日本財団 図書館


Sheet 77

 

GUIDE TO THE CASE "A MEAL WITH A CONTRACTOR"

 

The following action by Mr. Arai, Unit Chief, and Mr. Matsuda, his assistant, is to be criticized.

 

・Their conversation over which restaurant to go to took place within hearing distance of the contractor.

Any contractor attempting to build close connections with public officials will, of course, take advantage of this kind of opportunity. This conversation merely served the contractor an excuse to dine with Mr. Arai and Mr. Matsuda.

 

・They went to the restaurant with the contractor.

What's the problem with having a meal with a contractor if you both go Dutch and there is no favor either way, you may wonder. Aren't restrictions on the private lives of public officials outside work just a little too stiff ? In order to maintain public trust in government administration, no form of corruption, be it large or small in scale, is acceptable in any respect. Public employees must be seen to act in a fair and uncompromising manner at all times.

A private meal with a contractor will be viewed by the public as corruptive. The easygoing attitude of a supervisor like Mr. Arai only serves to make his staff less careful in their relationships with contractors in general.

 

・They accepted the gift.

It isn't quite certain whether the gist is really a present from the restaurant owner or the contractor. Regardless of who it is from, accepting the gift gave the contractor an opportunity to form a closer relationship with the two officials.

 

・Mr. Matsuda returned to the restaurant again in full knowledge that it was in some way connected with the contractor.

Public officials are free to go to whatever restaurant they wish, you may think. Mr. Matsuda should have known, however, that there was a possibility that the restaurant might give him special favor. Frequenting the same restaurant like this might raise people's suspicions over his relationship with the contractor.

Public confidence in government administration requires not only the strict observance of laws and regulations by public employees but also the careful consideration of each official as how to behave individually in a manner which instills public trust.

 

・Mr. Matsuda stayed at the restaurant after seeing that the contractor was there again too. Encountering the contractor in similar circumstances as before raised the possibility of being given preferential treatment by the restaurant and of being seen to have a close connection with the contractor. He should have left immediately upon seeing the contractor there.

 

 

 

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