Hakainde is right about Rupiah’s deals
Written by Editor

Our democracy, our holding of elections in itself guarantees us nothing. It offers us instead an opportunity to succeed as well as the risk of failure. In Thomas Jefferson's ringing but shrewd phrase, the promise of democracy is "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness".

This democracy we are pursuing is then both a promise and a challenge. It is a promise that as free human beings, working together, we can govern ourselves in a manner that will serve our aspirations for personal freedom, economic opportunity and social justice. It is a challenge because the success of our democratic enterprise rests upon our shoulders as citizens of this country and no one else.

And government of and by the people means that we, as citizens of this country, share in its benefits and in its burdens. Josef Brodsky, Russian-born poet and Nobel Prize winner, once wrote, "A free man, when he fails, blames nobody."

It is true as well for us as citizens of this country who, finally, must take responsibility for the fate of the country in which we have chosen to live, to make our homeland. In the end, we get the government we deserve.

And transparency and accountability are indispensable to the type of society - a democracy society - we are trying to build in Zambia. It is impossible to establish an open and democratic society without transparency and accountability. Lack of transparency and accountability leads to increased abuses, violations and corruption.

Where there is no transparency and accountability, leaders become demi-gods. We need to build a political system founded on the deeply held belief that government is best when its potential for abuse, corruption and intolerance is curbed, and when it is held as close to the people as possible.

And whatever the level of their contribution, a healthy democracy depends upon the continuing, informed participation of the broad range of citizens. The essence of democratic action is the active, freely chosen participation of its citizens in the public life of their community and nation. Without this broad, sustaining participation, democracy will begin to wither and become the preserve of a small, select number of people, groups and organisations. But with the active engagement of individuals across the spectrum of society, we can weather the inevitable economic and political storms that sweep over every society, without sacrificing the freedoms and rights we have sworn to uphold.

These important tenets, if applied properly, can improve the way we govern ourselves and consequently bring about the much-needed development in our country.

And democracy, being a government of the people, by the people and for the people, affirms the need to justify decisions made by those in government on behalf of the people. Our politicians have been given power by the people to make decisions, and they have to be answerable for their actions.

Accountability is about responsibility, the responsibility to answer for our actions. Where there is transparency and accountability, there is no room for speculation because all decisions made will be clearly understood. If citizens do not understand or cannot access information easily on how those in government are using the power given to them, the public resources they are managing, speculation arises. And why should people be blamed for speculating in the absence of facts, satisfactory and clear answers to questions raised on various issues pertaining to the management of public resources and affairs?

Rupiah Banda and his friends have been in power for six months now and their agenda as a government is not known at all. They might have campaigned on the basis of continuity - whose agenda most Zambians are familiar with - but they are not seeing that continuity. The last six months have been characterised by dubious dealings involving Rupiah, his sons and friends in various spheres of our country's economy and many honest questions that seek equally honest answers have been raised. We have seen outrageous inconsistencies from Rupiah and his friends even on straightforward issues such that our people have been left with no option but to draw their own conclusions. The recent proposal to procure mobile hospital units at a cost of US$53 million (K301 billion) from China is one issue that can be cited.

When the story broke out that the government wanted to procure mobile hospitals from China, efforts were made to get government's official position on the matter but no one was ready or willing to say anything. But later, after the donors raised queries, Ministry of Health permanent secretary Dr Velepi Mtonga wrote a letter in which she stated that Rupiah had indicated during the official opening of the National Assembly this year that mobile clinics would be procured from a friendly country to complement efforts to construct 15 hospitals in the 19 districts that do not currently have any. Strange enough, when Rupiah was arriving in the country from Zimbabwe, he said the concept to procure mobile hospitals was from the Chinese but "it is a damn good idea". Following Rupiah's statement, the visiting Chinese Ambassador was asked questions on the matter and he said the Chinese government did not play any role in the deal, it was a private deal. This statement by the Chinese also leaves much to be desired since the company, which is to supply these hospitals, China National Aero-Technology Import & Export Corporation (CATIC), is a large-scale state-owned conglomerate headquartered in Beijing. We should also not forget that Dr Mtonga said a committee from the Ministry of Health sat to look at the idea of mobile hospitals and decided to support it and at the same time Rupiah said experts were still studying the proposal and a decision will be made at a later stage. In the meantime, this same government has already been granted authority by the Zambia Public Procurement Authority to single source on the procurement of mobile hospitals.

In light of all these inconsistencies, lies, contradictions and half-truths on such an important issue, which involves taxpayers’ money being forked from a few Zambians in formal employment, what can prevent people from speculating? What do Rupiah and his friends expect from our people when they feed them on a daily diet of lies and inconsistencies on the way they are presiding over national issues?

It is clear that Rupiah and his friends are taking our people for granted going by the statement from chief government spokesman Lieutenant General Ronnie Shikapwasha's reaction to opposition UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema's statement on Rupiah.

Hichilema on Wednesday described the US$ 53 million mobile hospitals deal as a white-collar crime in which Rupiah and the MMD want to get a commission. Hichilema went further to say that Rupiah speaks highly of things that are meant to benefit him, his party and his family. Who can blame Hichilema for drawing this conclusion on Rupiah in light of the glaring inconsistencies and contradictions on important issues? This government has just provided fertile ground for speculations due to its dubious, secretive and questionable dealings and the sooner the situation is corrected, the better.

