EDITORIAL: Lifestyle audit is now long overdue

The war against graft has been fought for decades with little to show in terms of either deterrence or punishment.

To give credit where it’s due, a lot of political, judicial and prosecutorial efforts have been invested all along despite the less than optimal results. But until recently, few offenders appeared deterred by the massive investment put in place.

Part of the problem has been legislation that seems to favour the perpetrators of corruption at the expense of the victims—who are really the poor people who have to go without food and essential medicine as a result of the crime.

The rights of the criminals have been so much safeguarded to the extent that they have little to fear in terms of public scrutiny leave alone penal reprisals.

For instance, while State and public officers are required to declare their wealth with various agencies, any interested party has to go through the Judiciary to access the information.

That means anyone who may be in a position to dispute the information is locked out by dint of being in the dark over the contents. That could change if a new bill before parliament sails through. Lifestyle Audit Bill 2019 proposes that content of wealth declaration for the president, his deputy and the Cabinet be made accessible to the public.

Clearly, we need to know their wealth well before they occupy the much-coveted positions.

If the public is aware of the declared wealth, they will be in a position to dispute it or more importantly tell when it changes abruptly; upon which they can demand an explanation.

Crucially, the proposal includes a stipulation that the declarations be filed with the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission meaning perpetrators might have little incentive to seek public offices.

As well, the declarations of spouses and dependent children will be filed every two years sealing quite some loopholes in the current anti-graft laws. The brainchild of nominated Senator Farhiya Ali Haji is a welcome addition to the current set of laws and it is our hope Parliament and the Executive will support its enactment.