Permit me to articulate my view on the rising problem of corruption that is crippling Namibia. I believe that as a nation, we are able to fight and overcome all the problems that are alarming our nation, viz. corruption, poor education and unemployment. My main concern is what we, as a nation, can do to eliminate corruption. It is also worth questioning whether our policies and laws are effective enough in combating corruption.
In Namibia, “social tolerance of corruption” and “fear of retribution” appear to be the main contributing factors to corrupt practices. This means, our social interactions seem to be governed less by the law than customary codes of conduct. To regard this as cause, the judges/court decisions are every now and then based more on personal influence than merit. The strength of personal relationships is so great that court/judicial decisions are suspected of being a product of influence. So, paying a bribe is considered an essential prerequisite for judicial services and, indeed, the only avenue for accomplishing a result. The saying “why hire a lawyer if you can buy a judge” seems to be rife and greater than usual in Namibia. Another influence that leads to judges’ decisions based on factors other than the facts and applicable law is fear of retribution by powerful individuals. Fear for one’s safety causes one to rule in favour of the offender. Rather than risk the disciplinary actions, the nature of the circumstance obligates judges to apply politically acceptable decisions.
While it would be foolhardy to claim that the battle to eradicate corruption is becoming a war, it is fair to say that corruption in Namibia is a systemic problem and addressing ethics alone is not sufficient to tackle the problem. The World Bank, for example, has recently come to the view that economic development is closely linked to combating corruption (World Bank, 2010). Some say ‘corruption’ has always been with us; while others claim that it is as new (or old) as democracy itself.
Whatever your view, since the collapse of apartheid in Namibia (in 1990) and the subsequent spread of democracy, there has been an unprecedented level of attention by the government on corruption. Yet, the confidence range indicates the reliability of the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) 2009 scores and tells us that persistently high corruption in low-income countries, including Namibia, amounts to an “ongoing” humanitarian disaster. It seems at present that the cancer of corruption in Namibia is receiving little or no attention at all. I, therefore, consider one of the most popular of these definitions, namely: “corruption is the abuse/misuse of entrusted power by a public official for private gain”.
The reasons why our Head of State talks about his zeal to crack down on corruption are very clear: corruption is the most evil act on mankind in the world. Corruption hurts poor Namibians most. It diverts public services from those who need them most and strangles economic growth. Corruption retards progress and makes its victims poorer every day. Corruption creates institutional mismanagement and hurts society by holding back economic development at all levels. In addition, corruption undermines public support for development assistance by creating an erroneous perception to donors that all assistance is affected by corruption. In the long term, corruption can isolate our country and discourage foreign investments.
So, why are Namibians being let down by greedy individuals seeking personal gain?
The idea here is not to curse the government or the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), but rather to criticise some of our leaders (the teachers of the last 20 years) who have not set a good example. In a readily quoted example in Namibia, N$20 million was allocated to build 17 000 toilets in the Omusati region and was not properly used: only 358 toilets were built with the cheapest said to have been built at a cost of N$35 000 whilst others were quoted at a strange price of N$700 000 (in fact a price for a mansion in Windhoek, or two four-bed room-houses in Omusati).
Though, what happened to the balance, and for how many more years will schools, hospitals and other settlement areas in the Omusati region have to go without these human basic facilities while someone has a very healthy bank balance?
Being an inhabitant of the Omusati region in northern Namibia, I am saddened to observe that some Namibians cannot practise an ethical way to prosperity.
“Corruption” is increasing, and many corruption-related cases leave the ACC unresolved. Twenty years after independence, it is common knowledge that some highly appointed government officials are making dirty deals to enrich themselves at the expense of the poor. Because of this, the ACC is overwhelmed and unable to effectively handle the alarming number of corruption cases in the country. The ACC cannot effectively deal with culprits in a way that makes the populace see that corruption is being effectively dealt with. Against this problem, I view corruption as a large and growing national problem, entangled with a culture of black entitlement by some (appointed government officials) – that is to compensate for the past suffering under apartheid. What is shocking is that those embezzling fund, are known, and yet not dealt with in the courts. When taken to task, assets which they obtained through corruption are frozen briefly before they are actually released again. Let alone assets they registered under some of their relatives’ names that remain unclaimed.
I would therefore like to make the following suggestions that I believe can effectively combat corruption: assets owned by culprits should be confiscated to compensate for the loss suffered by the victims of corruption, and culprits should face the full strength of the law. The public service and state institutions must be made accountable. Their prime goal should be to serve the poor public and not to enrich some individuals at the expense of the poor majority in Namibia. Indeed, “stemming corruption requires strong oversight by parliaments, a well performing judiciary, independent and properly resourced audits and anti-corruption agencies, vigorous law enforcement, transparency in public budgets, revenue and aid flows, as well as space for independent media and a vibrant civil society” (said Huguette Labelle, Chair, Transparency International). Corrupt practices can be reversed by a strong and clear SWAPO leadership that draws the line between the state, government, public interest and personal interests. This is a battle that the SWAPO government must fight relentlessly. There is a need for deeper change of mindset to ensure zero tolerance to corruption.
I have come to the conclusion that in order to become democratic, and to remain free from corruption, Namibians should be vigilant to avoid being let down by greedy individuals seeking personal gain from tax-payers’ money. The solution to curbing corruption is to view it as everybody’s responsibility, not just that of the Head of State, the Anticorruption Commission or the Namibian Police alone. You and I should play our part in uprooting and eradicating corruption. There are many ways of tackling corruption. However, the following remain key to the process:
- The first step in the fight against corruption is to ensure that the process is enshrined in our ‘rule of law’ (laws). Those convicted of corrupt practices should be punished severely and dealt with accordingly. That is, all offenders should be made to face the full wrath of the law, starting with top government officials. The saying that “when the mother lamb eats the younger ones watch” currently seems to be the norm.
- Secondly, the war against corruption can only be successfully fought if all corrupt office bearers are expelled from government. This means, the only way to fight corruption is to name and shame those responsible, and develop transparent systems of governance at all levels.
- Thirdly, another deterrent that would work is legislation that allows repossession of owned assets to compensate for the loss suffered by victims of corruption (including money, assets and properties acquired through corrupt means). The other is what Britain, USA and, probably, the EU are doing: slam travel bans on government officials convicted of corruption.
- Equally, the fight against corruption should start from the grassroots by voting out the corrupt leaders. The trend of ‘recycling’ ineffective leaders should stop. I believe there are more potential and developmentally-conscious leaders who have not yet been given a chance at micro or regional level.
It is evident that the Namibian government through ACC is trying to combat corruption as reflected in some well-publicised trials of senior officials. However, it is generally accepted that we all need to confront corruption in daily life to defeat it. Therefore, it would be more important to consider the following questions: How does corruption affect my (our) life? What can I (we) do as an individual (s) to fight corruption?
How should I (we) deal with those found guilty of corruption? Yes, we cannot be utterly free of corruption but united we can definitely minimise it to a manageable level.