Threats will not help because you cannot silence millions of determined people. Rupiah and his friends should just sweep their house clean. Actually, Lt Gen Shikapwasha and defence minister George Mpombo should not even waste time condemning people that are criticising them. Instead, they should advise Rupiah to take a more honest approach to public affairs. Lt Gen Shikapwasha says Hichilema should withdraw or substantiate his remarks which are suggesting that Rupiah had criminal motives in considering the purchase of mobile hospitals while Mpombo says the comments border on defamation of Rupiah and are an assault on him. Have these two people taken time to wonder why Hichilema made those remarks? How many of our people, who might not have a platform to express themselves, are holding the same opinion as Hichilema? If Lt Gen Shikapwasha and Mpombo think that gagging and arresting people that criticise Rupiah and expose and condemn the crimes of his league is the solution to their problem, how many of our people are they going to take on?

Rupiah and his friends should come down to earth and take a look at how they are governing the country before they start unleashing police on people. It is not too long ago that Rupiah and George Kunda defended Dora Siliya on the RP Capital Partners deal. Concerns on this deal were raised by various stakeholders in our country and the letters from Attorney General's chambers were very clear on how Siliya never followed the legal advice when she engaged RP Capital Partners to valuate Zamtel assets before partial privatisation at a cost of US $2 million. Rupiah defended Siliya and that the allegation that she signed RP Capital Partners memorandum of understanding (MoU) illegally was nonsense. Rupiah went on to say that Siliya was smarter than her critics. As if that blunder was not enough, Kunda went on to hold a press briefing, flanked by Siliya, where he defended her, saying she is a layperson and the matter needed to be dealt with by a lawyer like himself. Kunda even went to great lengths of schooling people on the law and maintained that the memorandum of understanding that Siliya signed was approved by the Solicitor General on behalf of the Attorney General. But when the tribunal that was constituted to probe Siliya for breaching the parliamentary and ministerial code of conduct released its report, it turned out that the smart woman had breached an even bigger law - the Constitution. Too much for being smart! Can you blame Zambians and arrest them for drawing conclusions of Rupiah's involvement in the RP Capital Partners deal going by the contradictions? This is a deal in which one of his sons, Henry, is involved and this was also brought out during the tribunal hearing. His other son, James, was also linked to the company that imported Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) maize not too long ago. And when Rupiah was asked about that issue, he told journalists at the airport just before he left for Tanzania in February that it had nothing to do with his sons. Rupiah went on to say, "Regarding my son, as far as I'm concerned I gave you all my sons. Does it mean that anybody who is related to me should cease to participate in whatever is happening in this country?

... If he did get a contract, he got it himself like anyone else. Because we are the same people who are saying that if our children should live, they should leave the countries where they are living to come back and stay in Zambia. So if they come to Zambia, it's just it? They have to participate like everybody else as long as they are not doing something wrong."

So should people be arrested for saying Rupiah speaks highly of things that benefit him, his party and family? Actually, on Siliya, Rupiah still maintains that she was just confused by the Attorney General's chambers as the tribunal established as a matter of fact and that he will reorganise that office. This is a man who has continued to defend a person who was found to have breached the Constitution, which he, as President, swore to uphold and defend. What kind of circus is this?

The concept of mobile hospitals has been opposed by politicians, civil society, the Church and the Zambia Medical Association. They say it does not make economic sense. But Rupiah endorsed it as a damn good idea while his government spokesperson said experts are looking at it. So what are the experts supposed to say when Rupiah has said it is a damn good idea? How can Rupiah say it is a damn good idea when the people who are supposed to use the facilities reject them? And if Rupiah insists and he is accused of having some interests in the deal, why should he complain? These are things which are bringing suspicion. We are aware that technocrats at the finance and health ministries and officials at the tender board opposed this idea.

Why has government continued to tell lies that there is no deal when they have been given permission to single source? Why should people be gagged for making observations on such outrageous and grandiose ideas when they are the ones paying taxes from their hard-earned incomes? All the issues that our people have raised involve taxpayers’ money which is being raised from a number of workers in formal employment and has continued to reduce looking at the job losses in the country. Why should people close their eyes when they are being robbed of their money and freedoms in broad daylight? This is tantamount to pouring water from a cup on one's face and asking them to believe that it is raining. There is nothing that will redeem Rupiah and his friends on these issues apart from honesty, humility, transparency and accountability.

As we have always said, transparency and accountability are two important aspects which ensure efficient functioning of any democratic society, both socially and politically. In a democracy, people transfer their powers to leaders and there has to be some form of assurance that the delegated powers will not be ineffective and abused. Where there is transparency, information is available which can be used to measure the government's performance. In that sense, transparency serves to foster accountability - those in government should be ready to be held accountable for their actions.

The current culture of lies, inconsistencies and contradictions is a recipe for social instability and an environment that is less conducive for economic growth. Rupiah and his friends need to put their house in order. Threats on innocent citizens will not do.