Maravi

MMD’s corruption is scaring away genuine investors – HH

MMD’s corruption is scaring away genuine investors – HH
By George Chellah
Fri 19 Feb. 2010, 04:01 CAT

UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema yesterday said corruption by the MMD and the ruling clique is beginning to scare away genuine investors. And Hichilema noted that the Presidency is being used to extort money and threaten corporate entities and individual citizens. In an interview, Hichilema said the MMD corruption is becoming intolerable.

"They are even creating an environment where serious investors will think twice before they come to this country because in addition to the cost of investing, they have to consider looking for money to pay bribes to MMD leaders," Hichilema said.

"It is actually beginning to scare genuine investors. In their desperation to raise money for the next elections and the campaigns that they basically plan to launch or continue, they have started extorting money from companies, business houses and individuals."

Hichilema said corporate entities and individuals were being threatened to fund the ruling party.

"They will go to an individual or company and threaten that company or individual that 'you, you are a supporter of Hakainde or Sata. We have a file on you'. Now in the process of doing that, obviously they want to tempt this company to seek their protection by paying them money," Hichilema said.

"I call this old style extortion, this is dictatorial behaviour, the behaviour of people who are schooled in the one-party state dictatorship. We are aware that of late they have even gone to companies where actually they threaten companies that 'unless you give us money for the campaigns, we are the ruling party we will withdraw your license', for businesses that operate on licenses.

"They threaten individuals that have foreign workers with work permits that they will deport the workers. This is thuggery of the highest order. This is uncouth.

This is the worst you can ever have from a ruling clique in the MMD. With the knowledge of the President, I say what I say, when the President reads this article he will know that Hakainde knows what he is talking about."

Hichilema described this behaviour as unprofessional.

"It is not correct, it's unprofessional. It's unpresidential to threaten citizens whether they are corporate entities or individual citizens with extortion. They are even beginning to create fictitious crimes around certain companies, trying to raid these companies on falsehoods,” Hichilema said.

“What they are looking for is to shake those companies and then the natural reaction of those companies is to say 'what are we going to do, the state is working against us?' And in the process they extort billions of kwacha. How can the Presidency be used to extort money from humble corporate citizens and individual citizens?

How can somebody use the presidency to threaten people? People have human rights, they have freedoms and the state now under the MMD, instead of protecting companies and protecting citizens, they are using the state machinery to seek bribes."

Hichilema urged Zambians to defend themselves.

"And the best form of defence is to vote out the MMD. MMD knows, they know. I know what I am talking about. They know that.

They are even victimising fellow Zambians as long as they are not contributing money to the MMD. As long as they are not behaving like MMD cadres, they are going out there to threaten citizens," Hichilema said. "Now who is going to protect citizens if the ruling clique is threatening its own people? This is unacceptable. I am asking the people of Zambia to open their eyes and ears. They have a dictatorship in the offing."

Labels: CORRUPTION, HAKAINDE HICHILEMA, MMD

posted by MrK @ 4:55 AM