By Surihe Gaomas WINDHOEK The first opinionated book on corruption, that is now freely available in Namibia, is meant to stir more debate and critical thinking about this topical issue in the country. Described as one of the first of its kind by the Namibian Institute of Democracy (NID), the recently launched publication entitled “Tackling Corruption – Opinions on the Way Forward in Namibia, “focuses on the different views and opinions of various stakeholders from government institutions, civil society and the business sector.” Editor of the book Graham Hopwood said on Tuesday that the publication aims to offer an assessment of where the country is going in terms of its anti-corruption drive, announced two years ago by President Hifikepunye Pohamba during his zero-tolerance pledge on March 21, 2005. What makes the book notably different is that it carries opinions, interviews and transcripts from leading members of Namibia’s civil society, rather than from government spokespersons or academic researchers. “Contributors were asked not to write academic essays, but rather opinion pieces on topics designed to provoke further debate and critical thinking on the effectiveness of our anti-corruption strategy,” explained Hopwood. The five contributors who presented their viewpoints on whether any progress has been made in the fight against corruption are the co-editor of Insight Namibia, Tangeni Amupadhi, Executive Director of Women’s Action for Development Veronica de Klerk, Executive Director of the Namibia Institute for Democracy Theunis Keulder, Chief Executive Officer of the Namibia Chamber of Commerce and Industry Tarah Shaanika, ex-member of parliament Hans-Eric Staby. The volume includes interviews with the Director of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), Paulus Noa, Ombudsman John Walters, Auditor General Junias Kandjeke and Prosecutor General Martha Imalwa – who spoke candidly about their roles in fighting corruption and the challenges they face. Among several topics covered in the 79-page book are: “Namibia’s Efforts to Tackle Corruption,” “Citizens’ Responsibility,” the “Role of Business” in combating this scourge, “Investigative Journalism in Namibia” in rooting out corruption and the way forward for the country’s current Anti-Corruption Strategy. Hopwood said that the publication is not necessarily geared towards holding politicians accountable, but rather nurturing the role of civil society as a watchdog, an educator and an agent for change. He concluded that the book in some way suggested that while the country has not lost the battle against corruption, it is already in danger of losing its way to curb it effectively. “There is a sense in which we are looking almost completely to the ACC to deliver results, while disregarding our own roles in ensuring corruption is uprooted. Yes, the role of the ACC is vital particularly in ensuring that the public have faith in our watchdog institutions,” said Hopwood. As the keynote speaker at the book launch, Director of the Anti-Corruption Commission Paulus Noa agreed with Hopwood that the fight against corruption is everyone’s responsibility and not just that of the ACC. “The fight against corruption should not be left to one institution alone, all of us have to come on board and face this evil. This should be part of the national strategy for all relevant stakeholders in taking on a multi-sectoral approach,” said Noa. He commended the NID and the various contributors of the book, saying that this is a step in the right direction as it would help the ordinary man on the street to understand this much talked about evil. “The book offers several important insights into what can be done to fight the evils of corruption. One of the main focuses of the book is the role that civil society as well as the business community can play in Namibia’s struggle against corruption,” said Noa. The NID will use the book as a training manual for its workshops countrywide. The publication is also a contribution to the country’s zero-tolerance for corruption campaign and is funded by USAID, SIDA and the Embassy of Finland.