President Chan Santokhi said in his annual speech on Thursday that fighting corruption will be a priority. And the fight against corruption will be intensified.
The president said that they are pleased that the Public Prosecution Service together with the judiciary, with great commitment and energy are working to finalize the cases that are already submitted where allegedly corrupt practices have taken place. The Anti-Corruption Commission resulting from the Anti-Corruption Act has already been prepared and will be completed in the next fiscal year.
Santokhi said the relevant investigative bodies often lack the necessary expertise to meet the burden of proof in especially complex and complicated corruption cases. According to the head of state, structural work will have to be done to strengthen the necessary values and norms, which can contribute to the reduction of corruption, with the cooperation of various groups in society.
Sandtokhi said that ethics and morality are important to adequately tackle these kinds of social issues in combination with severe penalties. He said further that the responsibility lies on everyone in society, from parents to clergy, teachers, the business leaders as well as police and control authorities.
The president acknowledged that trust in politics in general is gradually wearing out and it needs to come back. According to him, there should be a joint discussion about what needs to be done in order to regain this trust.
The president said that a new fresh, modern and appealing politics is needed and culture is not an issue for him. Politics that transcend party political boundaries. Politics must be based on norms and values that build up a nation.
