The past few weeks we have focused on acknowledging existing measures and opportunities for ending corruption in our country. We have applauded our government for being among many other governments that have signed up to global, continental and regional legal instruments for combating corruption. We have also acknowledged the prevailing political will, especially the fact that committing to end corruption from a political pedestal is not the easiest undertaking in this part of the world where corruption pays for everything, including loyalty. We have, cautiously, asserted that Malawi is on the path to winning the war against corruption because we seem to have most of the basics that are required.  We also got encouraged with our leaders at different levels who continue to show some bravery by associating with the anti-corruption war as demonstrated at the recent national event for the commemoration of the International Anti-Corruption Day.

This week I would like to muse over the issue of arrests of people suspected to be connected to acts of corruption and whether at all we should celebrate these as the end of corruption in Malawi. I must concede from the onset that although we cannot state statistics, there is probably no other time in Malawi when many senior public officials have been arrested over corruption related charges than in the past two years. Perhaps it is a sign that our institutions are now more independent and effective than before. Of course, these developments come at a time when the law enforcement agencies have for a long time been accused of being selective when pursuing corruption cases.

It turns out therefore that it may become tempting for law enforcers to cite the number of arrests as the key milestones towards ending corruption. In my view, this is tricky and can derail our focus to what matters most in the country’s anti-corruption strategy. Without demeaning the importance of arresting corruption suspects, I must hasten to declare my personal opinion that over-investing in arrests is akin to taking a firefighting approach to combatting corruption. I am very much aware of the controversy this point may create and therefore I must state it with a lot of caution! Let me explain.

Lately, any news about a corruption related arrest has brought a lot of public excitement, especially when the arrest concerns those considered to be BIG FISH. Such news gets to be treated almost as breakthroughs in ending corruption especially by activists who want to see suspected individuals put behind prison bars.  Opinions in social media and other platforms almost read as though corruption will end when all present and past corruption suspects are dragged through the mental and physical agony of going through a court process.

Unfortunately, the hard truth is that corruption is resilient and will not end by mere acts of taking suspects through courts or locking them up in prisons. As stated in previous entries, those that practise corruption, especially grand and organised corruption, are prepared to go any distance to protect their stakes in the business of corruption. They are prepared to take the risk of being arrested, suffering the embarrassment of appearing in court or spending a few years in prison. What matters is the size of the trophy and the possibility that they can afford to pay for legal protection using the same money stolen from the public.

All I am saying is that the fight against corruption must not just focus on one aspect because corruption will not end when every suspect is locked up in prison. Anti-corruption measures must be more about prevention than reacting when the damage is already done. Therefore, while investing public resources in investigating and prosecuting corruption offenders it is equally important to support efforts of restoring national INTEGRITY. Let us spend more energy toward ensuring that Malawians adopt the spirit of avoiding corruption not because they fear being arrested but rather because they are convinced that corruption is bad.

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