Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (
Ma made the remarks while meeting with the organization's vice chairman, Tunku Abdul Aziz, and executive director, Margit van Ham, who are currently on a fact-finding visit to Taiwan.
Ma exchanged views with his guests on Taiwan's bid to wipe out official corruption and establish clean politics.
The Harvard-educated mayor said although Taiwan has adopted a democratic political system, graft and corruption continue to exist as its people's law-abiding spirit remained immature.
Noting that power tends to make people corrupt, Ma said eradication of graft and corruption basically relies on education and the establishment of a sound legal system.
Ma told his guests that Taipei City Hall has formulated a package of ethical rules to ensure integrity among its employees.
"The package offers clear-cut procedures and standards for handling lobbying and receiving gifts," Ma said, adding that the city government has also been promoting single-stop and online services to cut red tape and prevent bribery and other irregularities.
Ma further said he believes that if Transparency International opens a branch office in Taipei, it will be able to offer objective, insightful advice to help boost Taiwan's anti-corruption campaign and enhance its political transparency.
"A Transparency International offshoot here is also expected to offer more opportunities for international exchanges in experience and ideas regarding anti-graft operations and clean politics promotion," Ma said.
For his part, Aziz said he admired Ma's strenuous efforts to crack down on vote-buying and official corruption during Ma's stint as minister of justice.
Aziz also said that his organization can only offer information about corruption situations in various countries around the world. "And it's up to the people of each country to work out suitable ways to fight corruption, graft or bribery," he noted.
Aziz and van Ham arrived in Taiwan earlier this week to collect first-hand information about Taiwan's progress in wiping out corruption and working to clean up politics here before deciding whether to open a branch here.
They have met with Control Yuan President Fredrick Chien (
Transparency International is a non-government organization dedicated to stemming official corruption and upgrading government credibility.
The Berlin-based organization has set up branches in 70-plus countries and areas around the world.
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