Maravi

Don't feel sorry for Chiluba

Don't feel sorry for Chiluba
By Editor
Tuesday May 08, 2007 [04:00]

MICHAEL Sata is justified in not feeling sorry for Frederick Chiluba.
Nobody feels sorry for snake charmers or wild animal tamers who get bitten, and nobody will feel sorry for you if you steal public resources and get caught. It is very clear that Sata was not part of Chiluba’s conspiracy to defraud the Zambian people. Sata’s name does not appear at all on the Zamtrop account. It doesn’t also appear on the BK facility. And why should Sata offer himself to be Chiluba’s saviour on matters, which he knew nothing about?

This is the question we asked Sata in the runner up to last elections when all sorts of criminals, thieves of all hues, including Chiluba, were claiming to be members or supporters of his party. We know very well that Chiluba was not interested in Sata being a presidential candidate of the MMD or indeed of any other political party.

Chiluba has never, until recently, seen Sata as presidential material. Even when Sata formed his own party - the Patriotic Front - Chiluba attempted in all sorts of ways to replace him with another person of his choice in his own party. Who doesn’t know that Chiluba was closely associated with Party for Unity Development and Democracy (PUDD) and made his friend Chitalu Sampa its leader; he also flirted with Nevers Mumba and Dan Pule against Sata. They say you can fool some people sometimes but you cannot fool all the people all the time.

Chiluba has claimed to be a political engineer who can manipulate his way into anything or navigate his way around any trouble. But it now seems Zambians are starting to know who he is - a thief, crook and a liar. Chiluba’s flirtation with Sata can no longer be justified now that Sata knows the truth about how he stole millions of dollars from the Zambian people. Chiluba now will know that if you stick something in your eye, tears will flow; and if you hurt a person deeply, you will discover his true feelings.

The Zambian people now know the truth about how Chiluba stole from them, stole their taxes to buy himself suits, high-heeled shoes and squander their hard earned money on all sorts of stupid things. If in any way Sata decides to defend or protect Chiluba politically that will be the end of him as well because nobody will take him seriously. In fact people will think Sata is part of Chiluba’s corruption because every creature prefers its own kind. Just as animals of the same species flock together, so people keep company with people like them.

If you do no wrong, no wrong will ever come to you. Do not plough the ground to plant seeds of dishonesty, theft or banditry; you may reap a bigger harvest than you expect. It is foolish to rely on dishonest wealth; it will do you no good on that day of disaster. It is said that it is always wise to stand up for what is right, even if it costs you your life because the Lord will be fighting on your side.

Chiluba’s attempt to politicise his case of theft will not do because there is nothing political about it. The only thing that can be said to be political about this case is that Chiluba used his political office as president of the Republic of Zambia to steal from the Zambian people. And it doesn’t matter whether Chiluba recognises the jurisdiction of the London Court, its judgment will be enforced in Zambia. Once this judgement is registered in our High Court it will be as good as any other judgment delivered by our own courts here and will accordingly be enforced by it.

So Chiluba shouldn’t cheat himself that this judgment if he doesn’t recognise it will amount to nothing - it is actually him who will be reduced to nothing. The London Court’s judgment will be enforced on him in this country and elsewhere where he may be hiding his loot. And he cannot cry foul that the case proceeded without his defence and representation.

When is Chiluba going to respect the truth? When is this liar going to be tired of telling lies? Chiluba was offered all the opportunities to defend himself. The London Court even came here at a very high cost and judge Peter Smith was in Lusaka for three weeks to offer Chiluba and his colleagues an opportunity to defend themselves.

But everyone knows in this country that Chiluba refused to appear. Why? He knew he had no defence. He knew he had stolen from the Zambian people and the case against him was water-tight. The game is over. It is either he pays back the money or all remedies available to the Zambian people to enforce the London judgment will be deployed against him up to bankruptcy proceedings.

There is nothing to politicise about this and he himself says, “simply stated this is a case of allegedly common fraud and corruption”. There is nothing political about it and attempts to politicise that which is not political will not work. And what political clouts does this little thief think he has? Probably the hired PF cadres who used to be mobilised to go and dance for him at the airport misled him. Sata may stop this at any time.

Chiluba has no political clout of his own in this country. He is a thief who is politically finished. Chiluba cannot therefore rely on politics to save himself from his theft cases. He should just rely on the law and defend himself legally as far as possible. Playing political truancy will not do.

As for Sata he has taken a very wise decision to distance himself from this shameless thief. And we invite all our people to join Sata in repudiating their links with Chiluba. We invite them to avoid corruption at all costs and condemn it whenever they see it.

We say this because corruption destroys a nation; it destroys the social structures and all good citizens have a duty to promote transparency, accountability and honesty in the nation. Corruption is a sin and has drastic evil effects and it robs our nation of scarce resources. We can’t allow people to be stealing from government with impunity because government is the instrument by which our people cooperate together in order to achieve the common good.

There is need for a conversion of heart and for the transformation of political and social structures in order to build our country. And the government has a duty to serve the people and to equitably distribute goods and services among all of the people and not let a small band of thieves loot public resources.

Labels: CHILUBA, EDITORIAL, SATA

posted by MrK @ 4:10 AM