Sports walks, film projections and roundtable debates highlighted commemoration in all regional headquarters yesterday December 9, 2015.
The Chairman of the National Anti-Corruption Commission (CONAC), Rev. Dieudonné Massi Gams, has castigated the proliferation of street drugs as a “concrete display of corruption in our country”. In a release issued within the framework of the commemoration of the 12th International Anti-Corruption Day yesterday, December 9, 2015, the CONAC Chair urged all administrative services, the private sector and civil society organisations to kick against the phenomenon of street drugs.
Sports walks, film projections and roundtable debates highlighted commemorative activities organised by the National Anti-Corruption Coalition (CNLCC) in all regional headquarters yesterday under the theme, “Buying Street Medicine is Buying Death!” The theme was chosen by CONAC and the Business Coalition Against Corruption (BCAC) to draw attention to the rampant drug forgery and illegal distribution networks of drugs as well as veterinary and phytosanitary products.
According to Massi Gams, most street drugs are produced illegally and in places which are pompously called “laboratories” and sold in adverse weather conditions under the watchful and complaisant eyes or even in complicity with traditional, municipal, administrative and political authorities, forces of law and order as well as some dishonest senior officials of the ministries in charge of health issues and commerce.
Another issue included in this year’s celebration was Climate Change which the CONAC boss blamed on man’s actions. In his statement, he argued that corruption encourages the uncontrolled exploitation of forests and fish resources, poaching, protected species trafficking, the destruction of protected areas, “hence exposing our planet to the climatic hazards we suffer from today. We are all responsible for this. We must all say No to corruption”.
In the same vein, a statement from the Secretary General of the United Nations Organisation, Ban Ki-moon, called for united efforts in the world to firmly reject corruption and instead embrace the principles of transparency, accountability and good governance. The UN General Assembly adopted the UN Convention Against Corruption on October 31 2003 and designated December 9 as International Anti-Corruption Day.
