EDITORIAL: Hail the kickback nation
Reams and reams of newspaper have already been used up by the unfolding Fishrot saga, which will still drag on for years, while the repercussions continue to haunt ordinary families, especially those of fishermen.
President Hage Geingob often says corruption is not systemic in Namibia, and that perceptions have been created that Namibia is a corrupt society.
Yet what has become increasingly clear is that we have evolved into a culture of kickbacks, whether it’s cops wanting ‘cooldrink’ money to not issue a speeding ticket or those who would sell the crown jewels of this nation just so they can drive around with their side chicks and Ben 10s in luxury sports cars and SUVs.
For too long, public procurement has been the target of greedy officials who get kickbacks from deliberately overpriced contracts and other ways to channel everything under the sun through the back door.
In this so-called ‘Year of Reimaging’, there must certainly also be action. We can list a host of tenders where the cost either ballooned or the necessary safeguards were not put in place to protect taxpayers against a shocking escalation linked to foreign currency fluctuations. Yet the officials and even politicians involved continue to wield power and act as if nothing happened.
The kickback artists need to answer and should be held accountable for the horrors they have caused.
President Hage Geingob often says corruption is not systemic in Namibia, and that perceptions have been created that Namibia is a corrupt society.
Yet what has become increasingly clear is that we have evolved into a culture of kickbacks, whether it’s cops wanting ‘cooldrink’ money to not issue a speeding ticket or those who would sell the crown jewels of this nation just so they can drive around with their side chicks and Ben 10s in luxury sports cars and SUVs.
For too long, public procurement has been the target of greedy officials who get kickbacks from deliberately overpriced contracts and other ways to channel everything under the sun through the back door.
In this so-called ‘Year of Reimaging’, there must certainly also be action. We can list a host of tenders where the cost either ballooned or the necessary safeguards were not put in place to protect taxpayers against a shocking escalation linked to foreign currency fluctuations. Yet the officials and even politicians involved continue to wield power and act as if nothing happened.
The kickback artists need to answer and should be held accountable for the horrors they have caused.
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Namibian Sun
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