Opening remarks at PRS forum

Corruption, lack of governance and politics of confrontation keep bedeviling our national development efforts. Not surprisingly therefore, non-economic issues characterised the donors' approach to poverty reduction strategy (PRS) on the opening day of the forum. But the important thing to remember is that they are not the donors' concerns alone, rather they are our people's concerns, our concerns.

We could really make an economic breakthrough with a five per cent plus growth rate increased to seven or eight per cent per annum, provided corruption is eliminated substantially, poor governance ended, and politics of confrontation stymied.

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On the principal issue of corruption which eats away two per cent worth of GDP growth, may we ask, what initiative has the government taken to meet the concern of the business community and the people, let alone that of the donors over the malady? Look at this red herring of the Anti-corruption Commission (ACC) which remains a non-starter even to this day! In reality though, what can the ACC do when the executive control is absolute, politics gets the better of economic judgement and corruption in high places is an open secret? With such halfhearted steps like having a limping ACC, nobody can be made to believe that corruption can be rooted out, far less the development partners who are well informed.

There is little doubt that the implementation of PRS will stumble against three problems, namely corruption, mis-governance and confrontational politics as it gets underway. As for confrontational politics, the onus is on both the ruling and opposition parties to come to terms with each other. But on the questions of corruption and poor governance, the responsibility lies solely with the government to set things right.

In today's and tomorrow's sessions at the PRS Forum, we expect that substantive and fruitful discussions will be held on these important issues so that effective corrective steps could be taken to move things forward in terms of financing national development.