Political Perspective

I’VE said it before, but it needs to be said again, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) must be given teeth if it is to do a proper job of combating the scourge of graft.

It unfortunately appears as though many in Government and other high places, especially those with something they’d prefer to keep from public scrutiny, regard it as a necessary evil which should merely be tolerated; rather than as an absolute non-negotiable prerequisite in a society which is increasingly being plagued by a grave multitude of scams. We hear disturbing things which cannot be discounted, because at the end of the day, there are those corrupt among us who want to perpetuate, at all costs, their illicit deals and ill-gotten gains.They’re a cross section of people, and anyone who imagines differently is labouring under an illusion.At the top of the heap they are even highly-placed Government officials and politicians as well as people with clout and means in the business community.Unscrupulous individuals, at the end of the day, who will stop at nothing to finance their greed, who will stop at nothing to fuel their lust for money, and ultimately, the power that comes with it.That having been said, none of these people would be happy at the thought of being ‘investigated’, by the ACC or anyone else for that matter, and will do whatever is necessary to avoid such a prospect.So, as the National Society for Human Rights has pointed out, Government must ensure the ACC and all staff must be able to do their jobs without hindrance.Government in turn, if it is serious about the ACC as a necessary mechanism to curb corruption and stop the theft of public resources, first and foremost, must actively enable (without interfering) in the work of the Commission and its staff.It must see it has the necessary resources, not necessarily only financial; it must also ensure that its intelligence community stays well away from the ACC and its work.There must be no ‘bugs’ or listening devices or spying on them, and the Minister of Safety and Security should be able to publicly promise there is no such thing.The Commissioner and staff are paid to do a job of work, and as such, they should be allowed to perform their duties.More importantly even, is the fact that members of the public, ‘whistleblowers’ as they are known – those who know about or are privy to corrupt dealings – should be protected at all costs.For we will never be able to win the fight against graft unless such people know that they are secure and safe from prying eyes.There are similarities between any good journalist and any good anti-corruption investigator.One does not reveal one’s sources, for it is only those who are committed to a high code of ethics and responsibility in this regard, who earn the faith of those who know about wrongdoing, but are scared about the consequences of coming forward to report it.Many, and I include myself in this, have even been jailed for failing to reveal sources, and if this is the way it must be, it is the price we must pay in order to earn the public’s trust.Unfortunately we’ve got something of a ‘spy culture’ in this country.We had it ad nauseum in the apartheid days, and unfortunately Swapo has in some ways perpetuated it.This especially became manifest when certain top cadres fell into disfavour, but it is not as though it weren’t there before.Certain top politicians themselves in the past have expressed concern about wiretaps and bugs …So Government really has to make a concerted effort not to put in place institutions such as the ACC, and other bodies, whose activities they then plan to monitor by clandestine means.The long and short of it is they won’t be able to perform the tasks assigned to them and they will lose public confidence.We don’t want, or need, expensive window-dressing in order for a wider audience to think we’re serious about tackling corruption, when in actual fact we’re emasculating such institutions at the same time as we bring them into being.In short, Government, and this includes the President, have to really show the public they’re serious about the ‘no tolerance campaign’ and if they don’t actively empower the ACC by all means necessary, they will send out a message that there is no political will.Any interference in the work of the ACC should also constitute a criminal offence, including attempts to bribe or dissuade or prevent them from doing their assigned job.So let’s hear it loud and clear from Government – we’re serious about fighting corruption.We hear disturbing things which cannot be discounted, because at the end of the day, there are those corrupt among us who want to perpetuate, at all costs, their illicit deals and ill-gotten gains.They’re a cross section of people, and anyone who imagines differently is labouring under an illusion.At the top of the heap they are even highly-placed Government officials and politicians as well as people with clout and means in the business community.Unscrupulous individuals, at the end of the day, who will stop at nothing to finance their greed, who will stop at nothing to fuel their lust for money, and ultimately, the power that comes with it.That having been said, none of these people would be happy at the thought of being ‘investigated’, by the ACC or anyone else for that matter, and will do whatever is necessary to avoid such a prospect.So, as the National Society for Human Rights has pointed out, Government must ensure the ACC and all staff must be able to do their jobs without hindrance.Government in turn, if it is serious about the ACC as a necessary mechanism to curb corruption and stop the theft of public resources, first and foremost, must actively enable (without interfering) in the work of the Commission and its staff.It must see it has the necessary resources, not necessarily only financial; it must also ensure that its intelligence community stays well away from the ACC and its work.There must be no ‘bugs’ or listening devices or spying on them, and the Minister of Safety and Security should be able to publicly promise there is no such thing.The Commissioner and staff are paid to do a job of work, and as such, they should be allowed to perform their duties.More importantly even, is the fact that members of the public, ‘whistleblowers’ as they are known – those who know about or are privy to corrupt dealings – should be protected at all costs.For we will never be able to win the fight against graft unless such people know that they are secure and safe from prying eyes.There are similarities between any good journalist and any good anti-corruption investigator.One does not reveal one’s sources, for it is only those who are committed to a high code of ethics and responsibility in this regard, who earn the faith of those who know about wrongdoing, but are scared about the consequences of coming forward to report it.Many, and I include myself in this, have even been jailed for failing to reveal sources, and if this is the way it must be, it is the price we must pay in order to earn the public’s trust.Unfortunately we’ve got something of a ‘spy culture’ in this country.We had it ad nauseum in the apartheid days, and unfortunately Swapo has in some ways perpetuated it.This especially became manifest when certain top cadres fell into disfavour, but it is not as though it weren’t there before.Certain top politicians themselves in the past have expressed concern about wiretaps and bugs …So Government really has to make a concerted effort not to put in place institutions such as the ACC, and other bodies, whose activities they then plan to monitor by clandestine means.The long and short of it is they won’t be able to perform the tasks assigned to them and they will lose public confidence.We don’t want, or need, expensive window-dressing in order for a wider audience to think we’re serious about tackling corruption, when in actual fact we’re emasculating such institutions at the same time as we bring them into being.In short, Government, and this includes the President, have to really show the public they’re serious about the ‘no tolerance campaign’ and if they don’t actively empower the ACC by all means necessary, they will send out a message that there is no political will.Any interference in the work of the ACC should also constitute a criminal offence, including attempts to bribe or dissuade or prevent them from doing their assigned job.So let’s hear it loud and clear from Government – we’re serious about fighting corruption.