Secodam.

The Mexican government seems to be trying to get things straight these days. At least they're trying to get their files straight. As "transparency" is fast becoming a buzzword in Mexican politics, entities like the Secretariat of Control and Administrative Development (Secodam) are pushing full force to shed the dark secrets of public-sector corruption of the past.

On Aug. 15, Aliza Chelminsky, head of Secodam's transparency unit, invited Susan Rose-Ackerman, professor of Law and Political Science at Yale University and expert on political corruption, to speak at a press conference. There she addressed several entrenched problems facing Mexico such as corruption in the police force, in public contracting and in the privatization process. She also addressed new challenges that have come before the government.

"Mexico is in this process of change towards a more pluralistic democratic system and a more competitive market economy, and that process itself creates opportunities for corruption," she said.

Rose-Ackerman identified the main issues facing the Fox administration, the first of which is Mexico's lack of professional civil service. Stemming from longtime single-party rule, government positions represented a certain type of job security, as workers followed their mentor from one secretariat to another. She suggested "creating a career path for professionals that is not dependent on which political party is in power."

Secondly, she advocated an effective judicial reform to increase confidence in the judicial system and its power to prosecute corrupt officials. One of the most pressing matters for the administration, however, is increasing public information and participation. The government must make information available, but only after it gets its files in order, she said.