Dealing With Confusion About Corruption

THE anti-corruption crusade in Namibia has now reached a point where many people are confused about the real purpose of having such an institution.

Much has been said and written about corruption in Namibia to the extent that it now supersedes all other major satanic ills facing our country and nation. When we talk of the dramatic increase in the crime rate throughout the country we do not exclude corruption, since corruption in itself is a crime.Two years now into its existence, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), as a statutory body responsible for the control, monitoring, regulation and safeguarding of the country from the evils of corruption, has not convinced us about its profile, duties, responsibilities and activities.The Anti-Corruption Commission in my view was established with the purpose of becoming part of the social agenda as a broadly approved system of measures and actions for curbing the extremely dangerous social phenomenon of corruption in our country.Its main duties and responsibilities are and were not to go on the rampage arresting people for alleged corruption practices but rather to provide the Government and the nation at large with solutions pertaining to the curbing of corruption in the country.The ACC was supposed to make an overview and analyses through proper research of the spheres of penetration, as well as the levels and dynamics of corruption in the country, particularly within the society and present its major achievements and problems in order to facilitate a framework of anti-corruption campaigns or reforms in Namibia.The ACC as a statutory body is also expected to define the challenges for overcoming structural and institutional barriers in counteracting corruption; effective functioning of judiciary and law enforcement systems; restriction of corruption-generating practices of the organised crime and grey economy.This in my view was supposed to be the cornerstone of the main functions the ACC was supposed to embark upon instead of duplicating the duties being carried out already by the national police force NAMPOL.Corruption in my understanding, is not only theft (stealing of N$1 000), nor is it just fraud or abuse of one’s position to achieve or obtain something.Corruption in its entirety is a well-coordinated super network, which in many cases is even institutionalised by law or policy.It is a network just like any bureaucratic system, which has levels and stages.Its success is based on contacts and connections, up and down or vice versa.To elucidate my point, let me tackle some local events and activities, which attracted local and international media headlines recently, which today turned a few individuals into millionaires in this country.The missing N$ 30 million from the Social Security Commission – who are or were the key ringleaders who secured the transfer of this money from the Social Security Commission accounts to Avid Company? There are rules and regulations governing or guiding the handling of finances in any institution of that magnitude.Before even the Chief Executive Officer signs the transaction agreement, consent must be obtained from the Minister through the Board of Directors and I am sure that the Minister of Finance and State House were also supposed to be informed, if not the Cabinet.The system is of such a bureaucratic nature that not even a drop of water can leak through.Obviously if you want to take a short cut, the only people who can have such an amount of money out of the company are those with certain powers.Here we can make our own conclusions that those with such powers can or should be people who facilitated the appointment of the MD or CEO to whom he or she has to pay loyalties.This is what is called networking based on the sharing of benefits.The same process applies to the ODC, NDF, the Northern Namibia Railway Project, etc.The Namibian Government is governed by the Executive, Legislature and Judiciary.These main organs of Government are political and provide political leadership to Government Ministries, Institutions and Offices.However, the actual management of Government is left in the hands of civil servants.The Permanent Secretaries in their capacity as Accounting Officers of Ministries and Offices are today running the affairs of their Ministries as if they are their own private companies.Serious loopholes in the appointment, job appraisals, evaluation of performance and monitoring of these Senior Government Officials has created favourable conditions for corruption in the Government.One wonders why some Permanent Secretaries are today millionaires, with powers even feared by the Head of State.Permanent Secretaries are the ones who constitute the Tender Board of Namibia, whose responsibilities are to evaluate and approve tenders to successful bidders.It is also Permanent Secretaries who decide which projects or work should go out on tender and which ones should be exempted.That is why today we have a number of wealthy Permanent Secretaries who have become so complacent with their work to the extent that some Ministries are even falling apart.Through huge commissions, kickbacks, invincible