Need for the Rule of Law

Senator Richard J. Gordon yesterday renewed his call for the rule of law in light of the poor performance of the country in the World Bank Report, “Governance Matters 2006: Worldwide Governance Indicators,” citing the need for renewed vigor in the fight against corruption and the practice of good governance.

“We need to show that there is still a rule of law in this country. There is a need for transparency so that corruption can be easily observed”, said Gordon.

The report which covered 209 countries all over the world showed the marked deterioration in the performance of the country according to five indicators namely voice and accountability – from 58.9% to 47.8%; political stability and absence of violence – from 39.2% to 17.5%; government effectiveness – from 63.2% to 55.5%; regulatory quality – from 68.5% to 52%; and rule of law – from 55.3% to 38.6%.

“This report is proof positive that we need to correct certain deficiencies on the way we run our government. The executive should stand by its contracts and ensure a level playing field so that no one is unduly favored, specially relatives of people in power. Policies should be enforced by the courts and our people should be given access to courts”, said the Senator.

Gordon also warned that if government does not do anything about corruption, investors will shy away which would mean less jobs and opportunities for the people.