How To Deal With Career Criminals

IN a country like Namibia, with a 30% unemployment rate, the recent spate of corruption regarding public funds is not only criminal, but goes against all forms of common decency, and I would suggest that there is nothing common about decency.

Our Namibian society has slowly, but surely become accustomed to corruption as a new cultural phenomenon, against which few feel compelled to raise their voices. Since Independence few public servants had the courage to criticize government agencies and or officials, for fear of censure from the power hierarchy, and fewer still, were prepared to take their comrades and colleagues to task.There are signs that this is beginning to change and President Pohamba needs to be applauded for moving in the right direction.Sadly, it is not a task that he can manage on his own.All Namibians need to commit to eradicating corruption from our society.It has also become patently clear that the legal system and the judiciary are hamstrung by its own application of the law.We apply laws that subscribe to the Roman/Dutch tradition, with a few minor adaptations.There is nothing particularly Roman or Dutch about Namibian society, and the law makers need to take cognizance of where precisely Namibia, as an African country, is situated in the modern era.Recent statistics prove how creative the criminal mind can be when motivated by greed and avarice, and the time has arrived for our law makers to display their capacity for creativity as well!.In that regard I would like to mention the following:1. The misappropriation of public funds is not merely a crime of theft/fraud.It is also a crime against humanity in that it deprives the poorest of the poor of resources for their essential needs, as well as what is required to improve their quality of life.2. Any person brought to book on such corruption charges, should also be charged with crimes against humanity.3. The monies that have been misappropriated have mostly been raised by way of a very fragile tax base, and the public at large has a vested interest in demanding suitable, meaningful and measurable action from their representatives in government.4. The legal/judicial system could be adapted to make recovery of absent funds, a part of the prosecution process.There is no reason why anyone found guilty of the theft of public funds, and sentenced to prison time, should not have their sentences associated with the recovery of the monies that were stolen.5. Stiffer sentences should be handed down and a mechanism should be introduced where remission of a percentage of the prison sentence could be attached to the recovery of funds.6. It should also be possible to attach and associate the time served to the time needed for the convicted person to fully repay monies misappropriated.So, should a convicted person require ten (10) years to repay stolen funds, together with the interest, then they should be required to spent those ten years in prison.The alternative to such harsh measures is quite obvious.DO NOT STEAL! We have far too many career criminals amongst the white collar cadres, in both the private and public sectors, and that needs to be addressed with vigour.There is no reason why Namibians need to wonder about the remedial action required to address the culture of corruption.Each one of us should be a part of the solution.The purchase of stolen cellphones and other goods is where it starts, and unless individuals refuse to be part of such illicit trading, they will only have themselves to blame for the further erosion of the social order.By not acting responsibly we are, in effect marginalizing ourselves!John Sampson WindhoekSince Independence few public servants had the courage to criticize government agencies and or officials, for fear of censure from the power hierarchy, and fewer still, were prepared to take their comrades and colleagues to task.There are signs that this is beginning to change and President Pohamba needs to be applauded for moving in the right direction.Sadly, it is not a task that he can manage on his own.All Namibians need to commit to eradicating corruption from our society.It has also become patently clear that the legal system and the judiciary are hamstrung by its own application of the law.We apply laws that subscribe to the Roman/Dutch tradition, with a few minor adaptations.There is nothing particularly Roman or Dutch about Namibian society, and the law makers need to take cognizance of where precisely Namibia, as an African country, is situated in the modern era.Recent statistics prove how creative the criminal mind can be when motivated by greed and avarice, and the time has arrived for our law makers to display their capacity for creativity as well!.In that regard I would like to mention the following:1. The misappropriation of public funds is not merely a crime of theft/fraud.It is also a crime against humanity in that it deprives the poorest of the poor of resources for their essential needs, as well as what is required to improve their quality of life.2. Any person brought to book on such corruption charges, should also be charged with crimes against humanity.3. The monies that have been misappropriated have mostly been raised by way of a very fragile tax base, and the public at large has a vested interest in demanding suitable, meaningful and measurable action from their representatives in government.4. The legal/judicial system could be adapted to make recovery of absent funds, a part of the prosecution process.There is no reason why anyone found guilty of the theft of public funds, and sentenced to prison time, should not have their sentences associated with the recovery of the monies that were stolen.5. Stiffer sentences should be handed down and a mechanism should be introduced where remission of a percentage of the prison sentence could be attached to the recovery of funds.6. It should also be possible to attach and associate the time served to the time needed for the convicted person to fully repay monies misappropriated.So, should a convicted person require ten (10) years to repay stolen funds, together with the interest, then they should be required to spent those ten years in prison.The alternative to such harsh measures is quite obvious.DO NOT STEAL! We have far too many career criminals amongst the white collar cadres, in both the private and public sectors, and that needs to be addressed with vigour.There is no reason why Namibians need to wonder about the remedial action required to address the culture of corruption.Each one of us should be a part of the solution.The purchase of stolen cellphones and other goods is where it starts, and unless individuals refuse to be part of such illicit trading, they will only have themselves to blame for the further erosion of the social order.By not acting responsibly we are, in effect marginalizing ourselves! John Sampson Windhoek