shares in companies and mismanagement of public funds, these individuals have become the “bureaucratic bourgeoisie or untouchable elite” in the country.They are joined by Chief Executive Officers and Managing Directors of state-owned Enterprises.There are some individuals who do not deserve to be in the public service of Namibia anymore: They are to mention but a few: Frans Kapofi, Secretary to Cabinet, Andrew Ndishishi, Permanent Secretary: Ministry of Trade and Industry, Samuel Goagoseb, Permanent Secretary: Ministry of Home Affairs, Dr.Malan Lindeque, Permanent Secretary: Ministry of Environment and Tourism, Mocks Shivute, Permanent Secretary, National Planning Commission, Dr Selma Ndeutala Angolo, Permanent Secretary: Office of the President, Vitalis Ankama, Permanent Secretary: Ministry of Education, Erastus Negonga, Permanent Secretary: Ministry of Local and Regional Government and Housing and Dr Kalumbi Shangula, Permanent Secretary of Health and Social Services.The findings of the Parliamentary Committee on Public Funds during its recent hearings says it all.Some of the Permanent Secretaries do not even know how the budget allocations to their Ministries were spent to the extent of over expenditure and unaccountable funds running into millions of Namibian dollars.The lack of courage from the Office of the Prime Minister to put these Senior Officials under constant monitoring has allowed the Namibian Government to become a bureaucratic entity where basic management principles such as transparency, efficiency and effectiveness mean nothing.In the absence of these basic principles, corruption at its best takes the upper hand, as is the case right now.The question to the Anti Corruption Commission is why concentrate on minor cases which can be solved by Ministries, institutions and offices through their internal disciplinary rules and regulations? Why not start at the top by investigating all the Ministries and officers starting from the Office of the President, Office of the Prime Minister and move on to each and every Ministry.This in my view is and can be the starting point in our striving to root out and clean up corruption in Namibia.To President Hifikepunye Pohamba and Prime Minister Nahas Angula, the time is now to show cause and proof to the Namibian people that they are capable not only of running the affairs of this country and its people, but that they can bring about drastic and dramatic changes commensurate with what they say and preach, namely “zero tolerance for corruption”.It is time to reshuffle the Cabinet and reorganise the Government by changing Permanent Secretaries and put up all binding measures aimed at making Namibia a transparent, efficient and democratically governed country.Ikenna Tjirimejo WindhoekWhen we talk of the dramatic increase in the crime rate throughout the country we do not exclude corruption, since corruption in itself is a crime.Two years now into its existence, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), as a statutory body responsible for the control, monitoring, regulation and safeguarding of the country from the evils of corruption, has not convinced us about its profile, duties, responsibilities and activities.The Anti-Corruption Commission in my view was established with the purpose of becoming part of the social agenda as a broadly approved system of measures and actions for curbing the extremely dangerous social phenomenon of corruption in our country.Its main duties and responsibilities are and were not to go on the rampage arresting people for alleged corruption practices but rather to provide the Government and the nation at large with solutions pertaining to the curbing of corruption in the country.The ACC was supposed to make an overview and analyses through proper research of the spheres of penetration, as well as the levels and dynamics of corruption in the country, particularly within the society and present its major achievements and problems in order to facilitate a framework of anti-corruption campaigns or reforms in Namibia.The ACC as a statutory body is also expected to define the challenges for overcoming structural and institutional barriers in counteracting corruption; effective functioning of judiciary and law enforcement systems; restriction of corruption-generating practices of the organised crime and grey economy.This in my view was supposed to be the cornerstone of the main functions the ACC was supposed to embark upon instead of duplicating the duties being carried out already by the national police force NAMPOL.Corruption in my understanding, is not only theft (stealing of N$1 000), nor is it just fraud or abuse of one’s position to achieve or obtain something.Corruption in its entirety is a well-coordinated super network, which in many cases is even institutionalised by law or policy.It is a network just like any bureaucratic system, which has levels and stages.Its success is based on contacts and connections, up and down or vice versa.To elucidate my point, let me tackle some local events and activities, which attracted local and international media headlines recently, which today turned a few individuals into millionaires in this