Was it at a gathering of the old boys club that the Minster of Interior, a former veteran of the FIA, declare that the FIA is now going to be given more powers to crackdown on corrupt officials? On the face of it, the steps, including a rumoured granting of police powers to the agency, seem like solid action. But to what end? There is a need, granted, for accountability but why not through more transparent channels? There needs to be a consensus on the accountability bill. This is one of the problems of this government. Areas which need immediate, executive action, like the operations in the war against terror, it takes to the house for resolutions. But areas which require consensus, like the setting up of modalities for the accountability process, it handles through executive and administrative methods. The more additional state machinery you put into the accountability process, the more avenues of corruption you might end up opening.
