10 Dec 2013

Public officers should adopt smart work ethics that will enable them to shun corruption, says the Assistant Minister for Presidential Affairs and Public Administration, Mr Gaotlhaetse Matlhabaphiri.

Delivering a keynote address at the International Anti-Corruption Day in Maun, Mr Matlhabaphiri said smart work ethics were aimed at addressing common causes of corruption such as bureaucracy, delay in service delivery and poor work ethics that resulted in impatient service recipients, hopeless workers as well as greedy and disgruntled public servants.

Mr Matlhabaphiri said corruption and poor work ethic were intertwined, hence the need to change the manner in which public officers approached work and service delivery if the country was to remain competitive.

He said for Botswana to achieve a corruption free society, efforts should always be underpinned by commitment to transparency and accountability so as to eliminate these societal disorders.

“The starting point towards fulfillment of these expectations is for the leadership to inspire change in the attitudes of the public and civil servants before it could be done to the systems in which they operate,” he added.

Mr Matlhabaphiri noted that Botswana has been recognised as being the least corrupt country in Africa, adding that for that, it was given the honour to serve as the first Commonwealth Africa Anti-Corruption Centre in February 2013. He said the major contributory factor being the consistent high rankings by Transparency International and the accolades awarded on good governance by other institutions and instruments.

Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index results of 2013 have rated Botswana at 64 per cent and ranked 30 out of 177 countries. The assistant minister said despite the success that the country registered in the fight against corruption, there was evidence that corruption continued to infiltrate the system, causing impediments towards achievement of social and economic development.

Mr Matlhabaphiri said there was a need to double efforts to strengthen governance across all sectors of the economy as well as promoting partnerships in the fight against corruption at both local and international levels. He noted that Parliament has amended the Corruption and Economic Crime Act to remove loopholes. He said the amended law would enable the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime to effectively deal with and combat corruption.

He said it was important for all to take stock and to use commemorations as a yardstick to gauge themselves and to uphold whatever good they do in order to maintain the outstanding international reputation.

He added that it was important to formulate strategies that would exterminate corruption from society. “We can all play a pivotal role in the development of our country’s economy through curbing all the possible opportunities of corruption,” he said.

“Effective detection and prevention of corruption can only be achieved through a holistic government, private sector and society approach.” Mr Matlhabaphiri said the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime worked with the Botswana Institute for Development Policy Analysis (BIDPA) to develop an integrated national anti-corruption policy as a national priority.

It is expected that the policy would boost the confidence of investors and development partners. The policy would be completed by January 2014. He commended the DCEC for enhancing its partnership with civil society.

He said in the absence of a vigilant civil society the fight against corruption would be a lost cause. The International Anti-Corruption Day was commemorated under the theme: Act against corruption. Ends