EDITORIAL: Not surprised

Last week’s remarks from the executive director of Transparency International Iceland, Thor Fanndal - that there is no political will in Iceland to pursue the Fishrot corruption scandal in that country - comes as no surprise.

This is due to the fact that Namibia, the biggest loser in this scandal, has also shown minimal political will to get to the bottom of the grand fish heist.

Despite the matter being in court and the alleged perpetrators behind bars, the Namibian government has done very little to show that it is treating this case with the seriousness it deserves.

Under normal circumstances, government would fly in lawyers from South Africa argue on behalf of the State. One wonders why this is not the case this time around. There are many instances where the State paid millions to rope in foreign lawyers for straightforward cases, so it is rather baffling that government does not see the need to do the same for Fishrot, which is by far more complex.

Also, the continued failure to amend the marine law which provided fertile ground for the Fishrot syndicate to flourish is also a sign of how lax government is when it comes to this scandal. In fact, the law is still being used by the fisheries ministry as we speak.

Lawmakers, especially those sitting in the opposition benches, should take this matter up and ensure that all laws currently being administered in this country are in the interest of Namibia, not individuals.