STATEMENT BY THE RT HON PRIME MINISTER
DR B.S.S. DLAMINI
Read by the Minister for Justice, Chief Mgwagwa Gamedze
AT THE COMMEMORATION OF INTERNATIONAL ANTI-CORRUPTION DAY
AT THE MBABANE THEATRE CLUB AUDITORIUM
FRIDAY 7 DECEMBER 2012
Honourable Ministers
United Nations Resident Coordinator
Acting Anti-Corruption Commissioner
Honourable Members of Parliament
Chief Executives and Directors of various Institutions
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen
Let me first thank all of you for attending International Anti-Corruption Day, and especially the youth who today are centre stage, so to speak. Allow me also to convey my apologies for not being present myself, due to being on official business outside the country.
The primary purpose of having a day set aside to commemorate the global anti-corruption drive is for the people of the world to remind themselves of the importance of aiming for a corruption-free global society, and to re-unite in their commitment to achieve that.
Unlike many other destructive elements of the modern world such as suicide bombing, chemical warfare, and air pollution, corruption is not new to planet Earth. It has been there for many centuries. Perhaps it is even as old as man himself.
But it is only in recent decades that respectable societies in the world have become aware of the truly damaging effect on morality and national prosperity that corrupt activities cause. Unfortunately, because of the sovereign status of the countries of the 21st century there is no single piece of legislation or enforcement that can rid the world of corruption at a single stroke. There are some countries in the world where corruption is so endemic it has re-written the rule book and only through bribery does anything get done. A sad situation indeed.
But that is not to say that we cannot fight to keep corruption away from our borders, and exclude those who seek to penetrate our society with their evil behaviour. And above all, we must make every effort to keep our own country free of the cancer that corruption represents.
And that starts with personal individual commitment. One of the great ironies that haunts the anti-corruption drive of a country – ourselves included - is that, while Government itself rightly takes on the responsibility for eradicating corruption, the power to actually eradicate corruption lies entirely with the individual. And whilst every individual can be forgiven for, in the first instance, imagining that his or her personal effort will not make any difference, that is not true, any more than it is in respect of casting a vote for political or other leadership.
You can make a difference! Because if everyone makes, and adheres to, the vow of honesty then, in aggregate, it gives rise to a huge impact.
The Theme for this year’s commemoration, “Act – Against Corruption Today,” seeks to capture the spirit of the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) which recognizes that preventing and countering corruption requires a multi-sector approach that involves various stakeholders, particularly those outside the public sector. The special role of youth reflects the significance of a group that makes up over 65% of our population.
And not only do our youth represent the majority but they are the ones with most to gain or lose, in the coming years, from the outcome of our national campaign against corruption since it is generally accepted that corruption and poor governance deter foreign investment, cripple economic development, and in so doing contribute heavily to state failure.
Therein lies the justification for a truly intensive fight against corruption. Ours is a daunting task, not least because most corrupt acts of real substance invariably involve collusion by both sides with neither having any incentive to come clean.
And, despite a substantial programme of action to fight corruption, our country is yet to impress the global observers. The 2011/2012 Global Corruption Index ranks Swaziland at 134 out of 142 countries, while the Transparency International Corruption Perception Index of 2011 places Swaziland at 95 out of 182. While clearly there is a degree of contradiction between those two sets of statistics we are in no doubt that we have a deeply embedded problem.
Let no individual argue that we lack political commitment to rooting out corruption. His Majesty has on many occasions condemned such activities that are diverting crucial resources away from real national development. Indeed, this year, when he opened the 4th Session of the 9th Parliament, His Majesty declared “zero tolerance towards corruption.”
This declaration was taken very seriously by the Administration and I take the opportunity to highlight a number of areas in which progress has been achieved.
Firstly, in ratifying the United Nations Convention Against Corruption, we have adopted a comprehensive set of standards, measures and rules that we, together with other countries, can apply to strengthen legal and regulatory regimes to combat corruption. It also introduces a framework for stronger cooperation between states in terms of technical assistance, prevention, investigations, prosecutions, mutual legal assistance and extradition of offenders. Member states within the Convention are also required to return assets obtained through corruption back to the country from which they were stolen.
Finalised in the past few days is our National Anti- Corruption Policy, and very shortly to be presented to Cabinet. This is in line with the UN Convention and is all- inclusive, giving a strategic approach to addressing corruption legally, institutionally and socially with the emphasis on investigations, preventative and educational initiatives. It will also ensure that corruption is fought on all fronts, with all sectors of society compelled to be active players in this battle.
But a Policy will only represent real progress in the fight if it is quickly supported by a Strategy and time-bound Action Plan with clearly quantified and measurable output targets, combined with systematic monitoring and evaluation procedures.
A further measure in place is the Inter- Agency Task Team on Corruption and this is made up of the Royal Swaziland Police, the Directorate of Public Prosecutions, the Financial Intelligence Unit, forensic auditors KPMG, and is chaired by the Anti-Corruption Commission. The Task Team has the responsibility of coordinating the investigation and resolution of high profile corruption cases. These are ones that are very much in the public consciousness and it is imperative that we complete our investigations with a minimum of delay.
And the all-important legislative back-up to the programme is now in place. Much political will has been displayed by the promulgation of various pieces of enabling legislation to assist in combating corruption. Legislation such as the Money Laundering Act, Public Procurement Act, Electronic Evidence Act, as well as the amendment of the Prevention of Corruption Act, has served to establish the necessary legislative muscle.
But as the saying goes, action speaks louder than words. The output targets set for bringing reported cases to resolution – either prosecution or dismissal – must be met within the set time-frames. The life-style audits must proceed with vigour if the anti-corruption drive is to have credibility.
It is nevertheless reassuring that the results of the National Corruption Perception Survey show that Swazis really do embrace a sense of personal responsibility to join the battle. And that includes the youth. We need to encourage that commitment by developing in our young people a sense of pride in being honest and true to Christian principles. That in itself is a reward within a decent and honest life. Now is the time, more than ever, to inspire a generation of future business and community leaders to adopt an exemplary code of conduct that all will admire and seek to emulate.
And from another, equally significant perspective, no individual, man or woman, young or old, who claims to be a sincere Christian can deny or, indeed, avoid the constant observation by a higher being and the ultimate reckoning at the Day of Judgment.
The commitment of our youth is essential to winning the battle against corruption. The debates that I have witnessed today, including essays, drama and music, have all shown that young people are conversant with corruption issues. The youth are a window of hope, and that is one particularly good reason for ensuring that the close relationship between the Anti-Corruption Commission and the Swaziland National Youth Council (SNYC) is maintained. Let me take this opportunity to thank SNYC for its invaluable contribution to this process.
I would also wish to thank the Anti-Corruption Commission for spearheading this important national event at which our commitment to the fight against corruption is re-confirmed. Capacity building in the Commission is essential to robust and thorough work, fulfilling its three-pronged mandate of Investigations, Education and Prevention. In this regard we are reassured by there now being a substantive Deputy Commissioner, Investigations and Assets Recovery, who is also the Acting Commissioner pending the appointment of the substantive Commissioner.
And finally allow me to thank the United Nations Development Programme, which has been a true partner in development with our country, for making this event a possibility and for other developmental initiatives that the UN has funded.
Now is the time to join forces, re-committing to eradicate corruption through multi-sectoral collaboration. On behalf of His Majesty’s Government, I call upon all sectors of society, all Swazis, to “Act” against corruption now.
Thank you.