Civil society too weak to fight corruption: director
The Director of South Sudan’s Anti-Corruption Commission (SSACC) in Eastern Equatoria State (EES) has noted with great concern the weakness of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in the fight against graft.
TORIT, 11 December 2013 [Gurtong] – Jeremiah Gai says CSOs in the country and states are weak and without strong commitment to fight against “the widespread corruption”.
Gai expects civil society organizations to be independent bodies and not partisan like most are in the state. “This is wrong and it is against the ethics of the civil society. The civil society must boldly stand firm checking the government performance and correcting it to deliver better services to its people,” he said.
“Members in the civil society must not seek government employment; those in government positions like those of the EES Network for Civil Society must now begin to make choices whether to abandon the Civil Society or government. This will help us to realize effective war against corruption in the country.”
Gai was speaking to journalists during a daylong workshop in Torit. The training aimed at enlightening all civil servants and civil society organizations to make them understand how corruption can be fought.
John P. Heck, the main facilitator from the Netherlands, gave highlights of a number of related instances in his country. He appreciated efforts by the country’s leadership to fight corruption.
South Sudan has been ranked as one of the top corrupt countries being ranked as the fifth most corrupt country in the world. South Sudan Ranked Among Top Corrupt Nations
The Executive Director for the National Anti-Corruption Commission Kuyok Abol Kuyok urged the participants to apply the skills they acquired from the workshop to combat graft.
SSACC according to Gai has introduced an anti-corruption audit system to help in the fight against corruption.
The workshop was organized by the state government of EES in collaboration with SSACC.
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