LETTERS - Glaring financial irregularities

Glaring financial irregularities
By Jeff Kalembe Lusaka
Saturday April 21, 2007 [04:00]

I have resisted commenting on what most of our politicians and leaders say and get away with all the time. This is responsible for the double standards that are obtaining and contributes to the breakdown in the moral and social order. What we end up with is a country in squalor such as ours. I would however hasten to say that in the midst of all this hopelessness, we have beacons of hope such as is propagated by The Post and other persons.

Corruption and theft: The sittings of the PAC have established glaring financial irregularities and workers across all government departments are the major culprits. And what has the Church, civil society and union leaders said about this? How much pressure has been exerted on the authorities to ensure that all culprits are brought to book? Compare this with the hullabaloo that surrounded the Ministry of Lands saga that culminated in the dismissal of the minister.

For instance, how many people have been affected by the alleged misapplication of funds by the controlling officers at RDA? All we end up with is pressure piled on the leadership for issues that have political overtones, forgetting the real issues that affect our daily living. These are double standards.

Consistency from our leaders: Political and leadership breed that obtains in this country never ceases to amaze me.

And I wonder why they are able to get away with all the blantant shifting of positions. And this is the blame that all the populace should take. No wonder Levy said "Zambians forget easily". But this weakness is entirely the blame of civil society groups whose responsibility should be to steer the moral and social issues.

Alas! Most of them have been consumed by the political rhetoric and as such a neutral finds it hard to differentiate a civic leader from a politician.

Here are some examples: PF leader Michael Sata in the run-up to elections was against the awarding of a consortium of Finance Bank and the leasing company from developing the land around the Baobab area and called Mahtani a mercenary in The Post .

He is quoted as saying "three indigenous banks" should have been offered to buy Rabobank. Even from the Competition Commission's point of view, what are the implications of such a move and when you compare the positions, don't we smell inconsistency? And no one questions the shift in position. And just look at the news item concerning Moses Katumbi, what are his views compared with the views of the general population?

Look at the government position regarding the markets and mines. Now they are re-negotiating. Isn't it laughable that so many people at the time saw this coming and were ignored?

We do remember how two Honourable MPs escaped, by the skin of their teeth, the issue of money that was carried to some convention in Kabwe and the chief architect of that is also well known. What moral right do they have to go in public and start being champions of the same vices so many years later and are allowed to go scot-free?
And who is supposed to make these people accountable for their deeds, principles and position? And what message are we sending to the controlling officers about what they are supposed to do? And at the end of the day who do we blame for all the troubles?

That is a challenge which must be thrown to all of us. Yes, we need the constitution, but beyond that lay the real answer, the will to do. Day in day out, we cannotabide by simple traffic rules, how will we abide by the constitution?

We have street vendors going about daily with their business against health rules and are even supported in their illegality by leaders, how are we going to keep the constitution? The attitude of some Zambians is wrong and most people will be offended by this stark reality.




http://www.postzambia.com/post-read_article.php?articleId=25523

Curbing corruption
By Billy Sichone
Saturday April 21, 2007 [04:00]

As I read your pithy editorial (19/04/2007), I could not help agreeing with you. I found it very accurate, deep, analytical and to the point concerning the circus we have been going through for the past six years or so since the new dealers corruptly ascended to the saddle.

Politicians are the same, never learning, opportunists and suffering from the same infectious disease - corruption. I could not help imagining just how complex, deep rooted, systemic and invisible corruption has become in Zambia today, beyond conventional audit detection! There is practically no audit trail for these slippery fellows!

Reading deeper into the editorial, I found it extremely difficult to exonerate Levy Mwanawasa from the whole scam. He is in charge!
Much more remains to be unearthed I am sure. I fear, as TIZ have highlighted, there is far much more systematic pilferage and theft in government than ever before, but thanks to the powerful world class window dressing which seemingly blinds even the donor community.

The whole government fibre appears rotten to the core and needs a complete overhaul from sweeper upwards, with the exception of the honest few. Sadly, the jackals are the ones firmly in the reigns of power and naturally will continue to flash out the honest (impediments) lest they spill the beans.

The Sichone Versus Nyirongo issue attests to this thought. With all her faults, I think Nyirongo may be far cleaner than the other fellow who seems to be shielded by State House just now.

General Miyanda was probably right when he questioned the cordoning off of the Mulungushi House. Was it to destroy all incriminating evidence? I think so.

Like the concerned Zambian (letter, 19th April 2007), I daily lament for mother Zambia, artificially made poor at the grisly hands of corrupt men and women in power. When shall we ever learn and cast off sloth, poverty and docility? Enough is enough!



http://www.postzambia.com/post-read_article.php?articleId=25522

Public health systems
By Mufalo Ilitongo Ndola
Saturday April 21, 2007 [04:00]

With repeated reports of cholera outbreaks (even out of transmission season) and the rapid decline in public health systems; the quality of life is constantly being threatened with circles of ill-health and disease.

A few decades ago, in the late 70s and early 80s, there were celebrated clarion calls of “Health for All by 2000”, but were abruptly silenced long before by waves of disease epidemics (some to date have no cure, and some have become resistant to the armoury of the available drugs).

Ironically, no sooner than an equally highly profiled slogan has been upstaged; importing similar ambitions: “Millennium Development Goals by 2015”, but achievements expected against odds of trying to deliver services without adequate resources (human, funds).

However, the blame-game is not going to improve the current and worsening situation. What is needed is to identify the very fundamental factors that continue to impede progress towards social well-being and quality of life of the people.

It is now evident that the poor state of “environmental hygiene” is determinant of the current poor health and disease; such as unsatisfactory ways of water supplies, chaotic scenarios of refuse or waste management and sanitation, rampant and indiscriminate open air circus of food handling and trading with impunity.

Unless the government makes concerted efforts of finding new ways of financing schemes and invest in the “wide environmental hygiene”, the idea to stop “circle of ill-health and disease” will remain elusive for decades to come.