Cameroon: Another arena for war on corruption (Editorial)

For the purpose there exist the Supreme State Control, the Audit Bench of the Supreme Court, the Good Governance Programme, the National Anti-Corruption Commission (CONAC) and the National Agency for Financial Investigation (ANIF). In addition, the judiciary has become a power which has a free hand to investigate and bring to book persons suspected of corruption and embezzlement of state funds.

To this arsenal must be added anti-corruption units in various government ministries which are expected to monitor and check the spread of this canker worm called corruption. In effect, the famous “Operation Sparrow Hawk” has only given teeth to the fight as some top ranking government functionaries have been trapped by the anti-corruption dragnet.

Yet, in spite of this multiplicity of structures to fight against corruption, many officials charged with the management of state resources end up carrying them away. The case of the cashier in Douala who escaped with huge sums of money is a glaring example.

The fact that corruption continues to plague our society in spite of the ruthless attempts to punish culprits tends to frustrate the effort being made. There is therefore the need to diversify the approach by taking the crusade to individual level.

That was probably why the Minister of Finance, Essimi Menye, while installing newly-named finance officials last Monday called on them to open a new front in the fight in their various departments. The new directors of the treasury and that of CENADI (the Centre for the Development of Information Technology) were told to wage a relentless war against corruption and embezzlement. They were told to consider the fight against corruption a priority of priorities.

It is hoped that the appeal did not fall on deaf ears considering the context in which the appointments were made. The treasury department and CENADI are sensitive positions which require the services of morally upright and rigorous officials. In recent times, many persons serving in these departments have ended up in prison for acts of corruption, fraud or embezzlement. It is therefore important for the departments to consider themselves as an arena for the fight against corruption.

From that platform, there may be cooperation and synergy between structures like CONAC, the media, Non-governmental Organisations (NGOs) anti-corruption units in the ministries and state structures in existence.

To win the war on corruption there is great need not only to diversify the approach but to work in total collaboration one with the other. No single structure, no matter how powerful, will win the fight alone.

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API/Source.Cameroon Tribune (Cameroon), by Martin A. Nkemngu