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Conflict of interest is a drawback
2006-04-02 07:45:33
By Editor
When someone, an entity or a group of people advocate adoption of a certain formula or trend designed to streamline operations or a certain system at home, certain quarters shout down the proposal spiritedly.
They advance the standard argument that borrowing from foreigners is tantamount to an admission that one lacks creativity; or, worse, that the borrower fits into the slavery mode, whereby a slave is fully reliant on the master for everything, including ideas.
There is no denying the glaring fact, however, that in this world, and more-so a globalised world, lending and borrowing are inescapable and even desirable in some cases.
That is the framework within which we wish to advocate exploration of the philosophy of conflict of interest, to which much premium is attached by some governments, communities or entities abroad.
It may be a tricky and even painful philosophy to embrace at individual level, but to the public at large, its advantages are huge.
Put simply, when someone owns, operates, or has shares in a given institution, firm or activity, one’s hands are literally tied when his or her professional obligations are demanded, to take disciplinary or punitive measures when something goes wrong there.
Balancing between personal interest and answering to the call of duty is tricky; at best one becomes neutral, and at worst, he or she makes wrong decisions, but which nonetheless protect or enhance one’s interests.
Our last editorial commended the government for its determination to re-tune the Police Force into a true guarantor and protector of the lives and property of wananchi.
One dark area on which the searchlight must be focused is the conflict of interest stemming from police officers, including those in the traffic wing, owning urban commuter bus service providers, daladala.
The service has ’’won’’ misgivings on account of many of the buses being mechanically defective, conductors being uncouth and intimidating, and the drivers reckless and notorious for flouting the routing system.
It is inconceivable that the police can book offenders in respect of vehicles that they own, or which are owned by fellow officers.
In this kind of conflict, personal interest overrides public interest. This, naturally, fuels indiscipline and resultant chaos in the daladala transport sub-sector.
The safest approach, then, is for the police to keep off that line of business. But it is also a principle that should cover other public servants, who should steer clear of trouble and be guaranteed of peace of mind as well as being ethics promoters, by avoiding engagement in activities that are likely to tear them between two conflicting worlds.
It is a healthy principle that we should adopt, rather than view it as an alien, inappropriate import.
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