Rawlings, others urge Africa to tackle corruption

[TGD]

 FORMER Head of the Interim National Government (ING), Chief Ernest Shonekan, has warned that the quest to attract foreign investments would be fruitless in the continent if corrupt practices continue to thrive.

Speaking Monday at the start of a conference on "Emerging Democracies in Africa: Challenges and Opportunities," which was organised by the National Institute for Legislative Studies at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja, Shonekan acknowledged the existence of anti-corruption agencies across Africa but remarked, however, that democracy cannot thrive when the citizenry goes to bed daily on empty stomach.

According to him, it behooves those at the helm of affairs to improve the condition of the citizenry by providing social infrastructure and job opportunities for the teeming population of the unemployed in their respective countries, as well as improving healthcare delivery.

He expressed concern at the rising tide of religious fundamentalism in West, North and the Horn of Africa, and stressed the need to empower women as well as deepen democracy by ensuring internal democracy in the political parties.

"A situation where people cannot voice their opinions within their political parties or where leaders of political parties cannot be criticised by members of the same political parties is not good for our democracy," he warned.

Also speaking at the same forum, former President of Ghana, Mr. Jerry Rawlings, identified corruption as a menace bedeviling democratic governance in Africa.

Rawlings, who lamented that corrupt practices were taking toll on Africa, stressed the need to strengthen the judiciary, electoral system, and the media, as well as ensure vibrant and non-partisan civil groups in emerging democracies in Africa.

He canvassed a system of dynamic and home-grown democracy, imbued with the socio-cultural background of the individual African states to provide political stability for development.

"A practising democracy that cannot create the climate to correct economic ills and corruption cannot and will not be a democracy," he emphasised. "A democracy that cannot protect the sanctity of its electoral process is engaging in a fraudulent electoral coup d'état.

"Equally destructive is the unfortunate practice of using money to buy the conscience of the electorate. Our countries do not fare any better in the annual corruption index of transparency international.

"While there may be a lot of factors that enhance corruption, including the connivance of major global international players, whose jurisdiction ironically exact huge penalties for white collar fraud, Africa is primarily saddled with corruption because some members of a minority elite connive to rape the continent and ensure that the positive economic indices are only on paper and do not reach the pockets of the ordinary people at the grassroots."

Frowning at those at the helm of affairs in their respective countries in Africa that pay lip service to the fight against corrupt practices, he warned that a society that cannot provide socio-economic justice cannot boast to be a healthy democracy, considering that it will remain vulnerable and fragile.

"We live in countries where poor, petty thieves get imprisoned for several years while businessmen who evade taxes in millions of dollars or a politician who misappropriates millions of state funds escape punishment," he said. "These inequalities are recipes for the retrogression of our democracies and we cannot allow the negative tide to continue."

Nevertheless, he expects bright prospects for the continent when citizens embrace a patriotic desire for development within their societies devoid of selfish and myopic desires to enrich oneself at the expense of the nation.

At the event were the Senate President, David Mark, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, their counterparts from across Africa and the Commonwealth countries.



The Guardian