NEWS
AND FEATURES ON THE SOLIDARITY 2000 CAMPAIGN IN COPENHAGEN
Uganda
Corruption - The Government's Biggest Failure?
KAMPALA, June 2000 (IPS) - Ugandans were not surprised when President Yoweri Museveni's brother, Salim Saleh, hit the headlines in May, accused of smuggling coffee out of the war-torn Congo and tax evasion.
Only two years earlier, he was implicated in a scandal involving the privatisation of Greenland Bank, prompting his brother to sack him as commander of the armed forces. "Anywhere you go, people decry the increasing level of corruption.
The rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer, says Charles Lwanga-Ntale of Development Research and Training. "The people really making money, like Salim Saleh, are part of government." "These are the people who are putting on another hat and saying: 'Corruption is bad.' When they say they are fighting corruption I can't believe it. They can't fight themselves out of business."
A recent report by the Auditor General revealed Sh17.8bn disbursed to the ministry of defence, State House and the Office of the President was missing, pointing to massive fraud and lack of accountability. (Sh 1,600 equals US $1.00).
For example, in the defence ministry, Sh 9.8m was taken for a trip for three senior officers to the Congo. The trip did not take place and the money was not refunded. "So much has been said about corruption," says Lwanga-Ntale.
"We now have a Ministry of Ethics and Integrity, Leadership Code, Inspector General of Government (IGG), Auditor General, CID, Special Branch... The list is endless. I'm sure they're about to set up another agency," he jokes. "That's not the answer. It's not about creating new institutions."
Lwanga Ntale sees it as a matter of political will. "If the political leadership gathered some muscle and said: 'We're going to clean the house. You failed to perform. You go,' to two or three people, the rest would comply.
''Museveni needs to deal decisively with examples like his own brother. If people like Salim Saleh are able to get away with it, what moral authority does the government have to turn around and say: 'Arrest corruption.'?"
The director of the Ministry of Ethics and Integrity, Ashaba Aheebwa, is quick to defend his government."It is easy for people to say nothing is happening. It is easy to shout but you need documents to go to court. Even if people know, they need evidence on paper."
He admits that the government is not moving at a satisfactory pace but argues: "We are moving ahead so what we put in place stays. When you hurry according to people's immediate needs, you make mistakes. You move according to your professional understanding."
He blames inadequate legislation: "Our laws are so bad you will not catch someone easily. There are sections of law we are trying to amend now. We must change our purchasing system, revise the law on procurement, revise the leadership code." And poor state salaries: "One thing you have to appreciate is in government, the pay is very low. A policeman gets Sh70,000 a month. If he's earning that and he has to do a lot of work, you know what that means."
The government has just completed a proposal on pay reform. And the myriad problems the government faced when it took power in 1986: "We have so many things to deal with. You must make your priorities and that is why there might be some casualties now. If you untie two cows you can't milk both at the same time. The west is supporting Uganda because they think we are holding the right one."
He complains that "people now come into a comfortable country and shout bout corruption" and points to the success of the Asian Tigers: "Malaysia is corrupt but they have the highest growth." To be fair, the government is not the only culprit. Corruption is deeply rooted at all levels of society. "We are telling people they are the first point of corruption. If you go campaigning for their votes, they will ask you for money," says Suleiman Madada, chair of the International Anti-corruption Theatrical Movement (IATM).
"Leaders come and go and they are elected out of the public so it is the public that is responsible." There is an urgent need to create an anti-corruption culture at the grassroots and to increase public awareness. "People express frustration that corrupt acts often go unpunished and they do not know what action to take to ensure accountability," says Madada.
"It is our interest to ensure that people know their rights. Information is power." IATM are using drama to educate people. "Theatre is like coating a sour pill with sugar. You make them laugh. They even pay. It is cheaper than seminars," Madada smiles.
"And it is getting to the people directly. Drumming and singing is part of people's culture. Those who are reading are few. Even on TV people do not look at serious matters." Founded in 1997, IATM has 60 member groups in nine African countries. "In church, women's groups, traditional healers, military training - they're all singing.
We tell them: 'Put the message about corruption in,'" says Madada. "We are empowering communities." "We are making people know where to report and what to do. The people themselves should become police against corruption."
"The other way of fighting corruption is creating democratic institutions," says Madada. IATM create "model groups" by training partners to have participatory planning and decision making processes. Lwanga-Ntale believes education has to start with the children: "Very little is being done to address younger people. We begin talking about ethics, integrity and corruption at a stage when people have already fallen into things.
He sees the introduction of ethics into the school curriculum as a possible way forward: "Self-responsibility has to be inculcated into youngsters. We need to do more to support the young now if we are going to look to the future."