Evidence wa ka Ngobeni
In a scathing attack on men, Speaker of the National Assembly Dr Frene Ginwala
blamed the “old boys network” for destroying governments’ integrity.
“Links established in schools and universities, in villages and on golf links
all too easily slip from an old boys network into nepotism, whether based on the
old school tie or ethnicity, and jobs for the boys, deals for the boys and tenders, kickbacks and commissions,” she said.
Ginwala, who believes that connections and lobbying are the oil of political
engines, admitted her language “may appear sexist, but it is accurate”. She was
at the second Global Forum on Fighting Corruption and Safeguarding Integrity
held in the Netherlands this week.
The Global Forum II, which is a follow-up to the one in Washington DC two years
ago, is an intergovernmental conference with the objective of confirming governments’ commitments to fighting corruption and promoting integrity.
In addition to ministers responsible for national anti-corruption strategies,
the forum was also attended by government experts in integrity, law enforcement,
customs, development cooperation and trade.
Ginwala said: “Pork-barrel politics and corruption scandals at the highest level
in established democracies show how difficult it is to maintain integrity.”
There is, she said, “a need for rules, disclosure procedures and ethical codes
of conduct, which are powerful tools to define the boundaries of acceptable behavior”.
Ginwala, who is currently embroiled in claims that she misused her position to
favour the African National Congress in the arms deal probe, was among a number
of key speakers at the forum.
Other speakers included Netherlands Minister of Development Cooperation Eveline
Herkens, Transparency International chairperson Dr Peter Eigen, International
Chamber of Commerce secretary general Maria Livanos Cattaui and Netherlands Minister of Justice Steven van Hoogstraten.
They committed themselves to find working solutions against the scourge of public and private sector corruption in the world.
Ginwala’s address was largely focused on the role of the legislature in combating corruption.
The legislature, she said, “needs to function in an open and transparent manner,
and to set up effective mechanisms to hold the executive and other organs of
state accountable”.
“Codes of conduct are also necessary for the members of the executive and public
service for effective monitoring, and speedy disciplinary action and, where appropriate, criminal prosecution are necessary,” she said.
Ginwala, who said that South Africa “inherited an intrinsically corrupt system
of governance”, did not touch on the alleged corruption involving the arms deal.
However, she said: “International business transactions that are a source of
corrupt practices also require attention. It is important that countries ratify
and forcefully implement the provisions … of the anti-bribery convention.
“It is totally unacceptable that developed countries still permit their multinational corporations to engage in corrupt practices overseas, and even
encourage such action by making it tax deductible.
“The disclosure of corruption facilitated by open government practices and policies [in South Africa] has resulted in the perception of more corruption
[involving the new government].
“Of course, the perceptions are largely those of the same businessmen who used
to go around arguing against sanctions and disinvestment, while simultaneously
taking their own capital out of the country illegally.
“Now they fuel the perception that the new government has made things worse,”
she said, adding that “no one has measured the degree of corruption of the apartheid system, and we would not wish to be compared with that.
“It has taken us years in Parliament to repeal old laws and introduce even the
basic legal framework that would enable us to deal with corrupt bureaucrats,
politicians and police.” The private sector, Ginwala said, “also operated in a
closed society and profited by it. There were partnerships with international
criminals, and the corruption that was built into the system is very difficult
to overcome”.