Africa-Press – Namibia. FINANCE MINISTER Iipumbu Shiimi has hit the nail on the head: Government officials with private businesses cannot have their cake and eat it.
For years, officials have benefited by working for the state and abusing their positions to benefit from the same government through tenders and other means. In some cases, from the very ministry or government agency they work for.
Shiimi has tabled an amendment to Namibia’s procurement law that would prohibit staff at public entities and members of the boards of directors of public entities from doing business with the public entities they are meant to serve.
“This is a moderate measure compared to other jurisdictions where public servants are totally prohibited from doing business with any organ of state,” Shiimi told parliament last week.
While it’s not an all-out ban for civil servants, the proposed changes are a good start. Some officials treat their positions as a side hustle while dedicating most of their time to their private businesses.
They are effectively stealing from the government and the people they are paid to serve. Hopefully, these proposed changes will lead to incisive and comprehensive legislation that bars officials from doing business with their bosses, and for which offenders will face consequences.
We agree with the Institute for Public Policy Research that the government needs to urgently introduce measures to deal with conflicts of interest among politicians and government officials.
Such measures plus codes of ethics will ensure that especially Cabinet members and senior government officials maintain the highest standard of integrity or face sanctions.
Civil servants, politicians and officials should be made to choose which side they want to serve – the public service or their private interests. They cannot continue reaping double benefits from the government and the sector they are meant to regulate.
Perhaps the government should look into this as an option to reduce the high wage bill that gobbles up N$30 billion – half of the national budget – every year. For years, officials have been able to do business with the government despite clear-cut conflicts of interest.
Earlier last year, prime minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila came under public scrutiny for selling two farms to the government at an alleged inflated price of about N$15 million. Deals of this nature are among those that should not be allowed to happen.
For More News And Analysis About Namibia Follow Africa-Press
