The Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) has appealed to both private and public institutions to establish strong control systems to curb corrupt practices and check individuals involved in the vice.
ACC Corporate Affairs Officer, Wendy Mwachilenga, told ZANIS in an interview at the ongoing Zambia International Trade Fair (ZITF) that the fight against corruption at various levels could be enhanced if institutions put in place strong controls systems.
Ms. Mwachilenga said there was need for public officers to exhibit high levels of integrity by promoting accountability in their work ethics.
She disclosed that prevention of institutionalised corruption should be promoted at all costs in order to reduce the vice.
She said the commission has established integrity committees in eight institutions as a pilot to promote self screening and fight mal-administration in organisations and ministries where the practices were seemingly prominent.
Ms. Mwachilenga said the commission also initiated the formulation of service charters which should serve as a guide to members of the public in acquiring a service from a public institution.
She said the service charter would serve as a simple roadmap for the service seeker to know how long he should wait for the service.
She explained that this would entail that no one takes undue advantage of the time lapse and start asking for favours to speed up the process.
Ms. Mwachilenga added that institutionalized red tape and unnecessary bureaucracy were high promoters of corruption because “generally people want a quick service”.
She also called on institutions and organisations to formulate and observe a code of ethics which employees should follow in conducting business and dealing with clients as a check on corrupt practices.
She said procedures should be simplified so that the people seeking a service could know and have a clear and simple channel to follow when reporting a complaint over a service that has been delayed.
Ms Mwachilenga said her Commission had a challenge to ensure that people in general were sensitized on the dangers of corruption to the national economy and general development.
The ACC Corporate Affairs Officer further said the commission was committed to ensuring that people got the message on corruption and how to prevent it through various avenues that were deemed user friendly and effective in reaching even people in the villages.
Ms Mwachilenga added that when the levels of integrity and transparency were high in institutions and organisations country wide, such that even dubious investors would think twice before coming to Zambia.
ZANIS/CN/KSH/ENDS.
Talk about institutionalized corruption. What has happened to all the civil servants we keep seeing cruising around in latest Jaguars? The Autitor General’s report highlighted some shocking levels of corruption in the public service to warrant juicy cases. For instance, how does a simple civil servant earning a ridiculous salary of K800,000 afford building a dreamy mansion in Chalala? ACC has something to go on with, the AG’s report, so get cracking and stop wasting our time with meaningless rhetoric.
Morocco is right. If one can not explain the source of income that they built that House and bought that expensive car and they handle public funds…they are guilt of corruption unless proved otherwise. Thats is how we should start treating the issue of corruption.
# 1 Morocco…very right baba. People should be real
Paying peanuts to those that work hard and are poor is the worst corruption there ever is. How many people are oppressed by the rich? Colonialism and slavery can’t be entirely delinked to Africa’s present problems. The fact of the matter is that an imbalance was created by the ‘economic decisions'(scramble for Africa) that the european countries made at that time. The same attitudes by the same powers still prevail yet at a more subtle level. Who laid the rules for exchange of goods, monetary exchange controls, educational standards etc. The imbalance that was created was partly influenced by racial prejudice which is still present yet at subtle level.
Let me get you right here Anonymous, are you trying to validate this blatant banditry that has gone on unchecked in our public service? Do you pay tax coz I do? And it’s not a pleasant state of affairs to see someone do a “sangwapo” on my money and go and nothing in the way of justice happens to them.
The black man as long as he is kept at a ‘decent population’ is to be exploited and manipulated for the good of the white. The population of people of African decent is so insignificant compared to CAUCASIANS and that is part of the problem. Very rarely will you find a white man who will take you for who you are. In all fairness, Africa needs to relook at itself. It needs a self actualisation process.The Technology found in the west is shared with all but with Africa! Where do you think Japan got its Technology,Korea, china, India,even coutries like Brazil. Africa is deliberately and conveniently kept in the Dark. That is corruption!
#4 anonymous Please respond to #5
#5 I am in not in any way trying to ignore the presence of corruption in our system neither am I trying to justfy it. What I am simply saying is that if there is an imbalance in resources, corruption ensues. To look at the present corruption in our system properly we must look at the cause of this imbalance. And what Iam saying is that this imbalance has not just been there for the past 40 years or so. This imbalance is as a result of deliberate decisions, whether borne out of despair or otherwise on the part of the europeans, is not the point am labouring at. The point is that an imbalance was created which if we are to understand our current problems, including corruption, must be borne.
As long as we do not have the technology that they have we will remain poor. It takes a lot of investment to develop technologically. Southafriaca is such a good example, it had the technology to develop nuclear weapons way before 1994 but in view of the economic negatives of the apartheid system, they decided long before to eradicate any traces of the technology that could be inherited by Blacks. South africa need I remind you is what it is partly because of the oppression of black man. Slave wages for the majority prosperity for a few whites. Sorry to say this but that is a fact.
There are a lot of hard working people in Africa than the world wants us to believe. Colonialism in form of monetary control is what keeps africa poor. An oppressed man is given little chance to think! A poor man given his freedom will feed himself not under oppression.
# 9. anonymous, why would an african country need nuclear weapons ?.
This blame culture is what blinds young black pipo. Insead of using inecetive to devlop, they find reasons (blaming whites)why they don’t move forward and spend their time angry and with a chip on their shoulder. I for one would never have my children think like that..
Corruption in government will only end when civil servants are paid a living wage. There salaries are simply too low and as such they are bound to be involved in graft in order to survive. The govt wants to have educated planners, engineers and medical personel and yet are not willing to pay them. Hence, it will result in brain-drain or theft.
all we need are tougher and regular tax measures, does not matter what the wage is, tougher tax measures for the rich at most, so we have more money for the poor and tougher punishments for culprits.
What we need are stiff laws and not useless control systems. what is the need of new technology if the law is still weak? If you cant do the time, do not do the crime? Our policitians are scared to enact stiff laws as they are the worst culprits.