Maravi

Act on corrupt officials, Hikaumba urges Levy

Act on corrupt officials, Hikaumba urges Levy
By Noel Sichalwe
Saturday January 12, 2008 [03:00]

Zambia Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) president Leonard Hikaumba yesterday said President Mwanawasa cannot be complaining about corrupt government officials when he had the power to dismiss them. Hikaumba was commenting on President Mwanawasa's continued complaints about corrupt public officers. He said it was not enough for President Mwanawasa to complain when he had the powers to rectify the situation.

"President Mwanawasa is the only one who has the power to remove corrupt officials from their positions and there should be a follow-up after removing them," Hikaumba said. "If somebody stole, that person should not just be removed but the due process of the law should be followed like in any other case where somebody stole. Such persons must be prosecuted."

Hikaumba, who noted the high levels of corruption in the civil service, said appropriate action has to be taken against those involved.

"They should be tried, if found guilty then they should be punished accordingly. If they are free, the law prescribes that they should continue being free. Now where the problem seems to be emanating from is the fact that year in and year out, the Auditor General's report shows that money was misdirected, money was misused but there is no action taken against them," he said.

He said ZCTU had been encouraging government to punish those involved in misapplication of public resources as a deterrent measure to those who were corrupt.
Hikaumba said the Auditor General's report should be released in good time to ensure that the law enforcement agencies could swiftly act on it.

He said there was need for a strong system of governance that would competently handle the cases of corruption.

Transparency International Zambia (TIZ) president Reuben Lifuka recently said President Levy Mwanawasa should not just complain about corrupt civil servants because the buck stops with him in the fight against corruption.

And Caritas Zambia executive director Sam Mulafulafu said President Mwanawasa could not keep lamenting about corruption in government without taking punitive measures.

Labels: CORRUPTION, LEONARD HIKAUMBA, MWANAWASA, TIZ, ZCTU

posted by MrK @ 3:23 AM