The Hidden Challenge

Take virtually any of them. For instance, government procurement (bribery and corruption). Under this, the developed countries, led by the US (and not hotly supported by the European Union and Japan), are suggesting that all countries adopt defined and uniform purchase, tendering and competitive bidding procedures.

It is argued that corruption and bribery should have no role to play in awarding government orders between competing firms. The United States (which has a law that penalises its own firms if found indulging in this practice abroad) is particularly keen that the procedures be made as transparent as possible. In contrast, some of the other developed countries (who do not have such inconvenient domestic laws) are ambivalent or even against the proposal.

In the Indian context this would mean that the days for telecommunications ministers who indulge in nepotism while awarding contracts to certain privileged firms are numbered. It would also mean that a company like the Tyre Corporation of India would be up against Dunlop or Continental in the matter of supplying tyres for the Ambassador cars lined up outside Parliament while a session is on.

While almost everyone agrees that doing away with corruption and bribery is certainly desirable, it is questionable whether the issue needs to be debated under the WTO umbrella. Experts feel that given the fact that opinion within the developed countries is somewhat divided, it is possible that it may not figure as a major issue at Singapore