IN his inaugural speech12 weeks ago, President Hifikepunye Pohamba gave a stern warning on corruption and those practising it and since then government talk on corruption has occupied public discussion.
Media reports are awash with incidents that could be construed as constituting corrupt practices in public office. Clichéd as it may sound; the media have been a key weapon in unearthing shady deals and malfeasance of public officials.In neighbouring South Africa and Zambia, the media have brought big names to their knees for their involvement in corruption.As a result, Jacob Zuma, ANC Vice President and one-time potential successor of President Thabo Mbeki, could find himself languishing in prison rather than in state house.In Zambia a Legal Affairs Minister in Chiluba’s government was on his way to cash a hefty government open cheque of K102 Million (N$78, 000) in his name when the media pounced on him, awakening the Zambian people to a ‘kleptocratic’ government.In Namibia the media have not entirely lagged behind in exposing corruption in higher and lower places, but their role needs further enhancement by enabling legislation, if government is truly serious about fighting this scourge.The Namibia Anti-Corruption Act 2003 is silent on the role of the media in fighting corruption.If the Act is anything to go by, the Anti-Corruption Commission will achieve little in terms of fighting corruption in Namibia for as long as the media are left out, as is presently the case.The legal conditions under which the media operate are flawed with pitfalls and are a matter of chance taking.There is no legislation on the right and access to information in this country, not to mention legislation on protection of disclosure (whistleblowers).A lack of political commitment is apparent and government appears to be in no particular hurry now or in the near future to establish these crucial pieces of legislation.The state of the anti-corruption fight in Namibia is endemic to most countries in the region.Political leaders have awakened to what corruption can do to a country, and have realised the need to rid their countries of the scourge, but with only piecemeal corresponding action on the ground.Malawi, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe are at the peak of anti-corruption rhetoric, but their subterfuge has been smoked out by a lack of tangible measures to fight the cancer in the corridors of power.At least, to their credit, these countries have ratified the SADC protocol against corruption, which legally compels them to act against corruption with key players like the media.That is not the case in Namibia.The government of President Pohamba is yet to ratify the protocol.There were suggestions that Namibia had signed the instruments of accession, but the documents were yet to reach the SADC secretariat just across the border in Botswana.Whatever the truth behind the delay, it is an illustration of a lack of commitment to deal with corruption decisively in Namibia.It does not seem to worry the President and his counterparts in the sub-continent about a regional standard to fight corruption.As long as the Namibian signature remains absent from the protocol, it cannot be enforced in the region.The AU Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption, which Namibia together with other heads of state adopted in July 2003 in Maputo, like many other protocols, is gathering dust in the Office of the President.The AU document clearly states that government must undertake to ensure that the media are given access to information in cases of corruption and related offences.Both the SADC and AU documents present a unique and grand African plan to fight corruption.They recognise the critical role of the media in preventing and combating corruption.Commitment to fight corruption would be a nullity if the government fails to create an enabling environment for the media to expose and report on corruption.Or is there another explanation on government’s failure to ratify the SADC Protocol against Corruption, five years since it was adopted? * The author of this opinion piece, Kaitira Kandjii, is Regional Manager: Freedom of Expression at the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) Secretariat.Clichéd as it may sound; the media have been a key weapon in unearthing shady deals and malfeasance of public officials.In neighbouring South Africa and Zambia, the media have brought big names to their knees for their involvement in corruption.As a result, Jacob Zuma, ANC Vice President and one-time potential successor of President Thabo Mbeki, could find himself languishing in prison rather than in state house.In Zambia a Legal Affairs Minister in Chiluba’s government was on his way to cash a hefty government open cheque of K102 Million (N$78, 000) in his name when the media pounced on him, awakening the Zambian people to a ‘kleptocratic’ government.In Namibia the media have not entirely lagged behind in exposing corruption in higher and lower places, but their role needs further enhancement by enabling legislation, if government is truly serious about fighting this scourge.The Namibia Anti-Corruption Act 2003 is silent on the role of the media in fighting corruption.If the Act is anything to go by, the Anti-Corruption Commission will achieve little in terms of fighting corruption in Namibia for as long as the media are left out, as is presently the case.The legal conditions under which the media operate are flawed with pitfalls and are a matter of chance taking.There is no legislation on the right and access to information in this country, not to mention legislation on protection of disclosure (whistleblowers).A lack of political commitment is apparent and government appears to be in no particular hurry now or in the near future to establish these crucial pieces of legislation.The state of the anti-corruption fight in Namibia is endemic to most countries in the region.Political leaders have awakened to what corruption can do to a country, and have realised the need to rid their countries of the scourge, but with only piecemeal corresponding action on the ground.Malawi, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe are at the peak of anti-corruption rhetoric, but their subterfuge has been smoked out by a lack of tangible measures to fight the cancer in the corridors of power.At least, to their credit, these countries have ratified the SADC protocol against corruption, which legally compels them to act against corruption with key players like the media.That is not the case in Namibia.The government of President Pohamba is yet to ratify the protocol.There were suggestions that Namibia had signed the instruments of accession, but the documents were yet to reach the SADC secretariat just across the border in Botswana.Whatever the truth behind the delay, it is an illustration of a lack of commitment to deal with corruption decisively in Namibia.It does not seem to worry the President and his counterparts in the sub-continent about a regional standard to fight corruption.As long as the Namibian signature remains absent from the protocol, it cannot be enforced in the region.The AU Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption, which Namibia together with other heads of state adopted in July 2003 in Maputo, like many other protocols, is gathering dust in the Office of the President.The AU document clearly states that government must undertake to ensure that the media are given access to information in cases of corruption and related offences.Both the SADC and AU documents present a unique and grand African plan to fight corruption.They recognise the critical role of the media in preventing and combating corruption.Commitment to fight corruption would be a nullity if the government fails to create an enabling environment for the media to expose and report on corruption.Or is there another explanation on government’s failure to ratify the SADC Protocol against Corruption, five years since it was adopted? * The author of this opinion piece, Kaitira Kandjii, is Regional Manager: Freedom of Expression at the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) Secretariat.
Stay informed with The Namibian – your source for credible journalism. Get in-depth reporting and opinions for
only N$85 a month. Invest in journalism, invest in democracy –
Subscribe Now!