Times Of Swaziland: CORRUPTION VERSUS EFFICIENCY

CORRUPTION VERSUS EFFICIENCY
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Sanele Sibiya on 21/08/2024 07:18:00


THIS week started on a good note, with reports of a decline in corruption.
However, reading the story, one concludes that what we have attained is
efficiency rather than corruption reduction. Improving internal systems and
controls does contribute to reduced corruption as it curbs revenue leakages and
over expenditure on the cost side. However, as a country we are dealing with
rampant corruption, as our health system has not been adequately stocked for
over 15 months.
The nation has to make do without medication. audits were executed at a further
cost to the tax payer, while the accused individuals continue to utilise their
massive wealth to block any efforts to move on to prosecution and ultimately
repossession of the ill-gotten gains of corruption by the State. I believe
inasmuch as we receive the report in good light, it must however be taken with a
pinch of salt because emaSwati expect action on the multi-billion drug scandal
and an adequately stocked health sector.
Impact
The pertinent question one needs to ask is how much of a dent on corruption? A
few 100 million leaking from small players does not have a significant dent on
corruption. However, evidence on the ground shows that if you want to really
realise savings on corruption, one must hit the nail on the head. Attention must
be channeled towards big fish or people who benefit so much from corruption such
that it is normalised. If the affluent and influential, who possess such clout
that they can move State levers, benefit from corruption, then corruption shall
always be normalised. In order to curb the problem, I argue that we need to fry
big fish.
Bigger Fish
In the present moment, the nation is waiting for prosecution of major looters.
The news of improved efficiency within government departments and units is good
for the fiscus and will ensure that as a nation we will be in a position to
attain more with the limited resources at our disposal. In my view, I believe
the publications and the report delivered by the minister ought to have chosen a
different diction, in light of the shocking corruption allegations that have
been reported. Inasmuch as baby steps are always commendable, I honestly do
believe that this is one area in which we need to run as a country.
We cannot afford to take baby steps as it were. furthermore, we need to hit the
problem on the head, fry the big fish. The front page spread and headline
signaling declines in corruption ought to have been rephrased to ‘Efficiency
within government departments improving’. I argue this because, in my view,
this is excessive PR, which will divert attention from the core issue such that
it eventually falls out of the public domain. We cannot have the media
participate in taking the issue out of the public domain. The third estate needs
to do their role. This is an issue that we need to see to the end as a nation.
Deterrent
Dealing with corruption requires that we set a deterrent precedent through
prosecution and invoking asset forfeiture.  We cannot allow people who benefit
from corruption and keep the proceeds of corruption. As it were, we have seen
POCA being utilised for other criminals, however, it has not been utilised on
the politically connected. If we continue on this path, we will end up with a
big social issue at our hands. We cannot afford to create a situation where laws
seem to be applied to a select few and the affluent in society seem to be above.
We cannot afford to further entrench inequalities deeper in our society and a
legal divide is what we must avoid at all costs. None should be exempt from the
full extent of the law. We need the entire government machinery to start
targeting the influential, who use their influence to harbour corruption and
perpetuate the same. We need to set an example where billions have been
siphoned, that will send a message, and the rate at which corruption is
declining would actually accelerate.
Costs
The costs of corruption should not be understated, and as we continue to be
indifferent and not act, the costs continue to rise exponentially. In the past,
we have observed the costs of corruption indirectly, through the opportunity
cost or the best alternative forgone as funds are lost to corruption. We have
made inferences on how many schools we ought to have built, how many students we
ought to have sponsored, how many roads we ought to have constructed. However,
this particular case tops the cake, it has actually taken life itself directly
from emaSwati, especially the poor. Statistics show that over 58 per cent of our
population lives below the poverty line. Our indifference and the indifference
of government to act regarding the issue I infer is congruent to the value that
our leadership and government place on the 58 per cent. We cannot allow a
handful of people to dictate health outcomes for the 58 per cent. By extension,
we cannot allow a handful of people to deprive the nation of sustainable and
inclusive growth.