THE BLAME GAME

Sir,

It is a very known fact that perhaps the greatest impediment to economic growth and poverty reduction in Africa is corruption.

The so-called Anti Corruption Commission has gone through great lengths recently, exposing this cancer in local newspapers. In one of their articles, we read how colonialism is supposedly the root cause of this scourge.

While there may be some truth to that assertion, it does very little to address the problem. While I am by no means defending colonialism, I fail to understand how putting the blame for our own shortcomings elsewhere will solve the problem. In my view, simply finding excuses for the problems which afflict us does nothing to solve those problems. As everyone knows, you will not cure a headache by blaming it on the weather, or noise or stress.

condemned

Every African knows that colonialism disrupted the traditional way of life in the countries which experienced it. So does that mean that countries which experienced colonialism are now condemned to an eternity of having to put up with corruption? I beg to differ. All but one African country were colonised by foreigners from other continents. So why is it that countries like Cape Verde or Botswana are far less corrupt than other countries like Angola or Malawi?

Eswatini is one of the most developed countries in Africa when compared to other countries on the continent, even though corruption has always existed. But it is only in the past 20 or 30 years that it has become a serious issue, long after independence. If colonialism is to be blamed for corruption, then why are we not faced with a one size fits all situation? As far as I am concerned, the only way to deal with crime is to arrest criminals.

Instead of playing the pointless blame game, perhaps the ACC would do well in actually doing its job by ensuring that those who are involved in corrupt practices are exposed and charged for their crimes – without fear or favour.

Senior citizen     

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