Vicente Fox Quotes

We need citizens willing to make Congress accountable for the travesty which passes for government today.

Where civil society thrives, governments operate with more transparency and accountability. This creates a tangible impact on the lives of everyday citizens.

The responsibility for good government lies not just with governments themselves but also with every other part of the system they operate in, including media, non-governmental organisations and the public.

Today we must make a pact with each other to end this reckless conduct with the people's government.

All politicians will have to change to be worthy of our people.

The fight for reform comes down to a simple goal: giving our citizens the confidence that government serves the people first and the people only.

Dishonesty in government is the business of every citizen. It is not enough to do your own job. There's no particular virtue in that. Democracy isn't a gift. It's a responsibility.

The last five - six presidents of Haiti have failed miserably. And I don't think it would be an honor for me to say I want to be the next 'president.' I want to be the man by with whom change arrives.

Deep in my heart, I still believe that the democratization of Russia and the democratization of Ukraine will proceed.

Our political system needs changing. It needs to move away from personalities and patronage to a system of party programs and consultation with the people.

In a democracy, citizens pass judgment on their government, and if they are kept in the dark about what their government is doing, they cannot be in a position to make well-grounded decisions.

The Ibrahim Index is a tool to hold governments to account and frame the debate about how we are governed.

I would love to be the African leader that steps down, that overthrows this idea of a Big Man ruler. I don't want to stay in office forever.

Obama has already rejected the bright sunlight of public knowledge, which is democracy's great disinfectant and cure.

A vibrant civil society can challenge those in power by documenting corruption or uncovering activities like the murder of political enemies. In democracies, this function is mostly performed by the media, NGOs or opposition parties.

In the 1990s, I was among those Indonesians who demanded and celebrated the departure of our own autocrat, Suharto, and I joined the new government when he left.

There is a tendency by a lot of officials to hide behind the king. And it's about time that officials take their responsibility and are responsible in front of the people.

If governments did not mislead their citizens so often, there would be less need for secrecy, and if leaders knew they could not rely on keeping the public in the dark about what they are doing, they would have a powerful incentive to behave better.

Africa must develop a genuine culture of alternation and opposition, without which democracy in any country, including the West, cannot exist.

History shows that more democracy is not a magic pill that will make institutionalized corruption will go away.

We as citizens should hold our government accountable for word and deed.

You’re doing the people’s business and they have a right to know.

Access to government-held information allows citizens to hold their government accountable for policy decisions and public expenditures…. Access to information bridges the gap between state and society ….

… a guarantee of public access to government information is indispensable in the long run for any democratic society.... if officials make public only what they want citizens to know, then publicity becomes a sham and accountability meaningless.

The government being the people’s business, it necessarily follows that its operations should be at all times open to public view.