PM’S STANCE ON CORRUPTION DISPLAYING STRONG POLITICAL WILL

Prime Minister (PM) Russell Mmiso Dlamini deserves a big round of applause for his bold move to institute a Anti-corruption Task Team mandated to, not only investigate but take action against elements of corruption in the government machinery.

Such a decision demands courage from any head of Government because it is an open secret that corruption is associated with powerful and well-connected politicians, most of whom serve in top government positions.
The setting up of this task team is a positive step towards eradicating corrupt individuals that are undermining service delivery in the country for their own selfish interests.

His Majesty King Mswati III, in his address when officially opening the 12th Parliament recently, spoke strongly about corruption, issuing a directive for action to be taken against those found to be involved in this malpractice.
We can now only hope that the Task team appointed by the PM will do their task diligently, honestly and professionally. We can only advise that the task team remain impartial in its execution of duties.

We do not expect any element of dishonesty in their work. In case, we notice elements of dishonesty and favouritism, that would be very unfortunate and would defeat the whole purpose of setting up this task team.
Based on submissions from the recent Sibaya People Parliament, it was clear that corruption is starting to permeate nearly every aspect of life in Eswatini.

Commendable

A classic example of such, are recent reports that bribes were now needed to obtain most of the public services, such as a driver’s licence or a passport, to register property, start a business, build a home or getting university scholarships, the list is just endless. The PM has rightly taken commendable action to expose those officials involved in corrupt practices by applying such drastic measures.

Dlamini, clearly, has indirectly initiated a zero-tolerance policy of government towards corruption and this is sweet music to our ears without doubt. This is the kind of action we want to see from our PM, an act of principle and honesty that is bringing hope to the nation. If this task team applies truthfulness as they carry out their mandate, the prevalence of unofficial payments in various public services will be drastically reduced without doubt.

The tough stance against corruption demonstrates that the PM is exercising a strong political will and establishing credibility very early in his tenure. By setting up this task team, the PM is launching a frontal assault against corruption by adopting unconventional methods. The King made it clear in his speech that anti-corruption results can only be attained by putting in place a robust system of checks and balances as the PM is doing right now.

It is a known fact that government has been under severe criticism for incompetence and laziness in helping curb misappropriation of public funds and failure to hold executives accountable in projects that do not reflect value-for-money. Sadly, we have a number of these projects in our country. It is, therefore, only fair to praise the PM on the instruments he is putting in place to tackle and deal with unethical leaders in government, which is progress in having accountable leaders and good governance.

Such corruption reforms will promote an attitude of transparency, inclusiveness and collaboration backed by enabling factors, which are political will, a free media, and sanctioning mechanisms that will undermine good leadership and the fight against corruption.

Preventing corruption

Promoting accountability along with preventing corruption and economic crimes will require a joint effort between government and the private sector. It is never impossible to make Eswatini a corruption-free country with accountable leaders at all levels, that will ensure moral and financial discipline in public offices.

There have been complaints of favouritism in employment, abuse of power, sexual harassment and many more. Corruption is not just about the exchange of money, as some might be thinking, but it is an act of dishonesty like demanding a bribe to have your travel document processed at the Ministry of Home Affairs, paying security guards money to gain quick access to see a dental doctor .

These are some of the corrupt practices emaSwati have to deal with on a daily basis. Though unverified, there have been reports of nepotism in the hiring of recruits in the security departments like police, army or correctional services. Such concerns must be investigated by the task team, because if true, they definitely border around corruption. That’s why the crackdown on corruption by the PM deserve full praise.

It is unfortunate that the growing importance of the media and investigative journalism in detecting, exposing and investigating corruption has never been included in the in the anti-corruption concept. As he continues with his crackdown on corruption with the appointed Task team, one hopes the PM will also put in mind how the media can play a positive role in anti-corruption. Just a food for thought.

Allegations

We trust and hope that the Task team will work hard to eliminate the allegations that high-tender public works like roads and bridges with price tags that often reach in the tens of millions of Emalangeni, are often awarded to companies owned by families of Members of Parliament or other deeply connected figures within the ruling elite.
It is very vital for the country leaders not to give the perception of a conflict of interest between their public work and personal business interests.

There must be a rigorous law that reinforces the independence and neutrality of Cabinet and parliamentarians in the eyes of the public. That is very important. It is an open secret that a majority of public officials in Parliament and those who hold ministerial positions have business interests but what is critical is ensuring that they do not have links to government contracts because that is where corruption props up.

The truth is that the task team is facing a tough task trying to root out corruption in the government system, but this is not to say it cannot be done. It definitely can be achieved. During the reign of the late PM Dr Sibusiso Barnabas Dlamini, we saw a number of well-known faces found guilty of corruption and spending time behind bars. That is where we saw the good work of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) in making corrupt individuals accountable for their actions and as His Majesty stated in his Speech from the Throne, there must be arrests.

History has taught us that forensic probes or commissions of enquiry in our country promise a lot but deliver little if nothing at all. It sometimes feels like these costly processes are deliberately designed to create false hopes because even if recommendations are made, most often than not, they are never implemented.

That is where you sometimes fail to find the true purpose of such processes especially considering the tax-payer’s money that is being wasted. These public works projects must be thoroughly investigated because that is the haven for corruption through stealing of public funds.

While we appreciate the PM’s efforts on this subject, we hope and trust that the process will bring desired results. We hope the process will be transparent especially because the King made it known that he wants results. When the King issues such directive, there should only be one outcome.

Investigations

Time to protect our corrupt friends and relatives in government positions is now over. Just like we see from the Ministry of Health Task Team, we request regular updates on the progress made on the corruption investigations lest we find ourselves losing faith in the task team. Let us not be kept guessing on the findings of the task team, it should be out in the open so that the nation can appreciate the PM’s efforts.  

We trust that the Task team will investigate the concerns from the business community about unfairness in the awarding of government tenders. That must be thoroughly investigated. Then you have the forensic probe into the financial operations of Eswatini Railways, instituted by the parastatals’ Board headed by Nonhlanhla Shongwe.
There have been a lot of reports about the problems this government entity was facing and we hope this probe will assist in clearing that air. We will be following this probe with keen interest.

Above everything, the PM has initiated direction in the fight against corruption, what is important now is to give him the benefit of any doubt. Afterall, he’s new in office and deserves time to apply his leadership qualities for everybody to see. I can safely say that, so far so good. Good luck to the Task team.                 

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