March on in the fight against corruption

The office of the Prosecutor General is one of the busiest in the country these days. The reason for this is that there are so many high-profile cases it is handling, and it is treading so warily that it does not even wish to be seen to be carrying out any investigations at all. They will even deny that there are any such cases going on! But what is happening? This newspaper is in the spotlight for breaking stories about big names like ministers and members of parliament getting involved in ‘investigatable’ situations. “Ministries investigated”; “SGs quizzed”; “MPs under probe”. Angry calls have been made to this newspaper’s editors accusing them of being like some papers here that dabble in sensationalism as their stock-in-trade. Yet other callers have wondered what has happened to The New Times – ostensibly because it is wrongly thought that by not being sensational, the paper can never expose inept and corrupt government officials. This paper’s management wants to unequivocally state that it does not condone any form of corruption, whether perpetrated by lesser government mortals or very senior citizens of this country, and will not shy away from exposing and taking them to account. That said, it is time to commend the Prosecutor General’s office for biting the bullet and going full-scale after the people in government who are allegedly involved in tender scams and any other malpractices concerning financial impropriety. However hard it is to think that a senior citizen can be quizzed by investigators, it is this very fact that will stand Rwanda in good stead. Everyone would appreciate that without a doubt, there is no person in the land whose influence is so great as to render the Prosecutor General’s office for example, to bend some few rules or laws in their favour. This country should continue standing tall in the world due to its rigorous policy against corruption. The fact that many cases are appearing in courts now should not deter, but encourage the onslaught. Rwanda is not losing it, but it is standing up to it. Ends