Getting Serious About Corruption

LAST week we editorialised about the importance of actively tackling corruption, rather than just walking or talking about it. The comment came in the wake of the announcement of the Anti Corruption Campaign ‘March against Corruption’ which is scheduled for May 18 and which our Presidents, both past and present, will lead.

While it is vitally important to raise public awareness about the scourge of corruption in society generally, and to also make people aware of the high cost of graft and fraud to any nation, especially developing ones, we are of the opinion that too much lip service is paid to fighting this evil, but less is done to nip it in the bud.According to the ACC in their motivation for the Anti Corruption March, corruption is ‘proliferating overtly and covertly, on a scale which will certainly compromise the gains of independence if allowed to become endemic’.In order to cast the spotlight on this problem, the ACC, along with other partners, decided on the March to raise awareness.In principle there is no problem with that, and both Presidents, founding Father Sam Nujoma, and incumbent President Hifikepunye Pohamba, have agreed to participate.But last week we questioned both their commitment and intent to corruption, given that they are vocal in their opposition to it, but less active when it comes to making an example of the perpetrators, many of whom are people who hold high office.The ACC calls on all ‘patriotic’ Namibians who oppose the scourge of corruption to take part in the march, and we are certain that many of the most corrupt in our ranks will be in the forefront of this march, as they were in the launch of the Zero Tolerance campaign by President Pohamba some time back.It is against this background that we believe that what is most important is to ACT against corruption and that from the President down, everyone should be seen and known to make an example of those who commit such acts, and not merely expect a march to do the trick!Insight Magazine’s Corruption Tracker recently raised a very good point, questioning political parties on who their candidates would be for the coming National Assembly elections and whether corruption would play a role in whether they were selected or not for party lists.If political parties scrutinised their prospective candidates – on grounds of among others (according to Insight) whether they had been found guilty or accused of corruption in the past; whether they were part of boards of private companies which could potentially pose conflict of interest problems; whether they or their families ad businesses the electorate should be made aware of – then this would constitute a good barometer to establish whether or not said parties were serious about their stated commitment to fighting corruption.Indeed it could be further legislated if necessary, because as matters stand at present the Constitution says members of the Parliament cannot be unrehabilitated insolvents or have served a sentence or 12 months or more in prison over the past ten years. Perhaps this is inadequate, and additional legislation could be enacted or considered, because many of those found guilty of corruption charges have not necessarily been sent to prison, or even faced the music in a court of law. Insight recommends that ‘it is important that the various parties registered for this election demonstrate their commitment to the anti-corruption cause by going further (than the Constitution demands)’ and urged political entities to ‘allow would-be politicians only to stand for election if they had been cleared of any corruption-related charges against them’. We agree with this demand.If political parties do not put such restrictions in place against the corrupt within their ranks, then how can they call upon the electorate to vote for them when they haven’t put their anti-corruption agenda into practical effect. Perhaps they are hoping that their presence in the March against Corruption is proof enough. Well it is not.Insight further pointed out an open secret in terms of the National Assembly requirement for a register of assets and interests of all MPs, but the public has not had access to this Register and their accountability and transparency is absent, to say the least. So while we do not oppose the March against Corruption as an awareness raising campaign, we certainly do emphasise that it is not enough.Political leaders, including our President who heads the Swapo Party, must ensure that those standing for public office do not have shadows hanging over them in terms of questionable activities. The electorate themselves should demand this of whichever party they happen to support and threaten to withhold their vote unless such parties cleanse their ranks of those who abuse and misuse our resources.