RECORDER REPORT

ISLAMABAD: The Accountability Lab in collaboration with Sustainable Social Development Organization (SSDO) Tuesday launched a campaign to find the country’s most honest government officials.

The drive titled ‘Integrity Idol Campaign’ being carried out for the second consecutive year is an initiative of the Accountability Lab which was formally launched at National Press Club, Islamabad.

The event was held to familiarize the citizens of Pakistan with this global campaign that finds honest government officials and enables the public to vote for their favourite candidates. Integrity Idol is a contest not for the best singers or artists, but for the civil servants with integrity in Pakistan. The best part of campaign is that it allows every Pakistani to choose a role model for them, creating a better and friendly environment.

“The conversation around corruption in Pakistan is too negative with constant naming and shaming of wrong-doers. This gives a sense that there are no good people and that nothing can be changed,” said Chairman Board of the Accountability Lab, Brig Musaddiq Abbasi (retd).

He further said they are taking this campaign to provincial level that will help eradicate corruption from grassroots levels.

This campaign started in Nepal in 2014 and spread to Liberia in 2015.Now it has evolved into a global campaign, reaching Pakistan last year. The winners of the competition in the past have served as consultants for their respective governments on national reform strategies and have even been invited to speak in front of the US Congress about their work.

Director Programmes for the Accountability Lab, Pakistan Fayyaz Yaseen, pointed out, “The value of Integrity Idol is the process, not the outcome. It is about creating conversations about what it means to be a person of integrity; and why this matters. Integrity Idol concept is very much based on renowned musical contests of American Idol, Indian Idol and Pakistan Idol. After the competition, we will be creating a network of local government officials who work for accountability across Pakistan and using this network as the basis for larger reform efforts.”

Speaking on the occasion, Assistant Country Director UNDP Pakistan, Amir Goraya said he personally feels that this is the connection to eradicate corruption on grassroots level. He said he fully supports this concept.

Vice President National Press Club Asif Ali Bhatti said he has been with this campaign for last year and would continue to support this idea. He said that this should be promoted more for inculcating awareness among the government officials.

The guests present at the event were excited to be part of such a unique programme and said that this was a wonderful opportunity for the government officials. They appreciated the initiative and said such events should take place more often.

Executive Director SSDO, Syed Kausar Abbas said this has now become an annual campaign; growing the network of role models and helping them collaborate for positive change.

The event prompted great response online as a large number of audiences on Twitter tweeted with the hashtag ‘IntegrityIdol’, which eventually started trending. The media personnel and guests also appreciated the concept.