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Namibia: ACC's Weekend Swoop a Success
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The Namibian (Windhoek)
COLUMN
2 May 2008
Posted to the web 2 May 2008
Windhoek
THE Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) must be congratulated for their weekend crackdown on the abuse of Government vehicles which netted a number of culprits, and it is to be hoped that this is not the last exercise of its kind.
Done in collaboration with the Namibian and City Police, the ACC swoop stopped a total of 229 GRN vehicles between last Friday and Saturday, of which 23 were impounded in addition to 22 alleged transgressors being arrested.
It is fairly obvious this is only the tip of the iceberg, and the ACC bust shows that vehicle abuse is already a deeply entrenched problem in our country.
The upshot of the swoop is that the ACC has recommended a 'clear, comprehensive Government policy document' defining the duties and responsibilities of drivers of Government cars.
This largely because of what they termed 'open-ended' trip authorisations in which there was no clarity on whether a person was on an authorised trip; whether passengers were allowed; and also lack of clarity on what kind of usage was permitted and for what length of time.
In some cases officials of the Namibia Defence Force (NDF) argued they did not need trip authorisation within 60 km of their bases and offices, so it appears as if different standards are in force for various Government departments.
The ACC is quite correct in arguing for more clarity on rules and regulations governing GRN vehicle usage.
It would certainly simplify the task of those monitoring the abuse of Government cars, a practice that has become almost endemic to anyone observing some of the activities of certain GRN drivers.
Such vehicles are frequently used to take children to and from schools, pick up and drop relatives and other passengers, and the cars are also often seen at shopping centres and on trips which would otherwise be regarded as private.
A drive around town this week revealed that offenders have hardly been deterred by the ACC swoop last weekend.
A number of GRN vehicles were seen going about their usual business of using Government cars for private purposes, which shows that a one-off swoop isn't going to end these abuses.
It would be of great value to the taxpayers of this country, themselves hard hit by the increasing fuel prices, for the ACC and Police to conduct such operations from time to time, as the surprise element is obviously important in netting as many culprits as possible.
The abuse is very widespread.
Even the brief weekend swoop indicates that a large number of vehicles were being abused, and over time, this number would increase even more significantly.
It is, at the end of the day, a waste of precious State resources.
Government in turn should immediately take heed of ACC requests for more clarity as far as policies are concerned to make it easier for those trying to monitor Government vehicle abuse.
Civil servants should again be reminded of their duties and responsibilities when using Government cars, and be warned once again of the consequences should they abuse these privileges.
The attrition rate on Government vehicles is high, as can be testified to by the Government garage, and there is little doubt that many of the accidents and damage to vehicles are as a result of irregular or illegal usage.
Government should in fact have its own monitors to do continuous monitoring and spot checks to ensure that vehicle abuse is kept to a minimum.
There seems little point in allowing the status quo to continue, and hope at the same time that the occasional action from the ACC will do the trick.
It would also be good if a hotline was set up where citizens could report such abuse when and where it occurs.
Government should further spell out clear consequences to those abusing vehicles.
Not only should the law be allowed to take its course against them, but culprits should also be prohibited from using GRN vehicles for a certain period of time if they are found guilty of abuse.
It is essential that the deterrent factor be strong enough to slow down, if not totally eliminate, such abuse in future.
The exercise in short, was a good one, but there does need to be more frequent swoops of this kind, preferably at month end, in order to make a long-term difference and the change the mindsets of those civil servants who use Government cars for private purposes.
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In addition, change of rules and regulations and continuous monitoring by Government itself, would show that we are serious about stopping such abuse.
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