Corruption fight isn’t in Rupiah’s blood – Sata

Corruption fight isn’t in Rupiah’s blood – Sata
Written by Patson Chilemba and Lambwe Kachali
Friday, January 30, 2009 1:12:20 PM

RUPIAH Banda does not believe in what he says especially on the fight against corruption, Patriotic Front (PF) president Michael Sata charged yesterday.

Commenting on President Rupiah Banda's warning to dismiss any permanent secretary involved in corruption, Sata said he knew President Banda very well and that the President never believed in most of the things he said.

He said if President Banda was serious with enhancing professionalism in the public service, he would not have appointed MMD cadres to be permanent secretaries.

Sata said the fight against corruption was not in President Banda's blood.

"I have said before, Rupiah Banda speaks and starts thinking later. So in this case he doesn't believe in what he is saying. He believes in shortcuts. We need more serious people to guide us and not Rupiah Banda," Sata said.

He said the people President Banda had appointed as permanent secretaries were failures in life who had nothing to offer for the development of the country.

"If you take [Lusaka Province permanent secretary] Stephen Bwalya, how do you expect people from University of Zambia to get advice from Bwalya who was just a ng'wa ng'wazi [call boy]?" Sata asked. "He was my boy, I know him. Bwalya can't even remember his signature twice. But that's continuity for Rupiah. Continuity is for Rupiah to go and bring Bwalya, to go and bring [Luapula Province permanent secretary] Jazzman Chikwakwa. If he thinks Jazzman Chikwakwa will strengthen MMD in Luapula Province then he's lying. The whole point is that all the people he has appointed, like the senior officials in the Army, are on contract. They have nothing to protect. The ordinary civil servants have to protect their benefits."

Sata charged those appointed by President Banda only had one mission of resuscitating their failed lives at the expense of service to the people.

He said this would even worsen corruption in the civil service because it had been infuriated with people whose preoccupation would be to loot public coffers.

"By the time Rupiah realises, they would have secured whatever they want," Sata said.

He challenged President Banda to translate his utterances on corruption into action by prosecuting those involved in the misappropriation of public funds as revealed in the Auditor General's report of 2007.

"Let Rupiah take action on the K9.6 billion [unaccounted for] in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs," said Sata.

On Wednesday, President Banda warned that he would dismiss any permanent secretary involved in corruption.

Addressing 13 newly-appointed permanent secretaries after they took oath of office at State House in Lusaka, President Banda said he would not tolerate misuse of government funds on unnecessary luxuries which had no value to the lives of Zambians.

President Banda also barred permanent secretaries from undertaking travels abroad and workshops that do not benefit Zambians.