Dear Editor,
I could still hear the reverberations in my ear about the massive corrupt practices of the then PPP/C Government. The then Opposition was relentless in their pursuit of highlighting these practices in the media and along the Elections Campaign trail.
I could still recall vividly the ‘we gonna jail them’ mantra. It was sung with so much gusto and enthusiasm that the electorate was swayed in their direction. The ‘change’ was done and those from the electorate who voted for that change is now extremely disillusioned and bitter.
After one year, having spent millions of taxpayers’ monies on numerous forensic audits, the government has literally come up empty-handed. These audits have come with administrative breaches rather than the stealing of monies. Even the outgoing US Deputy Chief of Mission has to now conclude that the government is wise in not rushing to prosecute the matters in a court of law. This would suggest that more evidences are needed to do so. These findings just make spicy readings in the media. The debatable question is: Will these evidences ever be secured by SOCU? I doubt it since I do feel that the dual purpose of these audits has been served: to reward the cronies and to create the red herring to divert the attention of the public from the incompetence of the government while the economic downslide is in progress. It was maybe hoped that they will learn while this diversion is taking place.
However, what is apparent after one year in government is that the corruption level keeps climbing so that corrupt practices within the various regions are trying to keep abreast with the Central Government.
Region 6 seems to be heading the list with allegations of corruption taking its toll in the health sector as well as in the Tender Board.
There have been allegations of corruption at the Tender Board where contracts are given out to a few selected individuals while a leading and experienced contractor in the Region has been blown into oblivion. He seemed to have lost favour among certain members of the board.
It is alleged that Tender Board members, at least three of them are given ‘kick backs’ in order to secure contracts and these members are said to be from both the Government side and the Opposition’s. There are five members on the Tender Board.
What is most disturbing as well is the fact that some contracts are given outside of the tender process to cronies of some officials concerned. While some were done under the pretext of ‘emergency’, others were simply given as ‘consultations’ to projects which are yet to be budgeted for. It will not be too long from now when the Region 6 Budget 2016 will be completely exhausted and supplementary budget sums have to be sought from Central Government.
It is time that the Coalition Government does a timely intervention in these corrupt practices in Region 6. Trying to shut up the people who are exposing these corrupt practices will only serve to reinforce them and make them worse.
There needs to be a concerted political will to fight corruption and not merely trying to deflect it from the Opposition to the Government and vice-versa. Corruption is eating our resources which should be used for social and economic development while only a few are being enriched!
Yours sincerely,
Haseef Yusuf
RDC Councillor – Region 6
