Citizens must demand accountability

The dust has refused to settle regarding the millions of taxpayers' money paid to UK-based lawyers by the Namibian government. MPs, civil society and even journalists, have pleaded with the authorities to disclose exactly how much was spent on the genocide bill. The astronomical legal fees were paid to foreign-based lawyers who advised government on the genocide negotiations. This scandal has opened a can of worms leading to not-so-good exchanges between the finance minister Calle Schlettwein, the man at the centre of the payments and attorney-general Sacky Shanghala, as well as Anti-Corruption Commission boss Paulus Noa. The ACC has refused to investigate the huge claims paid to the foreign lawyers believed to be over N$30 million, much to the chagrin of Schlettwein. In his strong-worded letter to Noa, Schlettwein has complained about the astronomical legal fees, saying the services of the lawyers were not sourced in compliance with the public procurement procedures. He also took issue with the pricing and claims submitted by the four lawyers, which saw one walking away with N$16 million and another N$14 million, respectively. There is certainly more to this than meets the eye. It also boggles the mind why some Swapo MPs are willing to go to great lengths in blocking the motion from being discussed in the National Assembly. Or do they have something to hide? No one in his or her right mind should justify the enormous genocide bill given other competing priorities that need government attention, like the student funding that has dried up, the shortage of medicine and lack of food at some state hostels. There is nothing untoward about the opposition and civil society using their constitutional right to demand for openness and accountability on the part of the government officials involved in this highly questionable transaction. The primary responsibilities of public officials are to serve the interests of ordinary citizens - first and foremost. Ordinary citizens too have the right to demand for fiscal accountability and how their hard-earned money is being spent by those elected into power.