Corruption is rife in many African countries. It isn’t that
corruption is endemic to only Africa, but so fragile are many African economies
that the impact is more devastating. And the lack of consequences for those who
squander or plunder their nations’ wealth has allowed the practice to seep deep
into the body politic and become virtually a way of life. From the lowly clerk
in a government department, to the top manager or bureaucrat, up the chain to
the summit of the political class, virtually everybody has sticky fingers.
Nothing ever gets done without someone getting a cut or having their hands
greased.
In many places, the level of corruption is staggering, what
with oil-laden tankers disappearing on the high seas without a trace; billions
of dollars in oil revenues disappearing from foreign accounts; and tyrants and
their families turning state coffers into personal piggy banks and flaunting
their ill-gotten gains in wild spending sprees, even as majority of citizens
struggle to eke out a living. Africa no longer has truly altruistic leaders. If
you are someone like South African president Jacob Zuma, you spend $20 million of
government funds on home renovations, and shrug your shoulders at the
criticism.
The expectation is that if you are in government, or run a
state corporation, department, agency or institution, you must make money – and
we are not talking your legitimate pay. If you don’t use your position to amass
wealth, your friends and family members think of you as a fool or worse. They
never cease to remind you of this or that fellow who got a big job like yours,
and already has two or three houses. There is no honour in honesty. Most
politicians run for office today to make money, not to make a difference.
Serving the people is only secondary. It is not uncommon for politicians or
senior executives coming into office to set targets on how much money or
property they should have over a given period. A junior minister in Ghana got
the sack after someone she believed to be a confidant leaked a tape recording
of her discussing her target.
The unwritten rule is that the only job worth doing, is the
one that puts money in your pocket. If in the process some public good comes
out of it, so be it. But that’s not the primary objective. The practice cuts
both ways. You’ll find various opposition leaders slamming governments for
various acts of corruption, and vowing to clean house if elected. But don’t
believe it. It is all posturing. If you look closely, you’ll find that when the
opposition were in power, they indulged in similar practice. And you can bet
that if they ever get in again, they’ll do the same, or even worse. Another
unwritten rule is that a new government does not go out of its way to
investigate the corruption of the one it replaced. Occasionally, some lowly
politician or official is made example of, for the sake of appearances. For the
most part however, successive governments let sleeping dogs lie, knowing they
will also indulge when the time comes.
From here http://ottawacitizen.com/opinion/columnists/adam-the-reasons-for-corruption-in-african-countries
No comments:
Post a Comment