Corrupt Mabenga's defence of Rupiah's bribery

Corrupt Mabenga's defence of Rupiah's bribery
By Editor
Tuesday October 07, 2008 [04:00]

Michael Mabenga’s attempt to justify or explain away Rupiah Banda’s 1991 electoral bribe should not come to anyone as a surprise. This is really a question of every creature preferring its own kind. It is a question of animals of the same species flocking together. It is a question of corrupt elements, bribers paying solidarity to each other. It is a question of people keeping company with people like themselves.

There is no way an honest person can try to justify Rupiah’s 1991 electoral corruption, bribery. The approach an honest person can take on this issue is that taken by Moses Muteteka who asked Zambians to forgive Rupiah’s past wrongdoings:

“They are talking about Namboard and other things that happened a long time ago, but you should know that human beings are not perfect.” Muteteka is not trying in any way to deny that Rupiah acted dishonourably. All what he is asking for is forgiveness for this man.

No one can pick up a quarrel with Muteteka on the issue of forgiveness because forgiveness is part of human life. But forgiveness does not come just like that. It has to be accompanied by contrition. Rupiah has not shown any contrition. Instead, what we hear are attempts by his sponsors to justify his wrongdoings. And we also hear attempts by him to deny his wrongdoings.

This is not contrition. Even in God’s scheme of things, those who don’t repent for their sins descend to hell. This is not to say God is unforgiving. Honest people admit their wrongs and seek forgiveness while dishonest people deny their wrongs and are burdened down with troubles.

If in God’s scheme of things impunity is not allowed or tolerated, what more in human affairs?

Before anybody is forgiven, there should be admission of wrongdoing on their part. Rupiah has not done so.

And we shouldn’t forget that “every lawless act leaves an incurable wound, like one left by a double-edged sword” (Sirach 21:3).

We know that to Mabenga, like Rupiah, bribery and electoral corruption is not a big issue. In 2001, Mabenga was MMD parliamentary candidate for Mulobezi Constituency. Mabenga won the Mulobezi seat, but his opponent Sikota Wina, who had stood on the MMD ticket, challenged his election, arguing that he had been fraudulently elected.

Wina adduced evidence showing that Mabenga had used corrupt means to win the election. The High Court nullified Mabenga’s election. But Mabenga insisted what he did didn’t amount to corruption or bribery and appealed to the Supreme Court against the High Court decision.

And delivering its decision, the Supreme Court observed: “On the totality of this appeal, we cannot fault findings of the fact that the appellant (Mabenga) requisitioned, collected and distributed drugs from (the government’s) Medical Stores during the election campaign to induce voters to vote for him.

We cannot also fault the findings that the appellant (Mabenga) used government transport and facilities during the campaign period. On the use of Constituency Development Funds, this cannot be faulted, in fact with evidence before the court, the learned trial judge should have recommended to the Director of Public Prosecutions for possible prosecution in terms of Section 29 of the electoral Act.

The smoke screen schemed by the appellant (Mabenga) and his witnesses in the matter does not make any sense for if the money was meant for projects, there ought to have been invoices demanding payment and not keep the money because of the rumour of an election petition touching the same money.”

With this finding of the Supreme Court, if Mabenga had any decency in him, he would have quit politics. But soon after this, Mabenga went to the MMD convention and was elected chairman of the party. What type of political party is this that has no problems with corruption? This is the political party of Frederick Chiluba – a corrupt man!

This is the political party of Mabenga – a man who bribes the electorate and abuses government facilities and resources to induce the voters to vote for him! This is the political party that has adopted Rupiah as its presidential candidate in this month-end’s elections – a man with a clear record of electoral bribery!

It seems the MMD is permanently wedded to corruption. It sees nothing wrong with corruption. This is the political party that is today defending and justifying Rupiah’s corruption! This is the same political party that is today defending Chiluba’s plunder! What type of people belong to this political party and what binds them together?


As for Mabenga and his friend Rupiah’s behaviour, we cannot only borrow from a Bemba saying: “Chumbu mushololwa.” They cannot change, we cannot change them. Even with such a clear and damning Supreme Court judgment, Mabenga is unmoved.

