Rupiah’s govt is a cheerleader to corruption, says Chinsembu

Rupiah’s govt is a cheerleader to corruption, says Chinsembu
By George Chellah
Wed 06 Jan. 2010, 04:01 CAT

UNIVERSITY of Namibia lecturer and former UNZALARU publicity secretary Kazhila Chinsembu has said there is a perception that President Rupiah Banda's administration has become a cheerleader to corruption. In an interview, Chinsembu said the issue of corruption in the current administration was worrying.

“And most of us who live outside can feel the stench of corruption. Corruption has been brought back to the front pages and in much bigger fonts whereby because of the case of the former president, it seems that the perception is that government has become a cheerleader to corruption,” Chinsembu said.

“And many people feel that the current administration is protecting people that should have faced the due process of the law. It seems as though because the government has taken this stance to protect people that are perceived to be kleptomaniacs, it seems that the people feel that the government is turning into a cash-cow where government coffers will literally become a cash-cow where plunderers want to make sure that resources do not reach the people.”

Chinsembu said Zambia's current governance record was very poor.

“This can be attested from several events of the recent past,” he said.
He also expressed dissatisfaction with the Dora Siliya case.

“The Dora Siliya case was not handled properly… the recommendations of the tribunal must be respected. But for the head of state to bring back the minister into another portifolio sends a wrong signal about constitutionalism and the role of tribunals. In many cases, people think tribunals are a waste of money,” Chinsembu said, adding that it seemed the current administration was on a collision course with the people.

“… because of the fact that people now think that there is selective application of the law. And you can see this from the abolition of the Task Force on Corruption and the non-renewal of contract for Max Nkole former Task Force chairman and former Attorney General Mumba Malila,” Chinsembu said. “The perception is that corruption, clanism and villageism is now being brought to the forefront.”

Chinsembu said over the past 14 months, most of the virtues upon which a firm presidency should be founded had been compromised.

“Virtues such as transparency, accountability, good governance and rule of law. These virtues have been compromised apparently in a short period of time,” he said.

“We hope that the President will be able to cultivate a sense of leadership that inspires the nation. A sense of leadership that defines his own presidency and a sense of leadership that can take Zambia into a prosperous future,” Chinsembu said.

“To be fair to the President, I think that the President needs to define himself so that he will also leave his own legacy. I would suggest that those around the President advise him on the kind of matrix that he can bring to his own leadership style so that people will be able to look at him as a total package.”

On media regulation, Chinsembu urged Vice-President Kunda to learn from former Zimbabwean information minister Professor Jonathan Moyo who is now being haunted by the same law that he created.

“The press are supposed to be the forth estate so that they can try to regulate the activities of the executive, judiciary and legislature so that a free press can become the lens through which society can view the activities of government,” Chinsembu said.

“If you try to gag the press, if you try to stifle freedom of expression and information, that in itself is retarding development. So I think the Vice-President should interrogate his legal faculties once again and try to see press freedom through the prism of development. Without press freedom, there will be no development in this country.

“The media fraternity should unite and make sure that this bill does not see the statute books and also to urge the government to rethink their position because the government, they have to be servants of the people. The media should be left to fight this alone.”

Chinsembu said draconian laws should never be allowed in a free society like ours.