Using Technology Against Corruption

The Kyrgyz government’s plan to use lie detectors to combat corruption has met with some scepticism among NBCentralAsia commentators, who doubt the step will have much impact.



On September 15, Prime Minister Felix Kulov signed an order launching a pilot project to use polygraphs in government institutions - initially in the taxation and customs services.



Some NBCentralAsia commentators agree that lie detectors should be introduced in the government agencies most vulnerable to bribery and corruption – tax, customs and finance – but they would also like to see them used in the law enforcement agencies. They envisage that the main benefits will seen in personnel policy, arguing that making job applicants undergo a polygraph test will improve the selection process for key posts.



However, any real impact will depend on whether public servants whom the polygraph reveals to be corrupt are actually punished. The political observers surveyed by NBCA have some reservations about the likelihood of this happening, so they would not prescribe lie-detector technology as some kind of panacea. Identifying whether an official is right for the job is one thing; resolving the wider problem of corruption via the polygraph seems less of an attainable goal.



NBCentralAsia analysts suggest that what is needed instead is a comprehensive anti-corruption programme, combining preventive mechanisms at all administrative levels with public scrutiny.



The Corruption Perceptions Index for 2005 produced by Transparency International ranks Kyrgyzstan 130th out of 159 countries.



(News Briefing Central Asia draws comment and analysis from a broad range of political observers across the region.)