LETTERS - Constitution, Corruption
Cry for new constitutionBy Kabumbu Isaac
Monday March 19, 2007 [02:00]
It is interesting to read conflicting articles on the constitution debate. One wonders whether it is the President to give himself a new constitution or it is the people in need of such a hinge to govern themselves to the benefit of society as a whole. The people of Zambia have due human and licit rights to decide how to govern themselves. Why not new constitutional changes? The preamble to the Zambian Constitution notes that “The people of Zambia by our Representatives assembled in our Parliament…determined to uphold and exercise our inherent and inviolable right as a people to decide, appoint and proclaim the means and style to govern ourselves…
The above legal quotation uses inclusive language with pronoun “we”. There is no where it says “I the president of Zambia by my representatives assembled in my Parliament…determined to uphold and exercise my inherent and inviolable right as the President to decide, appoint and proclaim the means and style to govern ourselves.”
Therefore, the people of Zambia standing on legal grounds demand a new constitution in order to decide, appoint and proclaim the new means and style to govern themselves. It is not a personal constitution for presidential operations and gain but for the co-operate-good. Denying the people their due rights is abrogation of the law. Legality is a common good people are deprived of by illegality that is corruption.
What else do we need to understand that in any given civilised society a constitution is key to fiscal social, political and religious development? Are we so ignorant that we cannot see the inherent congruence between the two realities, constitution and national development? We should not cry of deplorable human conditions in all facets of our lives if we are adamant about the need for a new constitution. Docility will never save us! Fellow Zambians, cry new constitution without fear but with demonstrable legal aspirations for Mother Zambia!
http://www.postzambia.com/post-read_article.php?articleId=24026
Definition of corruption
By L B Mlongoti
Monday March 19, 2007 [02:00]
I am made to believe that there are two faces to fighting corruption in this country. These faces have taken a form of who is known and close to who and who pays homage and loyalty to who. The saga at the Ministry of Lands says it all. The citizens know who has and who does not have what. For somebody to say he wants zero tolerance on corruption is to say nobody should be involved except those that are close and seem to be.
If we catalogue forms of corruption that have taken place one is bound to come up with a revelation of high magnitude. It is no wonder some people have had so many farms within a spate of time. Corruption on the other hand is not only the abuse of office, power, position or authority, but it also takes the form of bribery, favoritism, nepotism etc.
Zambians have witnessed the ugly form of favoritism where one guy facing a similar case to others has been made to escape and lives overseas where he can continue enjoying the spoils of his ‘cleverness’ while others are called fugitive for taking initiative to act like their colleague did.
This country has double standards in the fight against corruption. While the powers that be smile as individuals they don’t get along with get a jail term, the same people (the powers that be) become busy scheming nolle prosequi for others they favour until the citizens step in to object. Until today, the powers are not happy that the person they were trying to protect is jailed. Jails are not for the favored but for the ridiculed.
The country has wedged a war against something (corruption) they cannot define. As long as there is no proper definition of corruption it will take long to combat the scourge. In my life on earth (not that I have lived in heaven before or any other planet) I have come to learn that theft is not only taking something away that does not belong to you but even shifting something from where it is supposed to be to another place.
One would imagine what undue gain one would have if one took the money from the club account and deposited it into one’s personal account. One thing for sure is that though the money may be intact, the interest accrued will be reflecting in the holder’s account and that is reaping where one did not sow. When such happens, what name does our constitution give to such crime and deceit?
Even if I became the chairperson or treasurer of a club, there is nowhere I could base my logic. That would definitely amount to corruption or abuse of office or power.
Land, land, land, that is the song the nation is preoccupied with. Who among the top politicians hasn’t got land from Ministry of Lands? Again we are being told a cosmetic story about who is corrupt when among them they know who has amassed portions and portions of land so-called farms.
A search at the Ministry of Lands will reveal how many top people have been given land between 2001 and 2006/7.
This country is rotting and roting fast and soon it will stink like an aardwolf.
Labels: CONSTITUTION, CORRUPTION, LETTERS
posted by MrK @ 4:59 AM
3 Comments:
Well said Mr Mulongoti,
"Land, land, land, that is the song the nation is preoccupied with. Who among the top politicians hasn’t got land from Ministry of Lands? Again we are being told a cosmetic story about who is corrupt when among them they know who has amassed portions and portions of land so-called farms."
I was quite shocked to read about the land gladys was being accused of, or sacked for in comparison to what we all know is shared amonst the top men.
Who has ever followed a laid down procedure? none.
Until we say as Zambiands we got baptised in the culture of corruption by the MMD and Chiluba and we are all culprits of the same, and we should all collectively cleanse ourselves of this evil.
from president to pauper we are filthy with corruption and none can throw the first stone not even I.
I think a lot of Africa's poverty can be traced back to the fact that the real farmers don't have enough land, and that as a consequence, they cannot save, re-invest and mechanize.
What is needed is a radical redistrubution of land to the people who actually use it, with support from the state so that they can mechanize rigth from the start.
Remember that 80% of Africa's agricultural land is not under cultivation.
‘We got baptized in the culture of corruption… from president to pauper we are filthy with corruption’
Nicely put. It’s true--corruption is a malignancy that is both pervasive and institutionalized--few have clean hands and nearly all, live in glass houses. That is why the infamous ‘selective prosecutions’ and isolated sacrifices are at best unconstructive and at worst treacherous. Where should the cleansing process begin?
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