We have of course heard many anti-corruption statements from our first President, Sam Nujoma, and although some steps were taken, a bold and uncompromising stance on theft and graft was absent during the first 15 years of our Independence.

We are encouraged therefore, that President Pohamba has chosen to address this topic with firmness and apparent conviction from the very outset of his term as head of state.

He quite rightly pointed out to Cabinet that public resources are limited and that 'prudent financial management' and 'strict financial discipline' would be enforced.

He did not leave it at that.

He spelled out steps to tackle the problem, and these included mandating newly appointed Prime Minister Nahas Angula to co-ordinate and oversee ministries and agencies with a view to minimising and eventually abolishing duplication and wastage.

Better still, Pohamba emphasised that the principle of Ministerial accountability would be strictly enforced.

These words were encouraging.

We are led to believe, therefore, that if Ministers in future cannot account properly for management and performance in their respective areas, they may face dismissal.

We hope that this is not an idle threat on the part of the head of state, and that he will stick to his word as it would certainly eliminate slackness if he acts when this constitutional requirement is not complied with.

Like his predecessor, he emphasised that excessive foreign travel has to be curbed, that ministries must ask his office to approve all foreign trips, the size of delegations must be reduced and, where possible, diplomatic missions abroad should attend international conferences on behalf of the Government.

The long-awaited Anti Corruption Commission, President Pohamba promised, would come into being "very soon" and would "forcefully deal with corruption" in order to eradicate it from society.

He said " ...

those who engage in corrupt practice do so to enrich themselves or benefit a few individuals at the expense of the majority of our people.

They use and abuse public resources for personal or private gain.

The end result is the diminished ability of the state to deliver crucial services for the public.

It also leads to erosion of public confidence and trust, as well as public contempt for state and private institutions ...

Corruption is detrimental to our goals of socio-economic progress.

Thus it must be fought at all levels and in all spheres of our society, including the private sector".

An area that has been riddled with corruption for years now is the State-owned enterprises or parastatals, and Pohamba had words of warning on this score as well.

He instructed that in future boards of parastatals must comprise people with technical know-how and professional acumen as well as knowledge of the activities of the parastatals of which they are board members.

In addition, CEOs of such institutions must "possess the requisite technical and professional knowledge and experience", without which they would not be able to lead, control, supervise and direct to achieve the goals of such bodies.

Again he mandated the Prime Minister to put in place effective legislative measures necessary for the efficient and proper management of the parastatals, which is encouraging.

Another positive step is the mandate given to the Prime Minister to amend the Public Service Act to streamline and shorten disciplinary procedures so that action can be taken in the shortest possible time.

This is important because longstanding disciplinary processes cost the country huge amounts of money.

Finally, while commending Pohamba for this strong stance, we would encourage him to look at the functions of the Deputy Prime Minister, to date very nebulous, in order to allow the newly appointed Libertina Amathila to share and assist with the burden placed on the shoulders of Prime Minister Angula, and in this way ensure that no time is wasted in implementing the words of the President.

Columns Of The Last 48 Hours

•  Revealing The Interests In The MCA Saga
•  Political Perspective
•  'Never Waste A Crisis': Can Obama Change The Game?
•  The State of Rural Development in Namibia
•  Our Politics Must Transcend The 'Logic Of Cruelty'
•  From the Sidelines: Solutions needed