Time To Prove Political Will

ALL eyes are on President Hifikepunye Pohamba in the light of his strong statements on stamping out corruption.

People are becoming restless. They want to see the President’s words matched by action.It appears that the honeymoon period is over.Public criticism is now beginning to gain momentum: People want to know whether the President will follow up his strong words with equally strong actions.It is one thing to condemn corruption and to call for the return of all stolen monies, as the President has done consistently since he took office, but it is another to ruthlessly ensure that perpetrators are decisively dealt with and to ensure that mechanisms are put in place to deal with this scourge more effectively.If nothing else, the spate of reports about theft, fraud and malpractice is close to reaching tsunami proportions following the inquiry into the missing Social Security Commission (SSC) money started.The media, which are still largely responsible for many of the revelations, are scant in resources and journalists, but still desperately trying to keep pace with the allegations and the investigations into missing monies on a number of fronts.The Office of the Ombudsman, which could have been a vital tool in the absence of the much talked-about Anti-Corruption agency, has been largely overlooked.Government, if nothing else, could ensure that additional personnel are attached to this office to begin inquiry into at least some of these cases.If it is so that the Anti-Corruption Commission is being delayed because of a lack of suitable candidates to head it up, then the abovementioned could provide at least temporary relief.The Prime Minister’s office, which was mandated to bring it into being, needs to update the public on progress in this regard.Media efforts to establish this are hampered because the Prime Minister himself is travelling, and we would question even the necessity of foreign trips, at such a crucial time in the nation’s history.No time should be lost.The President in turn should not simply be bemoaning corruption, but also ensuring that steps are being taken by empowered agencies, sooner rather than later.The tentacles of corruption reach far and wide, and there is little doubt that the President cannot be ambivalent in the fight against it.The SSC inquiry and the media cannot do it all alone.Pending cases should be referred to the Office of the Ombudsman to ensure that no time is lost in following up on leads as far as missing and stolen monies are concerned.We cannot afford to marginalise this independent agency, set up to guard the principles of our Constitution.And President Pohamba must show more muscle than is the case at present.For once, even the people themselves are demanding it.They want to see the President’s words matched by action.It appears that the honeymoon period is over.Public criticism is now beginning to gain momentum: People want to know whether the President will follow up his strong words with equally strong actions.It is one thing to condemn corruption and to call for the return of all stolen monies, as the President has done consistently since he took office, but it is another to ruthlessly ensure that perpetrators are decisively dealt with and to ensure that mechanisms are put in place to deal with this scourge more effectively.If nothing else, the spate of reports about theft, fraud and malpractice is close to reaching tsunami proportions following the inquiry into the missing Social Security Commission (SSC) money started.The media, which are still largely responsible for many of the revelations, are scant in resources and journalists, but still desperately trying to keep pace with the allegations and the investigations into missing monies on a number of fronts.The Office of the Ombudsman, which could have been a vital tool in the absence of the much talked-about Anti-Corruption agency, has been largely overlooked.Government, if nothing else, could ensure that additional personnel are attached to this office to begin inquiry into at least some of these cases.If it is so that the Anti-Corruption Commission is being delayed because of a lack of suitable candidates to head it up, then the abovementioned could provide at least temporary relief.The Prime Minister’s office, which was mandated to bring it into being, needs to update the public on progress in this regard.Media efforts to establish this are hampered because the Prime Minister himself is travelling, and we would question even the necessity of foreign trips, at such a crucial time in the nation’s history.No time should be lost.The President in turn should not simply be bemoaning corruption, but also ensuring that steps are being taken by empowered agencies, sooner rather than later.The tentacles of corruption reach far and wide, and there is little doubt that the President cannot be ambivalent in the fight against it.The SSC inquiry and the media cannot do it all alone.Pending cases should be referred to the Office of the Ombudsman to ensure that no time is lost in following up on leads as far as missing and stolen monies are concerned.We cannot afford to marginalise this independent agency, set up to guard the principles of our Constitution.And President Pohamba must show more muscle than is the case at present.For once, even the people themselves are demanding it.