Maravi

Are they out to devour us as the hawk did the frogs?

Are they out to devour us as the hawk did the frogs?
Written by Editor

We are facing an enemy this country has not seen before and we need to come up with more formidable measures.The level of corruption in the country is frightening. And we don’t think the Anti-Corruption Commission and other state agencies will be able to cope.

No one can deny that the ACC is putting in a lot of effort and they are doing a commendable job, but the levels of corruption seem to be beyond their capacity. We need to come up with new initiatives to complement their efforts.
Zambia needs new laws that will make those who steal public funds, those who engage in corrupt activities tremble.

As we have stated before, living on unearned income is a prima facie case of corruption. Today we have many civil servants, public officers and officials who live far beyond their earned income. If one looks at Lusaka, most of the lodges, farms, houses, plots and businesses are owned by people who work for the government or are connected to those who are civil servants, public officers or officials. This in itself should raise the alarm that there is something seriously wrong with the way public resources and affairs are being managed.

We will not get far in fighting corruption if we do not increase the levels of accountability and transparency in the nation. And this should not be limited only to politicians, civil servants but should be extended to all citizens. There is need for every person in this country to be made to account for what they have. There is nothing wrong with being questioned on how you obtained whatever you have of value. Of course there are dangers in this because it can be used by those in power to victimise their political opponents. But this can be managed and the benefits may by far outweigh such dangers. We can’t continue to have a system which allows people to accumulate wealth they cannot explain.

Even when some of our people were growing up, when moral standards were high in this country, it was not possible for one to take something home, to his or her parents whose source he or she could not explain. They would simply tell you: “Take it back!” even if you argued that you had borrowed it from a friend, they would still insist that you take it back: “Akatuletelela (you will put us in problems).”

But today, we have parents who know very well that their son or daughter is simply a clerk in the bank, in some company but they will allow him or her to bring all sorts of expensive things home that are far beyond his or her earned income. They will even participate in the consumption, in the use of such things.

Accountability has been lost in the nation. It needs to be restored if we are to harbour any hope of winning the fight against corruption.

We know this culture was entrenched by Frederick Chiluba’s regime. Chiluba used to boast that no one needs to worry anymore about where they got their dollars, or this and that. Now we understand why. It is because they were stealing themselves. And those who steal, the first thing they attack and destroy are controls. No wonder the first institution Chiluba destroyed was the Special Investigations Team on Economy and Trade (SITET). For all its limitations and weaknesses, SITET was able to summon citizens to account for their wealth, their money. It was through this that we came to know how some of our citizens were engaged in the mandrax trade. This is because they were asked to account for the dollars, rands and other hard currencies they had in very large quantities. And truthfully, they confessed that they were trading in mandrax. Of course at that time, trading in mandrax was not a legal offence in this country and they somehow got away with it. But this later enabled the government to legislate against the trade in such drugs and consequently created the Drug Enforcement Commission.

We need to move very quickly because the country is being destroyed by corruption.

It is not enough to require the president and other politicians to declare their assets when other citizens are not under such an obligation. This makes it easy for those on whom high levels of accountability or disclosure have been imposed to pass on their loot to others who are free from such obligations to hold it on their behalf. The president can easily allow his sons, relatives and friends to transact on his behalf and hold property for him. They can buy businesses, houses, farms on his behalf and nobody will question them over where they got the money.

Asking citizens to account for their wealth is not an infringement on property rights. It is actually a protection of their property rights because it makes it easy to trace those who steal from others, including from the government.

If we don’t move quickly on this front, those in charge of public funds and other resources will take a lion’s share of it for themselves and leave very little for the rest of the citizens – “…and every public officer must realise that he is not set above the people to devour them, as the hawk did the frogs and the thorn the shrubs in the fables, but to preserve them from being crushed and oppressed”.

Without being seen to convict Henry Kapoko, without accusing him of corruption or theft, we feel the cars, properties and other assets that the Anti Corruption Commission are questioning him on deserve to be explained. It is said that money does not grow on trees. There is need for Kapoko to explain how he accumulated all this wealth from his small salary as a civil servant. If the explanations are reasonable, then he should be allowed to go and enjoy his wealth. But here, there is a prima facie case of corruption against him. And there are many questions that people may ask. It raises serious questions about why Kapoko has continued to be a civil servant, earning a very low salary, when he has so much money and property. Things don’t seem to tie up here; there is need for explanation.

Imagine if this was done to everyone who seems to be living beyond earned income! Corruption would definitely reduce because people would think twice before they take something that is not their due.

For public servants, accountability would increase.

Without effective control mechanisms, our fight against corruption will yield very little, if not nothing. Abuse of power and administrative and political corruption have become endemic. And bureaucratic behaviour in this country now seems to be motivated more by personal gain.

We urge the Secretary to the Cabinet to critically look at the issue of corruption in government in an honest spirit of criticism and self-criticism. We say this because it is upon the maintenance of a sound and healthy faculty of self-criticism within the civil service that its value and efficiency will in the long run depend. We shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that this country has a former president in court for stealing public funds. We also have former ministers, permanent secretaries in court for abusing their offices in pursuit of personal gain. This raises serious concerns with morality in public life and with control mechanisms over behaviour of politicians and civil servants. And no one can say this is witch-hunting because we have witnessed scandals involving corruption at the highest levels.

We agree with those who say that “men are not angels” and for this reason the need for a balanced disciplinary system which can control officials, elevate public virtue, and guarantee services to citizens without corruption is paramount.

Labels: ACC, CORRUPTION

posted by MrK @ 3:17 PM