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Zambians expect PF to deliver on corruption promise - Indrawati

Zambians expect PF to deliver on corruption promise - Indrawati
By Chiwoyu Sinyangwe
Sat 24 Mar. 2012, 12:58 CAT

ZAMBIANS will demand that the PF government fulfils its campaign promise of cleaning up the country of corruption, says World Bank managing director Sri Mulyani Indrawati. And Indrawati says successful fight against corruption requires a cocktail of good legislation, a good law enforcer with high integrity and a good judicial system.

Indrawati, who last Thursday concluded her two-day official visit to Zambia, said the current regime had been elected by the people based on the platform of cleaning up the country and to improve the performance by addressing the issue of corruption.

"It is not for me to judge whether this is the intention or not, the government already promised the people. In this case, the people of Zambia are going to demand that and that they knew it and that is the time for the government to deliver the promise," Indrawati said in an interview.

"This is an area where the government knows exactly well that the people will ask them to deliver that promise."

Indrawati said the World Bank recognised that corruption could become a very dangerous obstacle to development goals.

"That is why our stance on corruption is very clear," she said. "We are not tolerating any corruption. We are definitely going to watch any resources that we disburse here in order to make sure that they are not going to be corrupted but we are also in this case in order to support the government for them to strengthen the capacity."

Early this month, the World Bank debarred Alstom Hydro France and Alstom Network Schweiz from receiving World Bank-funded contracts for up to three years after Alstom admitted misconduct in a Zambian hydro project.

In 2002, Alstom made an improper payment of €110,000 to an entity controlled by a former senior government official for consultancy services in relation to the World Bank-financed Zambia Power Rehabilitation Project.

And Indrawati said addressing the issue of corruption did not only need good rhetoric or promise.

"Addressing corruption, you need a good legislation and in this case, you really need to know whether the legislation is reflecting and strengthening this anti-corruption movement as well as the ability to prosecute and enforce the anti-corruption law," Indrawati said.

"But if you have good legislation, you really need to have good law enforcers and that is why the capacity, the appointment of the law enforcer especially in key position, with good and strong people with high integrity is very important. You also need a good judicial system because the corruption cases to be prosecuted will be put in judicial process according to the law and that is where you need good judges."

Indrawati said the PF government would need to have an open, transparent and accountable government to clean up the country.

"That means you need to build capacity. The government is already promising this to the people, a lot of work needs to be done," said Indrawati.

"The World Bank will support and strongly support the area that willstrengthen the governance."

Labels: CORRUPTION, PF

posted by MrK @ 9:43 PM