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afrol News, 15 June - An independent anti-corruption watchdog group is calling the Senegalese government to "give greater and more consistent attention to the fight against corruption" after it had reacted sharply to a study revealing a high degree of corruption. The reaction had not been the most suitable to "tempt foreign investors" to come to Senegal. Transparency International (TI), a Berlin-based organisation engaged in the worldwide fight against corruption, this week stated its concern with the policy about-face of the Senegalese authorities. "The reality on the ground in Senegal is quite different from the government's pronouncements", said Mame Adama Guèye from TI's Senegalese national chapter. In mid-May 2002, Forum Civil, TI's Senegal chapter, had published the results of surveys on perceptions of corruption by the general public and the private sector. The surveys confirmed already known corruption trends in Senegal: Close to 90 percent of those surveyed acknowledged that corruption is widespread in Senegal's public sector and among politicians. They also held corruption has a high cost both for Senegalese enterprises and for society in general. The findings drew a sharp reaction from the Senegalese government. Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade accused Forum Civil of being "closet politicians who do not have the courage to accept their responsibilities." He also called into question the credibility of the surveys and rejected its conclusions. However, only months ago in a speech to the Swiss private sector, President Wade acknowledged the existence of a disturbing level of corruption in Senegal and committed himself to combat it vigorously. Also other sources have confirmed the findings of Forum Civil's surveys. A year ago, a survey sponsored by the EU in Benin and Niger as well as Senegal came to the same conclusions concerning the state of corruption and its manifestations in Senegal. In addition, a household survey carried out by the Senegalese government had revealed that 94.5 percent of those surveyed believed that poverty is linked to corruption. - This defensive reaction on the part of the Senegalese President is surprising, a TI communiqué observes, "given the President's many efforts to tempt foreign investors and the commitment to good governance made by African governments, including Senegal, under the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD)." TI was to "take note of the reaction of the Senegalese authorities and the threats made to its national chapter by certain government agencies." The organisation however recommended "calm and urges the Senegalese government to give greater and more consistent attention to the fight against corruption, a precondition to any efforts to promote good governance." The harsh comments from the President and government are put in connection with the fact that Wade had dedicated much of his election campaign to the fight against corruption but since that had failed to produce results. Guèye confirms this, saying: "The corruption wake-up call sent by Forum Civil via the publication of this report is even more justified given that since President Wade's election in March 2000, no concrete measures have been adopted to fight corruption in Senegal." Since the high-profiled publication of the study last month, the Senegalese press now however totally ignores these difficult questions. It's World Cup time and Senegal is caught in football fever. President Wade rides on a wave of popularity for presenting himself as the godfather of Senegalese football. Corruption could not possibly interest any Senegalese at the moment.
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