Reform must start at the top

Sep 29, 2024 Peeping Tom

Kaieteur News – We have been here many times: another scandal, another breach of procurement regulations, another contract awarded without transparency or accountability. And what is the solution?

The Riot Act is read. Procurement laws are waved in the faces of public officials like some kind of magical scroll, as if the mere act of reminding them that these laws exist will somehow purge the system of the rot within. We are told that the problem lies in these middlemen, the department heads and other bureaucrats. But this is theater, a distraction from the real issue. The problem is not at the bottom; the problem is at the top.

Let us look to Singapore, a nation that understood that corruption, like all cancers, must be treated at its source. In the early days of Singapore’s independence, corruption was rife. The bureaucracy was bloated with inefficiency, and the political class was not immune from temptation. But Singapore’s leaders did not waste time calling department heads into conference rooms to read them the laws.

They did not pretend that the problem could be solved by cracking down on the minor offenders while leaving the big fish swimming free. Instead, they went after the top. Politicians, senior officials—anyone who was caught in the act of corruption faced severe consequences, and not just a slap on the wrist or a stern warning. People went to jail. Ministers were prosecuted. No one, no matter their rank, was above the law.

The lesson from Singapore is simple: reform must start at the top. It is only when the political elite are held accountable that the message will filter down to the lower ranks. Corruption, after all, is not simply a violation of procurement laws or the misuse of public funds; it is a culture, an insidious belief that one can break the rules without consequence. And that culture is cultivated at the top. If the ministers and the political leaders believe they are untouchable, why should a procurement officer believe otherwise? Why should a department head think they should follow the law when they see those above them flouting it with impunity?

The notion that corruption can be stamped out by simply insisting that heads of government agencies comply with the law, regulations and processes is naïve at best, and disingenuous at worst. It is a way for governments to appear as if they are doing something about corruption without actually doing anything meaningful. It is window-dressing, a cosmetic fix designed to placate the public while the real offenders—the ones with power, influence, and access—continue business as usual. The hypocrisy of it all is staggering.

Take, for example, a recent instance where the government claimed that a procuring agency had followed the old regulations. The question is, what action did the government take then? Were the officials involved held accountable? Was anyone prosecuted? The answer, as is so often the case, is no. The government made a lot of noise about the issue but ultimately did nothing. And therein lies the problem: all talk, no action.

If the government were serious about fighting corruption, it would start by cleaning up its own house. It would pass legislation that ensures transparency at the highest levels of government, and it would enforce that legislation rigorously. But instead, what we get is theater: grand speeches about reform, carefully staged meetings with department heads, and a flurry of press releases designed to convince the public that something is being done. But beneath the surface, nothing changes.

The people are not fooled by this charade. They know that corruption in government is not just a problem of a few bad apples in the lower ranks. They know that the real issue is the culture of impunity that exists at the top, a culture that allows politicians and senior officials to have no fear of punishment. And they know that until this culture is dismantled, no amount of meetings or laws or proclamations will make a difference.

What we need is a government that is willing to take real action, not just against the low-level bureaucrats, but against the big fish. We need to see politicians in handcuffs, ministers in court, and senior officials facing real consequences for their actions. Until that happens, all the talk of reform is just that—talk.

It is time to confront the real problem head-on. We cannot continue to pretend that corruption is something that can be solved by reading the Riot Act to department heads. It is not enough to simply remind people that the law exists. We must show them that the law has teeth, and that it will be enforced, no matter who is caught in its grasp.

If we are serious about ending corruption, we must start at the top. We must go after the political elite, the ministers, the senior officials, the people who hold the real power. Only then will the message filter down. Only then will the culture of corruption be dismantled. And only then will the people believe that their government is truly committed to reform. Until that happens, all the meetings, all the speeches, and all the proclamations are just theater, designed to distract. The people deserve better!

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.) 

• bureaucrats, consequences, corruption, newspaper, The hypocrisy, window-dressing