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Cameroon: U.S. Ambassador Urges Gov't to Arrest More Corrupt Officials

The US Ambassador to Cameroon, H.E. Janet Elizabeth Garvey, has urged government to go the whole hog and arrest all its corrupt officials in order to lay corruption to rest.

Author: egoh_modiaziz

Corruption which is a universal perception unfolding any organised, mutually supporting structure in which part of the structure is either not performing duties it was initially intended to, or performing them in an inappropriate way, to the disadvantage of the system’s initial principle, has reached its water mark in Cameroon. It has affected the entire fabrics of the society. It has eroded investor confidence in Cameroon, and has absolutely accounted for the crumbling of the entire economy of the country. It’s more experienced in the public sector. With regards to political governance in Cameroon, corruption has rendered the political system completely dysfunctional in such a way that government and political officials seek personal gain through illegitimate means such as bribery, extortion, cronyism, nepotism, patronage, graft and embezzlement. Political corruption is a specific form of rent seeking which is at its apex in Cameroon and must not be confused with property rental. Corruption is a cankerworm in Cameroon that has eaten deep into the stomach of its citizens. It is practically visible in every domain of human life in Cameroon, ranging from primary school headmasters and principals of government high schools, to directors in government departments and of various state corporations. In reality, part of the ethics governing public service delivery in Cameroon is corruption. It is in this light that the US Ambassador in Cameroon, His Excellency Janet Gavey in her talk urges the Cameroon government to embark on efficient mechanisms, committed persons and political will so as to establish a situation of norms, ethics, checks and balances. She postulated that corruption affects governance and economic prosperity. According to her argument with regards to the level of corruption in Cameroon, it implies that it is as a result of its water mark pitch that the international community is scared to come to Cameroon thus keeping away foreign investors that would have created wealth through their investment in the country. While hammering on the vices of corruption, she pointed out that its adversities are stumbling blocks to the government’s credibility. Even though she mentioned that corruption is a universal scourge that exists even in the US, she further argues that it is limited because of certain measures that the US government has put in place which forces its citizens to abide to certain rules that keeps them away from falling into temptation. At the end of her discussion, she urges the Cameroon government to emulate some of these examples. My suggestion here is that the way corruption is fought in the US cannot necessarily be the same way it could be combated in Cameroon. By this I mean, these are two different societies, in other words, it should be fought with regards to how our society functions. That is to say, the mechanisms that have been implored in the US may not necessarily be the same in Cameroon. Her suggestion of the Higher Institute of Public Management playing the national oversight role in the fight against corruption is a tangible point to reckon with. I think with the efficient running of this institute, it will be able to sensitize the government on the adversities of corruption and brief them on the advantages of accountability and transparency.

Author: eb3p
This post was deleted because it was flagged as using abusive language and hate speech.


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