We Need More Than Walking And Talking About Corruption

PRESIDENT Hifikepunye Pohamba is at the forefront when it comes to talking and walking against corruption. He has been vocal in the ‘Zero Tolerance’ campaign, and now plans to lead the marchers in the ‘Great Walk Against Corruption’ on May 28, which is being organised by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) and Women’s Action for Development (WAD).

Other newspapers reported that the founding President, Sam Nujoma, would join the incumbent in the ‘Great Walk’ later this month.And while a campaign like this, along with ‘Zero Tolerance’, is undoubtedly good to publicise and raise awareness of the scourge of corruption and the devastating effects it can have on a country like Namibia, it is not enough for our Presidents, past and present, simply to pay lip service and expect it to be enough, when people are well aware that decisive action is lacking when it comes to tackling this evil.Wouldn’t it be nice to hear both Presidents demand action and answers to the millions that have disappeared in some of the biggest corruption cases in this country, such as the ODC case; the SSC-Avid saga; and the NDF millions, among others?If they could most specifically tackle these headline corruption cases, then we would surely go further towards believing they are really serious about their stated aims in opposing graft. As matters stand at present, they are vocal in their generalisations about tackling corruption, but they are both very weak on the specifics.Are people then to blame for believing that some of the worst perpetrators when it comes to missing taxpayers’ monies are, if not being protected, then most certainly are conveniently overlooked while the more minor cases are vigorously prosecuted?It is very hard to accept as true the statement by none other than ACC chief, Paulus Noa, that contrary to public perceptions the incidence of real corrupt practices had shown (in his words) ‘considerable reduction’, when all evidence points strongly to the contrary.The Office of the Prosecutor General has in its possession a number of cases, some of them very prominent ones involving graft, such as the ODC and RCC cases, in which decisions as to whether to prosecute or not have been long in the waiting! The public would certainly appreciate hearing, at the soonest opportunity, why these decisions are being delayed for months on end.And how, against this background, we can be deemed to be serious in our fight against graft. In cases such as these, it is imperative that the law strikes quickly and fast to bring the perpetrators to book long before these cases have been forgotten in the collective public memory.Nobody must be above the law when it comes to graft and corruption. According to WAD’s Veronica de Klerk, the aim of the march was to encourage the ‘masses’, especially those who lacked confidence, not to hesitate in reporting corruption.While the intentions behind the march may be good, we cannot help but wonder how the people of Namibia can be urged to expose corruption, when they know that the political goodwill does not exist to pursue actively these cases in order to bring to justice those who are mismanaging and plundering our precious resources.There is therefore little point in public displays against this scourge, if it is simply a superficial display in order to show the outside world that Namibia does not tolerate corruption; whilst in reality, justice is not being done against all, but only a selective few.It is for this reason that we call on President Pohamba as well as our Founding Father, to show the Namibian people, unequivocally, that they are really prepared to vigorously pursue wrongdoers, regardless of whether such people came from the ranks of their own party, the higher echelons of Government, or are close to them personally.It is a campaign that, even with the best goodwill in the world, cannot be won without the political intent to go after those who are eroding our resources and who continue to plunder them for greedy and selfish reasons as well as self-enrichment.Let us therefore only march if our consciences are clear.