On corruption

Photo credit: Sudanese Online

Two weeks ago, the chairman of the Anti-Corruption Mechanism, El Tayeb Abu Ganaya was dismissed from his post by a presidential decree, the same way he was brought into office nearly a year ago. The aim of mechanism was playing a coordinating role between the presidency and relevant authorities at the Ministry of Justice and the National Assembly to track down and follow-up information and reports on corruption published in various media outlets.

However, down to the last moment the good old fellow stayed in his office, the public heard nothing about corruption cases, and no one else was appointed to replace him!

We are of the opinion that corruption is a serious and far-reaching issue, that the method of dealing with this issue in Sudan is still flawed and that the endless talk about corruption never goes beyond a few cases of embezzlement of public funds most of which are routine cases recorded in the annual report of the Auditor General; mechanism or no mechanism.

Corruption is of a much broader scope that involves many aspects of our daily life. Its manifestations can be clearly seen in the sudden and fortuitous windfalls that descend upon some individuals to increase their assets and possessions and change their life style in a manner that is impossible to achieve through legitimate means and practice.  This phenomenon is now glaringly apparent in Sudan and has become the talk of the town in Khartoum and elsewhere.

The talk on corruption has recently been on the rise and the government has reluctantly admitted the presence of corruption and the need to combat the phenomenon since the formation of the above mentioned mechanism.

The community has always been way ahead of the government in talking about corruption after the displays of sudden wealth by presumably self-made individuals. But attention is still focused on only one form of corruption; namely misappropriation of public funds in state institutions. We need to be mindful that there is other financial, administrative, and political corruption that falls under the category of abuse of power and influence to realize personal gains at the expense of others.  Corruption covers bribery, nepotism, embezzlement, favoritism, extortion, conniving, forgery and misappropriation of public funds.

Any strategy for combating corruption with any chance of succeeding will require a political climate that promotes transparency and provides freedom of expression for all sectors of society to spotlight corruption without worrying about being tracked down or facing extreme difficulties.

In addition, we need a favorable legal environment and a legal system that is committed to the concept of the rule of law, in addition to legal controls, qualified cadres capable of carrying out investigations and bringing responsible parties to account.