:11 +0200
> From: Jerome <draco7virtus at gmail.com>
> To: Adi Eyal <adi at code4sa.org>
> Cc: "okfn-za at lists.okfn.org" <okfn-za at lists.okfn.org>,
> 	hackshackers-johannesburg at googlegroups.com,
> 	"hackshackers-capetown at googlegroups.com"
> 	<hackshackers-capetown at googlegroups.com>, "odadi at googlegroups.com"
> 	<odadi at googlegroups.com>
> Subject: Re: [okfn-za] Open Contracting Standard Launched
> Message-ID:
> 	<CACLh0ye9JMLxH1b2G53uRZW+WCJ2XhheJO7UZKXq=SkZ1LD=jg at mail.gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
>
> Good idea and initiative.
> Question: We all know that governments are there to serve the 
> citizens of
> that country, and that many/most governments act in the opposite way
> because it benefits the ones at the top, the ones in power.
> What is the benefit of this Open Contracting initiative to those 
> types of
> governments? Corrupt people CHOSE to be corrupt. Why will they choose 
> to
> support and follow the Open Contracting idea?
>
> The point I'm trying to make is that it's all fantastic if good 
> people take
> action to improve the world, but in a scenario like this we need the
> support of both parties. And how do you gain the support of corrupt 
> people
> and corrupt governments when the idea behind the initiative is to 
> make it
> more difficult for them to be corrupt?
> I think this is a valid question.
> Even if an international law is passed that makes it compulsory for
> governments to operate under the Open Contracting policy, what stops
> corruption from continuing on like before?
>
> thanks
> Jerome
>
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