News Maharishi in the World Today

How We Present
the News







  
Swaziland finally tackling corruption

IRIN News    Translate This Article
17 July 2006

MBABANE,(IRIN) - King Mswati III, Swaziland's executive monarch, has finally signed a law empowering the government's Anti-Corruption Unit, 10 years after the body was established.

'Corruption remains a challenge for this government. We will rely on the full cooperation of the public, business and the media,' Prime Minister Themba Dlamini told a group of local newspaper editors this week as he announced royal assent to the long-deferred legislation.

Finance Minister Majozi Sithole told IRIN in an interview last year that corruption was costing the government R40 million (US$5.7 million) a month. Annually, this amount equals Swaziland's national debt of R450 million (US$64 million).

King Mswati took up the anticorruption agenda when he opened parliament this year, warning the practice was destroying the country. 'While we might be able to put a lot of effort in fast-tracking our economy, we should be alert to the fact that corruption is yet another factor that cripples the nation's development efforts. If left unchecked, corruption will certainly destroy our economy, and reverse the gains of the past,' Mswati told MPs.

A survey of the business community showed that corruption was believed to be widespread, and a necessary practice in securing government contracts. Petty bribery is widely practiced by the public to obtain favours from low-level bureaucrats, such as having government forms more swiftly processed.

In the mid-1990s, a series of high-profile corruption scandals, with no action taken against the perpetrators, prompted a public outcry that resulted in government establishing the Anti-Corruption Unit. However, a decade after it was set up, the unit had not brought a single culprit to book. Officials said they were hamstrung by a lack of legislation empowering them to undertake investigations and make arrests.

During the intervening decade, the economy has deteriorated, making the impact of corruption even more damaging. Two-thirds of Swaziland's one million people live below the poverty line, according to the United Nations Development Programme.

The new Anti-Corruption Act will allow the unit to seize assets thought to have been illegally acquired through bribery and kickbacks. It also has penalties for businesses and individuals who offer bribes to public officials as well as public-sector workers who accept them.

Although the law is now on the books, it will not be immediately enforced—the government wants a 'public education campaign' to be carried out first.

Global Good News comments:

To read more about Maharishi's principles of ideal administration, visit: http://maharishi-programmes.globalgoodnews.com/vedic-administration/index.html

Government is only worthy of the name if it has the ability to prevent problems. In this scientific age a prevention-oriented, problem-free government can be created in every country through the application of the knowledge of total Natural Law, the Constitution of the Universe, which governs the infinite diversity of the ever-expanding universe with perfect order. With the full support of Natural Law the world can now enjoy a new world order of affluence and peace.

Maharishi Peace Governments are now being established in 108 countries. The Peace Government will not usurp the responsibilities of the existing government, which is primarily concerned with crisis management. Instead, this second, complementary government will bring the life of a nation's people more into accord with Natural Law, thereby preventing crime, improving health, and elevating the destiny of the nation.

Copyright © IRIN 2006 Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN)



Translation software is not perfect; however if you would like to try it, you can translate this page using:

(Google)
(Altavista babelfish)

Send Good News to Global Good News.

Your comments.


government news more

World News | Genetic Engineering | Education | Business | Health News

Search | Global News | Agriculture and Environmental News | Business News
Culture News | Education News | Government News | Health News
Science and Technology News | World Peace | Maharishi Programmes
Press Conferences | Transcendental Meditation | Celebration Calendars | Gifts
News by Country | News in Pictures | What's New | Modem/High Speed | RSS/XML