Walking the talk on corruption
Victoria Ruzvidzo In Focus Our energies are better served, not in mere conceptualisation of solutions, but rather in the application of systematic and stringent measures to curtail if not obliterate its occurrence.
SPEAKER of Parliament Advocate Jacob Mudenda came out guns blazing at the weekend as he refused to be intimidated into watching corruption being perpetrated on Parliament’s watch. In a no-holds-barred address at the 10th anniversary of the Parliamentary Support Trust, he said the parliamentary whirlwind would spare no one in its drive to stem the vice that has put paid to initiatives to revive the economy and restore the social fabric.
He must be saluted for coming out so resolutely and we hope his words will be followed by action.
The growing levels of corruption in this country require nothing short of decisive action that sends the message home.
Losing at least $1 billion a year to the vice is a challenge that has had deleterious effects on our economy.
Africa loses $50 billion a year through illicit financial flows. Imagine what this figure could do to improve people’s livelihoods on the continent.
“In too many countries, people are deprived of their most basic needs and go to bed hungry every night because of corruption, while the powerful and corrupt enjoy lavish lifestyles,” observed the chairperson of Transparency International.
Last year’s corruption survey highlighted the connection between corruption an inequality and the two feed off each other.
This is what must have motivated Adv Mudenda to declare a full-scale war on corruption.
“Some people have been saying Parliament has no teeth. It depends on how you are inspecting our teeth. If you want to see our teeth, ask us to open our mouth, you will see our teeth that they are sharp and able to bite.
“For example, where committees have come to a conclusion that there is corruption by so and so and if no action is taken, we shall write to ZACC (Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission) and say do your work and if they do not they shall be summoned by Parliament because they are not independent to the extent that they are not accountable to Parliament. So we are tightening up the screws and we believe that in so doing we shall enhance the political will to act,” said Adv Mudenda.
Fears were that some high-ranking Government officials were threatening parliamentary committees for investigating cases of corruption. Parliament has a constitutional mandate to play an oversight role and to hold public officials to account.
The stance by Parliament should be applauded.
Corruption has compromised efforts to rebuild the economy as bribes, kickbacks, nepotism and other forms of the vice impede progress.
It is a sad reality that those that perpetrate corruption are fully aware of its effects but become so blinded by greed to the extent that they choose to ignore the effects of their actions to people’s livelihoods and to posterity.
ZACC was established after the passing of the Anti-Corruption Commission Bill in June 2004 and research has shown that it is a signatory to the SADC Protocol, the Africa Union and the United Nations Convention on Anti-Corruption.
But ZACC has been adjudged to have “very little authority to take steps aimed at stopping corruption in Zimbabwe”. Behavioural scientists refer to the contradiction between thoughts and actions as “cognitive dissonance”.
A phenomenon that apparently causes discomfort, tension and stress within minds and leads to either the thought or the action being modified to achieve parity or consistency so that there is what is referred to as “cognitive assonance”.
These thoughts flashed through my mind as I pondered how an immoral and illegal act such as corruption persists and compromises livelihoods to the extent it has in our beloved nation. To all intents and purposes, we are a conscientious people and our society elevates virtue.
It does not stand to reason then that such a society now typically and habitually engages in corrupt activities as a new normal, so to speak. Indeed, so much has been said about corruption and its effects but it is about time we walked the talk in curbing it. I would want to believe that Adv Mudenda meant every word he said. He would certainly not have said that to just entertain guests at the function but that Parliament shall indeed summon ZACC when it displays lethargic tendencies.
Calls by the Speaker of Parliament must resonate with the entirety of the populace and find tangible expression on the ground. Probity, personality and performance are universally acclaimed and have shaped economies and nations alike over centuries. Today our society faces clear, present and continuing mortal danger from corruption.
Our energies are better served, not in mere conceptualisation of solutions, but rather in the application of systematic and stringent measures to curtail if not obliterate its occurrence.
We have talked about corruption incessantly.
We have brought it into the national narrative for some time.
We now need to walk the talk on corruption before it decimates us and this is no hyperbole.
My slant is that so much has been said but it matters not the theoretical efforts directed at this vile practice.
Rather we should resolutely move to see its end or at least reduce its occurrence. We certainly cannot superficially or cosmetically attend to it as if it’s a minor nuisance.
So much could be achieved were the more than $1 billion lost through the vice invested in projects to improve people’s livelihoods such as Command Agriculture and other such ventures. Maybe we need to launch a Command Anti-Corruption drive to effectively stem this cancer that continues to destroy our social fabric. Corruption has substantial negative effects on the economy, political landscape, social values, business culture and individuals alike.
People are wont to engage in corrupt activities where they are not punished for it. In offices and boardrooms, in schools and churches, roads and homes, in our hearts and conduct, we seem to have lost the plot, we seem to have discarded our values and we seem to rubbish our noble upbringing. Clearly, every one of us is accountable, in our various spheres, circumstances and stations. It’s a collective effort and indeed a collective responsibility.
The propensity to get favour by any means fair or foul makes for a toxic environment. Officers solicit bribes, citizens offer it to get round systems and tender processes are flouted, as are rules and laws designed to regulate conduct are disregarded. We glorify those who acquire wealth through offending and offensive means.
We simply look at their wealth in monetary terms, the end justifying the means as it were. Who are the beneficiaries: select individuals at the expense of the populace, a coterie of gluttonous persons at the expense of organisations, corporates and societies. The economy haemorrhages, growth is stalled, livelihoods are blighted and destinies altered and that not for the better. I am sure books can be written decrying corruption, magnifying its effects, lamenting what it leaves in its wake.
The Chinese have taken a robust and uncompromising approach to corruption. Anyone found to have overtly committed or to have been complicit in its occurrence faces prolonged incarceration and it is often tantamount to murder.
This has drastically reduced its incidence to the point of attaining role model status in its fight internationally.
That, dear reader, is walking the talk. There is always a danger that such laws against corruption may not be applied, or if they are it will be selective. Independent bodies with reputable citizens such as retired judges, police officers and church leaders whose reputation and conduct is beyond reproach must be set up. We should not have questions arising as to who will police the police. Our educational institutions must inculcate a work ethic underpinned by moral values.
Our socialisation eloquently expresses virtues. The church must typically provide the moral and spiritual compass. The family unit must remain the centerpiece of character formation and paragons of uprightness. These constitute the environmental factors that come to bear on our overall conduct.
It is an immutable function of leadership to influence positively. In fact, it is its very definition. The role which leadership plays can be hardly overestimated. This, it must be noted, is not confined to those who hold positions of power. It includes virtually everyone. In- so- far as leadership is about influence, we are all leaders.
Whether one is trying to influence a child, a friend, a colleague, a group or organisation all the way up to the nation; that is leadership. It is required at both micro and macro levels. Practise what you preach is the overarching refrain which must apply to all of us. Corruption is cancerous and toxic with far and wide repercussions. That we have since established. What we have not are the practicalities in dealing it a death blow. Let’s walk the talk for the kind of nation we envision. We have enough instruments to deal the vice a blow and below are some of them: ◆ The Prevention of Corruption Act (1983);
◆ Public Service Act (1995);
◆ The Ombudsperson Amendment Act (1997);
◆ Anti-Corruption Commission Bill (2004);
◆ The Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act (2004);
◆ Bank Use Promotion and Suppression of Money Laundering Act (2004); ◆
Criminal Procedure and Evidence Amendment Act (2004); and
◆ Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act of 2006 These should be applied without fear or favour to rid this country and the continent at large of the vice.
In God I Trust!