Only dubious ministers can fear tribunals, says Sata

Only dubious ministers can fear tribunals, says Sata
Written by Chibaula Silwamba
Sunday, April 12, 2009 3:48:30 AM

ONLY ministers with dubious thinking and corrupt intentions can be scared of tribunals, opposition Patriotic Front (PF) Michael Sata has said. Commenting on works and supply minister Mike Mulongoti's statement that ministers were now afraid to make decisions because they feared to be taken to tribunals, Sata - a former minister - said honest ministers that make transparent decisions must not fear tribunals while those who are corrupt must be scared because the law would catch up with them.

“Only ministers with dubious thinking can be scared. When a minister makes a transparent decision, he should not be scared but if they are making corrupt decisions, they should be worried,” said Sata in an interview in Lusaka yesterday. “A minister making a decision does not need to fear, as long as his decision is transparent and can account for that decision. There is nothing to fear. I was minister when there was a tribunal [on Peter Machungwa, Golden Mandandi and Katele Kalumba]. But if your decisions are transparent, you don't need to be scared, only when you make shoddy decisions can you be scared.”

He observed that what Mulongoti had said indicated that there was more to his worries.

“Honourable Mulongoti is worried because where he was making a statement that is where they want to make decisions, giving contracts for roads and all these things, uncompleted projects. If you have uncompleted projects like Shang'ombo hospital, they should all be worried. There are so many projects where they have spent money but the projects have not been completed; that is why they are worried,” Sata said. “So you find that what comrade Mulongoti is saying says quite a lot, there is a lot more in what comrade Mulongoti is talking about.”

Sata observed that ministers were intentionally making wrong decisions for their own benefit because Zambians were not invoking the laws to penalise the culprits.

“People had even forgotten the laws that are on the statutes, people had even forgotten that there was a law relating to tribunals until the Patriotic Front brought it up,” observed Sata. “It was Mulongoti himself who yesterday said, 'MMD should take advantage of the incumbency.' You remember? What did he mean? He meant that they will use public resources for them to survive.”

Mulongoti, who is also MMD elections chairperson, on Thursday claimed that decision-making by ministers had now been criminalised in society and this had hampered their efficiency because everything was now being referred to permanent secretaries to make decisions.

“We are now criminalising decision-making, a PS [permanent secretary] makes decisions for everybody because nobody wants to make decisions because they are potential jail birds,” Mulongoti said.

He claimed that this situation had paralysed the civil service.

“Everything is being referred to PSs. When I look at PSs, I look at potential jail birds,” he said.

Mulongoti said decisions that had been made in good faith were now being questioned although business was about decision-making.

“We will not go anywhere with tribunals, I can assure you,” said Mulongoti.

Communications and transport minister Dora Siliya is currently being probed by a tribunal established under the Parliamentary and Ministerial Code of Conduct Act for allegedly abusing her authority of office when she offered a US $2 million contract to RP Capital to evaluate ZAMTEL assets without following tender procedures and legal advice from the Attorney General's Chambers.

Siliya is also being probed for allegedly having irregularly overruled the Zambia National Tender Board on a contract to repair radars at Lusaka and Livingstone international airports.

Siliya, who is also MMD Petauke Central member of parliament, is also being probed over her alleged claims of K12.5 million from Petauke District Council as refund for two hand pumps for two boreholes sunk in Nyika ward, when the hand pumps were procured at K5 million.