US Ambassador Baily gives lecture on combating corruption


Giving a lecture on combating corruption Monday at the Skopje Faculty For Security Studies, US Ambassador to Macedonia Jess Baily presented an example that puts under doubt the commitment of leaders, institutions and media to disclose acts of corruption.

‘I’ve heard that members of the State Election Commission (SEC) voted unanimously to award themselves with extra salary for four more months over their engagement in local elections this October. Earlier, they also got additional five-month salaries for the 2016 general elections,’ Baily said.

I am a public servant, he said, and hence support awarding of public servants working overtime, but I have a question about this matter. SEC is an independent body. Maybe this move was legal, but the voting took place behind close doors, Baily said.

What does such activities say about the priorities of leaders, the values of this institution, Baily said, asking where were whistleblowers, investigative journalists or parliamentary supervising bodies, what would you do in such a situation.