Jack Bloom, summary extract of speech at DA election meeting in Randburg, May 5 2011
The four deadly sins of corruption: DA calls for effective Anti-Corruption Hotline
Corruption is derived from the Latin word that means "to destroy". It destroys many things. It destroys trust in government. It destroys trust in people. If it goes too far, it will destroy a society. Even senior government figures have conceded the extent of the problem. According to Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe, corruption is "far worse than anyone imagines...at all levels of government".
How do we re-establish moral authority so that all forms of corruptive behavior diminish? We must avoid the Four Deadly Sins of Corruption. It starts with Pride, with ego, with the sense that only the self matters and others not at all. This accounts for what is called "silent corruption", where civil servants don't do their jobs. It's why teachers don't teach, or nurses have long tea breaks while patients queue for hours.
It leads on to the next deadly sin, that of Greed. It never seems to be enough. It's like a drug. The thievery seems to happen wherever there is opportunity for it to happen.
The next stage is Killing, which is the third deadly sin. It may happen as in Mpumalanga where there are assassinations of those who expose corruption. Or it can be the gangsterism of the Agliottis, Kebbles and Krejcirs of this world. But stealing money from the poor can also lead to death if it means that medical care is not given.
We have an appalling emergency ambulance service in all three metros of this province because of mismanagement and corruption. If an ambulance does not arrive in good time in a medical emergency, then corruption has taken a life.
Finally, the fourth deadly sin is Indifference. This is when people stand aside when action is required to fight corruption. As Edmund Burke put it: "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing". We need more brave people to say no to corruption and to expose it. Don't just walk away, report it, be it mega millions in fraud or a traffic cop who wants a small bribe.
The real problem is that there is no real political will to thoroughly root out corruption. Too often it is just a way of damaging political rivals rather than even-handed across the board. How could it be otherwise when in different political circumstance Jacob Zuma could have ended up in jail for corruption?
Credibility starts with a proper investigation of the arms deal. Credibility means firing police commissioner Bheki Cele and Public Works Minister Gwen Mahlangu-Nkabinde for the police headquarters scandal. Credibility means firing Minister of Cooperative Governance Sicelo Shiceka for his flagrant abuse of public money.
Credibility means ensuring that tip-offs to the national anti-corruption hotline are followed up, but of the 7766 cases that the Public Service Commission has referred to government departments since 2004, feedback has only been received for 2811 (36%) of the cases. According to the PSC, even in the rare cases where action is taken there is too much leniency as "it is common to find written or final written warning to officials found guilty of fraud and corruption."
The Public Service Commission should be given proper resources and the teeth to ensure that all tip-offs to the national anti-corruption hotline are followed up with suitably harsh sanction.
You would think that in the middle of an election some heads would roll, but this only happens when the ruling party fears the electorate. But not here, because the ANC thinks that voters will continue supporting them regardless of performance. So give them the shock of their lives.
Use the power of your vote on 18 May to reject corrupt politics. This is the democratic way to fight corruption, otherwise it will indeed destroy everything we cherish in this country.
Statement issued by Jack Bloom MPL, DA Caucus Leader, Gauteng Legislature, May 5 2011
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