Governance and Accountability: A Perception Problem?

On frequent occasions - if not daily, I get into intricate discussions with partners, especially when giving an analysis of the status quo of Slovak society and it has struck me, that in particular definitions like governance or accountability need further to be elaborated. The striking fact fact is, that linguistically there are no precise equivalents of the said definitions. One deduces them to merely 'responsibility', but this term in my view has somewhat a vague implication.

Since my own knowledge of Slovak and Czech is fairly advanced, I can therefore sense that these terms are not always fully grasped by my respective discussion partners; leaving as if a gaping difference of understanding of the matter. So noticeably the definition transfer of accountability or governance to the listener is too incomplete. 

A further reason to strengthen this finding - and I would like to refer to (former) HMA Michael Roberts, who in his 10th December 2011 speech at the Slovak Ministry of Justice elegantly summed up the major problems from Slovakia's recent past;

.....
1)    Many of the most striking examples of corruption we know about concern public sector tenders;
2)    The sums of money involved frequently run to millions of Euro;
3)    Some of those public sector tenders use money from EU structural and cohesion funds, ie money that came originally from other European taxpayers;
4)    Despite screaming press headlines, those implicated have been very slow to accept political responsibility for misspent taxpayers’ money.   Resignations have been grudging and late.  A culture of accountability for the way taxpayers’ money is spent is sadly lacking;
5)    There have been no significant criminal convictions for corrupt use of public money whilst I have been serving in Slovakia;
6)    Slovak law and the institutional framework that upholds the law – including the Office of Public Procurement, the Police, the Office of the State Prosecutor, and the Judiciary – do not seem up to the task of investigating and pursuing wrong-doers so as secure criminal convictions.
7)    Last but not least, public opinion is overwhelmingly cynical about the prospects for putting right this state of affairs.   
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(end of quote)

The abysmal gap between the committed crimes and the passivity - including the cynicism of the majority - is perhaps the proof, that the realisation of "someone being accountible" is lacking. Merely shrugging shoulder with "that's what politicians do" is not initiating any rigorous investigation. To the contrary.

The acceptance of corruption, often attributed to a traditional phenomenon, is not so much the problem of not seeing any wrong; it's exactly of not understanding the implications of being accountable. Down to earthly put: To cough up the damage. It is not so much how one perceives the status, rather the linguistic nuance of the words "accountability" and "governance" not being simply 'responsibility". Without this awareness, governance will remain a half-hollow concept, which indeed has little foundation in Slovakia.

(with special thanks to Ambassador of the United Kingdom Mr. Michael Roberts, who, during his office in Bratislava has been outspoken on critical issues, giving those brave individuals fighting corruption and injustice a boost in their efforts)