country.The missing N$ 30 million from the Social Security Commission – who are or were the key ringleaders who secured the transfer of this money from the Social Security Commission accounts to Avid Company? There are rules and regulations governing or guiding the handling of finances in any institution of that magnitude.Before even the Chief Executive Officer signs the transaction agreement, consent must be obtained from the Minister through the Board of Directors and I am sure that the Minister of Finance and State House were also supposed to be informed, if not the Cabinet.The system is of such a bureaucratic nature that not even a drop of water can leak through.Obviously if you want to take a short cut, the only people who can have such an amount of money out of the company are those with certain powers.Here we can make our own conclusions that those with such powers can or should be people who facilitated the appointment of the MD or CEO to whom he or she has to pay loyalties.This is what is called networking based on the sharing of benefits.The same process applies to the ODC, NDF, the Northern Namibia Railway Project, etc.The Namibian Government is governed by the Executive, Legislature and Judiciary.These main organs of Government are political and provide political leadership to Government Ministries, Institutions and Offices.However, the actual management of Government is left in the hands of civil servants.The Permanent Secretaries in their capacity as Accounting Officers of Ministries and Offices are today running the affairs of their Ministries as if they are their own private companies.Serious loopholes in the appointment, job appraisals, evaluation of performance and monitoring of these Senior Government Officials has created favourable conditions for corruption in the Government.One wonders why some Permanent Secretaries are today millionaires, with powers even feared by the Head of State.Permanent Secretaries are the ones who constitute the Tender Board of Namibia, whose responsibilities are to evaluate and approve tenders to successful bidders.It is also Permanent Secretaries who decide which projects or work should go out on tender and which ones should be exempted.That is why today we have a number of wealthy Permanent Secretaries who have become so complacent with their work to the extent that some Ministries are even falling apart.Through huge commissions, kickbacks, invincible shares in companies and mismanagement of public funds, these individuals have become the “bureaucratic bourgeoisie or untouchable elite” in the country.They are joined by Chief Executive Officers and Managing Directors of state-owned Enterprises.There are some individuals who do not deserve to be in the public service of Namibia anymore: They are to mention but a few: Frans Kapofi, Secretary to Cabinet, Andrew Ndishishi, Permanent Secretary: Ministry of Trade and Industry, Samuel Goagoseb, Permanent Secretary: Ministry of Home Affairs, Dr.Malan Lindeque, Permanent Secretary: Ministry of Environment and Tourism, Mocks Shivute, Permanent Secretary, National Planning Commission, Dr Selma Ndeutala Angolo, Permanent Secretary: Office of the President, Vitalis Ankama, Permanent Secretary: Ministry of Education, Erastus Negonga, Permanent Secretary: Ministry of Local and Regional Government and Housing and Dr Kalumbi Shangula, Permanent Secretary of Health and Social Services.The findings of the Parliamentary Committee on Public Funds during its recent hearings says it all.Some of the Permanent Secretaries do not even know how the budget allocations to their Ministries were spent to the extent of over expenditure and unaccountable funds running into millions of Namibian dollars.The lack of courage from the Office of the Prime Minister to put these Senior Officials under constant monitoring has allowed the Namibian Government to become a bureaucratic entity where basic management principles such as transparency, efficiency and effectiveness mean nothing.In the absence of these basic principles, corruption at its best takes the upper hand, as is the case right now.The question to the Anti Corruption Commission is why concentrate on minor cases which can be solved by Ministries, institutions and offices through their internal disciplinary rules and regulations? Why not start at the top by investigating all the Ministries and officers starting from the Office of the President, Office of the Prime Minister and move on to each and every Ministry.This in my view is and can be the starting point in our striving to root out and clean up corruption in Namibia.To President Hifikepunye Pohamba and Prime Minister Nahas Angula, the time is now to show cause and proof to the Namibian people that they are capable not only of running the affairs of this country and its people, but that they can bring about drastic and dramatic changes commensurate with what they say and preach, namely “zero tolerance for corruption”.It is time to reshuffle the Cabinet and reorganise the Government by changing Permanent Secretaries and put up all binding measures aimed at making Namibia a transparent, efficient and democratically governed country.Ikenna Tjirimejo Windhoek