Watching The Watchdog

Open Letter To Prime Minister Nahas Angula

MR Prime Minister, of late there has been a lot of talk about the establishment of an anti-corruption agency. This is a good idea and it enjoys the support of most of us who have fought for this country.However, as we can see from the recent newspaper reports and discussions on NBC chat shows where ordinary citizens voice their opinions, the big question that needs to be answered before anything else is who the people are going to be that will work in this agency for it to be seen as fair and reliable.If the people employed in the agency are not taken seriously enough, then nobody will be bothered with it.It may even raise the question of who will watch over the watchdog.In my opinion, this question can only be answered fully if the right people are appointed who have the necessary integrity, standing in society, knowledge about the Constitution, understanding of the rights of all citizens before the law and recognition that everybody is innocent until proven guilty in a competent court of law.However, we must not try and create such people if they are not already in existence or look for only those who speak a particular language, come from a particular tribe or region and maybe even belong to a particular political organisation.Instead, we must appoint Namibians with stable lives and high personal values and track records and experience in the administration of justice.Looking at the recent treatment of some individuals and how justice was applied selectively to government employees facing similar charges is a point of major concern.Government is the ultimate employer of ministers, civil servants, parastatal employees and municipal workers and if anyone working for government in these institutions is criminally implicated and therefore asked to stay at home until the matter has been concluded, then the same rule must apply to all without fear or favour throughout the country.We cannot have one set of rules for Oshakati and another for Tsumeb.Similarly, we cannot have one set of rules for a Minister and another for a driver in the same ministry.No exceptions should be allowed.When one looks closely at the history of government in dealing with these issues it becomes clear that people are not being treated the same, resulting in double standards, favouritism, tribalism and nepotism, starting from the ostrich saga where Ministers were implicated in wrongdoing, as well as the latest issues around ODC and others which clearly implicate management, Ministers, permanent secretaries and municipal officials.The question is, if government is not able to deal with its own employees in the right way which is seen as enforcing discipline, how is government going to achieve this at national level, especially if it is going to use the same officials to do that? A clean government must not only remain empty talk but it must be implemented first within government itself and then Parliament before asking the nation to follow.This is why I urge government to think carefully about who should be appointed to the anti-corruption agency to avoid the question of who will watch the watchdog.Namibia can learn a lot from other countries but must also have its own rules to follow by firstly appointing retired judges to such an agency; secondly by stopping the practice of ministers and civil servants doing business while working for the government; thirdly, stop circulating inefficiencies by appointing the same people over and over again to boards of directors; fourthly, improving service delivery and transparency to reduce the power of some civil servants in Ministries such as home affairs, agriculture, lands and resettlement, trade and industry, police, over helpless citizens and which result in corrupt practises to get service.As a citizen, I hope these points will be considered when the time comes to appoint the right people to the anti-corruption agency.Johannes Jason Iilonga TsumebThis is a good idea and it enjoys the support of most of us who have fought for this country.However, as we can see from the recent newspaper reports and discussions on NBC chat shows where ordinary citizens voice their opinions, the big question that needs to be answered before anything else is who the people are going to be that will work in this agency for it to be seen as fair and reliable.If the people employed in the agency are not taken seriously enough, then nobody will be bothered with it.It may even raise the question of who will watch over the watchdog.In my opinion, this question can only be answered fully if the right people are appointed who have the necessary integrity, standing in society, knowledge about the Constitution, understanding of the rights of all citizens before the law and recognition that everybody is innocent until proven guilty in a competent court of law.However, we must not try and create such people if they are not already in existence or look for only those who speak a particular language, come from a particular tribe or region and maybe even belong to a particular political organisation.Instead, we must appoint Namibians with stable lives and high personal values and track records and experience in the administration of justice.Looking at the recent treatment of some individuals and how justice was applied selectively to government employees facing similar charges is a point of major concern.Government is the ultimate employer of ministers, civil servants, parastatal employees and municipal workers and if anyone working for government in these institutions is criminally implicated and therefore asked to stay at home until the matter has been concluded, then the same rule must apply to all without fear or favour throughout the country.We cannot have one set of rules for Oshakati and another for Tsumeb.Similarly, we cannot have one set of rules for a Minister and another for a driver in the same ministry.No exceptions should be allowed.When one looks closely at the history of government in dealing with these issues it becomes clear that people are not being treated the same, resulting in double standards, favouritism, tribalism and nepotism, starting from the ostrich saga where Ministers were implicated in wrongdoing, as well as the latest issues around ODC and others which clearly implicate management, Ministers, permanent secretaries and municipal officials.The question is, if government is not able to deal with its own employees in the right way which is seen as enforcing discipline, how is government going to achieve this at national level, especially if it is going to use the same officials to do that? A clean government must not only remain empty talk but it must be implemented first within government itself and then Parliament before asking the nation to follow.This is why I urge government to think carefully about who should be appointed to the anti-corruption agency to avoid the question of who will watch the watchdog.Namibia can learn a lot from other countries but must also have its own rules to follow by firstly appointing retired judges to such an agency; secondly by stopping the practice of ministers and civil servants doing business while working for the government; thirdly, stop circulating inefficiencies by appointing the same people over and over again to boards of directors; fourthly, improving service delivery and transparency to reduce the power of some civil servants in Ministries such as home affairs, agriculture, lands and resettlement, trade and industry, police, over helpless citizens and which result in corrupt practises to get service.As a citizen, I hope these points will be considered when the time comes to appoint the right people to the anti-corruption agency.Johannes Jason Iilonga Tsumeb