Equally, even with such media exposés of his corruption, Rupiah is unmoved. And it is not surprising that wherever one goes today, Rupiah’s campaign is abusing government facilities, government motor vehicles. What else can one expect from a campaign that is being overseen by the corrupt Mabenga for Rupiah who has no problems with bribery!

There is a lot in common between Mabenga and Rupiah and it is not surprising that Mabenga is one of Rupiah’s election campaign overseers. The other overseer is Katele Kalumba, who is also facing corruption charges in our courts of law.

Rupiah’s campaign seems to be a campaign of the corrupt, by the corrupt, for the corrupt.
But we know what corruption can do, the incurable wounds it leaves in the individual and the community. No one can deny that bribes make even wise men blind to the truth and prevents them from being honest in their utterances and actions. We are seeing this on ZNBC television every day.

Where is the dignity that we thought some people had?
But we shouldn’t forget that this is an important national election where the will of the people should not be falsified to put into office those who can bribe the most, rather than the most competent and the most honest.

Those who pay bribes, those who accept to be bribed, facilitate and perpetuate an already dysfunctional system. This election is not a vote for an Idol or Big Brother; it is a vote for a president to lead this country.

We need to seriously understand the value of our votes. Every single vote is crucial to the governance of this country, but only if that vote is given of the voter’s free will, and with a full understanding of what they are voting for.

Votes cast as a direct result of a bribe, coercion or even potential reward are not healthy to the governance of our country, and we simply cannot be so cynical as to believe that it is and turn a blind eye to it as a small transgression that can be ignored.

We invite all Zambians to avoid electoral corruption and bribery at all costs and condemn it whenever and wherever they see it.

We urge all the Zambian people to repudiate corrupt politicians - “do not go where evil men go. Do not follow the example of the wicked. Don’t do it!
Keep away from evil! Refuse it and go on your way. Wicked people cannot sleep unless they have done something wrong” (Proverbs 4:14-16).

In casting one’s vote, a citizen should never be swayed by personal profit but solely by the consideration of which of the candidates is better for the nation.

We should scrutinise the people who have offered themselves to lead this country and select the one to vote for strictly according to the good we think they can do. The interest of political parties and other considerations should be kept subordinate to the public good.

The use of unjust means of any form, by anyone, is against justice. Bribery is not only an injustice, it is a sin.

There is need for conversion at every level. For it is conversion that we all need – a conversion of heart and mind to honesty, truth, justice, solidarity and love.

We may fear like Jonah – and may be tempted to run away from the Lord’s command to call people to repentance. “Up,” God said, “Go to Nineveh, the great city, and inform them that their wickedness has become known to me” (Jonah 1:2).

In obedience to the word of God, we call all the millions of people of goodwill in Zambia, to say, “Enough,” enough of dishonesty, of lies, of self-seeking, of bribery and corruption of all kinds, even at the lowest levels at which it can affect ordinary people. With sadness, we admit that some Christians are a disgrace to the name they bear and are doing the work of Satan.

We must say, “Enough” first to ourselves, asking God to turn us from our sins to the way of righteousness. If we are to halt the slide of corruption and bribery that is taking hold of our country’s politics, it will only be if the great majority of us resolutely refuse to take that road.

Corruption is costly. Look at the cost of Mabenga’s electoral corruption to this nation: the High Court had to sit for many hours, many days, many weeks, many months to hear the election petition. This costs money, the taxpayer has to pay for the court sittings.

The litigants also lose productive time and money. The Supreme Court sittings cost the taxpayer a lot of money. And finally, there had to be a by-election caused by Mabenga, costing the taxpayer billions of kwacha.

This is the same Mabenga who today wants to cheat or manipulate the Zambian people into thinking and believing that Rupiah did nothing wrong in 1991 and was just a Good Samaritan. What nonsense is this?

When will Mabenga learn to respect the intelligence of the Zambian people? And when will the Zambian people decide to teach this corrupt man a decisive lesson? Everything has got a time!

Mabenga’s defence of Rupiah is simply one of a briber defending another briber; one of a corrupt man defending another corrupt man!