Independent commission

The blueprint of the future accountability system is reportedly under finalisation and a new 'independent' accountability set-up may well be a reality in the near future. In our country where the concept of an independent institution is rarely implemented, the proposed Independent Accountability Commission may profoundly influence the future shape of Accountability in Pakistan.
In December 2008, Malaysia established an independent Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to meet the aspirations of the public to enhance the government's efforts to eradicate corruption to the culture of zero tolerance for corruption. Hong Kong's Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC)'s success story has been considered the model behind the transformation from Malaysia's earlier Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) to an independent anti-corruption commission.
The new MACC Law envisages action against the bribe givers/receivers in both public and private sector and gives legal protection to whistle blowers and witnesses. MACC will report annually to the Parliament. It will comprise talented and educated individuals as expert investigators and the size of this force is planned to be tripled in next five years.
Independence and credibility are two important pre-requisites for the successful operations and image of any anti-corruption agency. Independence is most significant to prevent the anti-corruption agency from being used as an instrument of witch hunting against the political rivals of any incumbent government, as corruption investigations do become weapons in settling personal/family scores. When corruption investigations are biased and politicised, then powerful officials misuse their authority and victimise the weak.
One important indicator of the degree of independence of the anti-corruption agency depends on how far it has taken steps to fry the Big Fish. How many Big Fish have been prosecuted and convicted as a result of the agency's investigations will always remain the most frequently asked question.
An independent anti-corruption body will lose its credibility in the eyes of the public if it investigates and enforces anti-corruption laws unfairly, focuses on petty corruption instead of mega corruption, protects the Big Fish and is perceived to be corrupt itself.
When viewed in our perspective, it was a gross mockery of justice when the 'Big Fish' behind national level mega scams like the infamous sugar scandal, the engineered stock exchange crash, dubious steel mill sale scam etc escaped accountability. Similarly, those who devoured billions of huge bank loans and those who wrote them off with stroke of pen deserved to be firmly prosecuted. It, therefore, remains the prime responsibility of any independent accountability body in the future to undertake accountability across the board in a firm, fair, transparent and neutral manner without accepting pressures from any quarter.