October 27,
2008: The South African parliament has
passed a law to disband an elite government investigation unit nicknamed the
"Scorpions." Investigations by this unit have led to dozens of corruption
prosecutions of government officials. That's why the unit is being dismantled.
Corruption is a major problem throughout Africa, and many nations are now
setting up units like the Scorpions, after having realized that corruption was
the major cause of the poverty and civil wars that afflict most Africans.
But the
corrupt politicians and government officials tend to prove very resilient when
confronted with the possibility of being punished. Those that cannot use their
money to bribe or litigate their way out of trouble, often seek to dismantle
the anti-corruption organizations themselves. There is much popular unrest over
this sort of thing. In South Africa, the ANC, which has ruled the country since
the white minority agreed to democracy in the early 1990s, is breaking apart.
The anti-corruption faction is out to start a reform party that will take on
the crooked politicians who dominate the government.
At least the
corrupt politicians are being challenged, but so far the bad guys are still
winning. Africa's future depends on achieving clean, or at least much cleaner,
government. Revolutions alone won't do it, because that tends to just replace
one bunch of corrupt politicians with a new crew, spouting new slogans.
