ESWATINI’S MAJOR UNDOING

Sir,

Wikipedia defines transparency, in politics, as the act of holding public officers accountable and the fighting of corruption. It goes on to say when governments have their meetings open to the public, in the process opening up its decisions to public scrutiny and discussion; it is seen as transparent. When you consider that the government of the country is continuing to do things and then hide them from the public, then you can realise we have a long way to go in this regard. Transparency is an attitude, a state of mind that has to be adopted deliberately to win the trust and confidence of the populace. In our country we have a legacy, promoted by government to ensure that transparency does not exist.

Activities

Looking at the activities and premise of Transparency International, an institution advocating for the eradication of corruption, there appears to be a correlation between the level to which governments embrace transparency and the level of corruption obtaining in a particular country. Secrecy and lack of transparency are incubators of corruption.

Confidence

Again lack of confidence by the electorate on the government is also a function of a lack of transparency. Consider the current fuss about the tenders issued for the elections process, it has its basis on the lack of transparency by our government. This posturing by our government, deciding what information it will release or not release is its major undoing. If it is not hiding something, what harm would it do to tell the public what is going on? It is quite sad that this has been happening for a very long time and that it is being allowed to continue. This is among the worst blunders that any government can make. The populace of this country does not deserve such treatment because they sacrifice a lot just to contribute to the public purse. The nation deserves a transparent government and transparent public officers to rid the country of corruption, which is hindering the progress of the country. Lack of transparency perpetuates corruption, not only in government but in all sectors of the economy.

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