Maravi

There's no sufficient united efforts to fight corruption, observes Aka

There's no sufficient united efforts to fight corruption, observes Aka
By Namakau Nalumango and Ntalasha Mutale
Thursday December 27, 2007 [03:00]

Anti-Corruption commissioner Akashambatwa Mbikusita-Lewanika has observed that there is no sufficient united efforts to fight corruption in Zambia. And Mbikusita-Lewanika has advised former president Frederick Chiluba not to personalise issues regarding corruption. In an interview in Lusaka on Monday, Mbikusita-Lewanika said law enforcement officers were no more corrupt than other members of society.

“Am very concerned about the levels of corruption in our society as a whole. Law enforcement officers come from our society and I do not think they are particularly more corrupt than the rest of society they are members of,” he said.

“I think in every sector of our society, unfortunately and shamefully, there is too much evidence of corruption, there is too much tolerance and admiration of the corrupt and there isn’t sufficient united effort to fight corruption. Whether you look at the police force, the church people, you are likely to find a social cancer which is not likely to know sectoral borders and that’s what the case is.”

Mbikusita-Lewanika was responding to a question on what he thought about corruption among law enforcement officers. He challenged ordinary citizens to be committed not to be corrupt and also not to corrupt others.

“The fight against corruption must start at a very persona level. It is quite useless for corrupt people to start finger pointing at other people because if those fighting corruption have the credibility of being upright themselves, then they tend to fight against it,” Mbikusita-Lewanika said.

And commenting on the verbal battle between Chiluba and Lusaka businessman Rajan Mahtani, Mbikusita-Lewanika said important principles get left out when issues were being personalised.

“What is important is the principle that if anybody knows some wrong doing that has been done, they should report it. They should give sufficient information about what they know to enable law enforcement officers because they would need that evidence,” he said.

“So it is not particularly helpful to just be grumbling outside, on the streets and on the papers and without specifications and without directing your complaint to the right authority.”

Mbikusita-Lewanika said wrangling was not very good material for investigations.

Labels: ACC, AKASHAMBATWA MBIKUSITA-LEWANIKA, CORRUPTION

posted by MrK @ 5:35 AM