Have a look at the “Judicial Commission of Inquiry Into State Capture Report Part I” by acting Chief Justice Raymond Zondo , the first of three parts of a report into allegations of state capture, corruption and fraud in the Public Sector including organs of State in South Africa.
--State capture and the institutionalisation of the government and its administration with a culture of corruption did not happen overnight ; from the internationally highly regarded entities that they once were to what they subsequently became, the decline happened over a number of years under different regimes; successive regimes failed dismally to make any effective interventions to halt the decline.
--Boards of the SOEs have shirked their responsibilities, or worse, used their powers to corrupt the SOEs. This collective misconduct was often evidenced by the abuse of the centralised procurement processes so that the approval authority for high value tenders became concentrated in the hands of a small group of top executives, board members and the concerned Ministers. This pattern of executive interference and political overreach at the SOEs has been encouraged by all regimes who continued with the system of appointment of their cronies on boards of SOEs-the political elite joining hands with the administrative elite, all at the mercy of an oligarchy-dominated private sector.
--All the regimes succeeded in securing total control of the procurement process and exploiting the loopholes.
--Most of the regimes allowed state capture to flourish and in many instances proceeds of this form of corruption flowed to their party coffers.
--They have failed us on the financing of political parties ; they have been providing all kinds of excuses for not coming forward with a genuine, effective and sanctioning legislation to provide for accountability and transparency with regard to the financing of political parties.
Can we expect our traditional mainstream parties to bring the much-needed change in our society ?
While we continue relentlessly, uncompromising in our fight against cronyism, state capture and corruption, among others; and our criticisms rage on unabated against the political elite , we see that the very parties that are trying to convince us that they will be framing our future social and political discourse are still caught in a time-warp.
No, we cannot expect them to do politics differently and bring about the change we want to see. Can we trust the same cohort of old guards who are still clinging to power and privilege ? Can we expect new more innovative ways of doing things than their outdated and divisive ways- the same old practice where secrecy, patronisation and shoddy governance standards are the norms?
No, after years of dominance by patronage-driven political parties that work only to enrich a connected elite, our democracy urgently needs a strong and promising alternative.
Lepep want change. The people want a new future that would embrace transformation and reorientation to keep pace with their changing sentiments, aspirations, needs, and preferences. The old order had to give way to the new.
While they are caught up in their old insipid and tiring game of musical chairs reserved for old guards, the progressive movements, parties and Mauritians should join forces and start discussing the strategies and programmes of reform of the economic and political system for a new model of development.
That ’s what Lepep was expecting when they rallied behind the cry “BZTD”; the progressive forces should take the centre stage now, it is an opportunity that they cannot afford to waste .
Lepep will again rally behind them because they have the programmes and strategies that will secure a more inclusive and resource-efficient economy and where the rising tide of economic growth will lift all boats, not just the super yachts of the economic and political elite
Sometime back I wrote the following with an accompanying cartoon (courtersy of Crayon de Pov)which I feel is still relevant today:
"L'ironi sey ki certains pé pran lepep so "BZTD" zot pé déform li , Lepep ti pé dir tu ban dinosaures ek ban dynasty avek so pouriitur déhors ; lepep bizin ban novo dimoun, ban ki pé littey pou li, ban ki pense pu enn nouvo morisyanisme ,enn nouvo model de dévelopma et systèm politik, ki pas trempé dan komunalism, dan kokin, dan népotisme, cronysm et state capture....certains fer soi dizan zot pas compran ! Lepep means it ,"BZTD" dan tou so sens !"
