Maravi

Culture of cuts

Culture of cuts
Written by Editor

It cannot be denied that this corruption, this abuse of the procurement system of our country is destroying our political system. It is doing everything that undermines multi-party politics. It is frustrating the holding of free and fair elections in this country.

And when one looks at the type of people politics is attracting, it is petty dealers looking for government contracts, and undesirable elements of all stripes and shapes, of all hues entering politics in Zambia today, making it unattractive for good people, discouraging good people from participating in politics of our country.

But we all know what happens in a society when good people withdraw from active participation – corruption becomes rampant, injustices become the order of the day and the culture of dishonesty, deceit and crookedness takes over and when this happens the law of the jungle prevails where only the fittest of the fittest survive. The plunderers take everything, a lion’s share of the nation’s cake.

Let us not forget what the late president Levy Mwanawasa once said: “The impact of corruption is ghastly if not contained, and contained timely … left uncontained, corruption threatens to undermine the credibility of government and the very existence of Zambia as a nation. Therefore it is not HIV/AIDS, its not poverty, but corruption which poses the greatest threat to our people and the nation.”

This is what our late president said and let us not forget what he said in his farewell message to the nation:

“It is my wish that this will is broadcast both on television and radio…I now want to address the nation.

“I am grateful to all of you for giving me the opportunity during part of my life to serve you as president. It was a privilege which I cherished up to my death. I did all my best to improve the standards of living of you my people. I strove to attend to the production of sufficient food for domestic consumption and for export. I worked hard to encourage investments both local and foreign so as to create jobs and so as to enhance the growth of our economy.

“I believed that national development could only be sustained if good governance, respect for the rule of law and democracy were encouraged and [not] taken for granted. To spur these virtues, the fight against corruption had to be waged relentlessly and without treating anybody as a sacred cow.

“I regret that in my zeal to facilitate this fight, I lost friendship with a number of some of my best friends and at many times my own life and those of my family members were threatened. I want to assure the nation that no malice or ill will was intended in these initiatives.

“I was driven purely by love for my country and the urgent need to transform it from poverty to prosperity. I have always been grieved to see so much poverty, hopelessness and anguish in the faces of our children, the leaders of tomorrow. It has always been my belief that nobody has the right to take away what we should be giving to these children and keep them in their selfish pockets.

“I do hope that the party, the Movement for Multiparty Democracy, can continue with this vision for our nation pursuing the fight of zero tolerance to corruption. I was sad when some of you our members appeared to embrace corruption and actually criticised me for fighting the scourge. This vice will not develop our country. It is my desire that all future governments will continue to wage this fight.

“If in my endeavours to provide only the best for my country I offended some of my compatriots, all I can ask is that they should find a place in their hearts to forgive me as no deliberate intentions to harm their feelings without just cause was intended.

“To those who attended my funeral and to those who mourned with my family, I say I am extremely grateful to all of you. I am certain that I speak on behalf of my family that their burden has thereby been lightened.

“In witness whereof, I, the said Levy Patrick Mwanawasa have hereto set my hand this 23rd day of March, 2005 and I have signed this WILL as my last WILL in the presence of my two chief personal secretaries: Brandina Nyendwa and Josephine Shakabinga. Both of them present at the same time who, at my request, in my presence and in the presence of each of them have subscribed their names as witnesses to the original WILL which is kept by my bank. Thank you.”

In our estimation, what Mwanawasa said was not an exaggeration. From own experience on our daily stories we have published, we have verified this probably a thousand times since Mwanawasa’s death less than a year ago.

Clearly, Levy was very honest, he was speaking very honestly and his assessment of things was very correct and fair. We ignore his words at our own peril and at the risk of our own future and that of our children and our children’s children.

This country has enough evidence to show that even a president can be corrupt, can be corrupted. No one can deny that former president Frederick Chiluba was a corrupt president who ran a corrupt regime. And this man is today still very close to the high echelons of power in this country.

This teaches us one thing, as the Russians say: Trust but verify.

The nation needs to be on very high alert. The signs, the signals are there showing us that not all is well. We are still sliding along that slippery path of corruption.

From what is going on in the country, it is clear that there is a very big syndicate of fraud in most public sector institutions. This syndicate is well designed and aimed at defrauding the taxpayers of this country. This is a very big syndicate that runs from top to bottom. It runs right to the lowest clerk.

As noted by the Zambia Institute of Purchasing and Supply (ZIPS) president Jones Kalyongwe, corruption is thriving despite the Zambia National Tender Board Act No. 394 of 1982 and the Zambia Public Procurement Act No. 12 of 1998 having been and being in active use by the public sector officials in matters of public procurement.

The nation has not yet forgotten how President Rupiah Banda and Vice-President George Kunda defended former minister of transport and communications Dora Siliya in her dealings over the RP Capital deal and the radar issue.

This liberalisation of the purchasing system by the government is causing fraud. You have people running briefcase companies winning tenders from the government. It is individuals getting huge tenders to purchase maize and other items. It is some individuals with connections in the government who are getting rich without proper companies, which are not even creating jobs for the people. And this is creating political patronage. One has to have connections with someone in the government to get a certain contract. This is making it too expensive for government to do business because after the awarding of such contracts, the facilitators expect a cut. A job that would cost a private company K500m will cost government K5bn.

No matter how much donors pump in, our problems will not end as long as there is corruption in our system. And this corruption is found everywhere, be it in the judiciary, Parliament, the military, the police and the civil service. It is clear that some people are now getting into the government just for corruption. Government jobs are now more attractive because some people want to be facilitators of corruption.

Politics are no longer for service but benefit; opposition politics are no longer attractive. People would rather join the ruling party so that they can benefit in whatever way. In some instances, you find that conferences are being taken to lodges where the owners have connections with people in government.

We are therefore not surprised when we hear that the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA) has stopped its planned release of funds to the Ministry of Health because of corruption.

No one can blame Sweden for demanding accountability. The money they are spending is from their taxpayers and they have to make sure that it is spent well. On the part of the poor, this is what corruption breeds for our people, the people that our political leadership claim to be serving. Our people will not receive good health care because someone somewhere facilitated corruption and received a cut. It is clear that the people of this country are becoming victims of the culture of cuts. And this culture has to be fought by all means available to us.

Labels: CORRUPTION, PROCUREMENT SYSTEMS

posted by MrK @ 11:32 PM