People attacking me are not clean, says Fr Miha

People attacking me are not clean, says Fr Miha
By Ernest Chanda
Tue 23 Feb. 2010, 04:00 CAT

MISSION Press director Fr Miha Drevensek has said people attacking him over his observations on the revelations of the Auditor General’s annual reports are not clean.

Reacting to Copperbelt minister Mwansa Mbulakulima and MMD provincial chairman Joseph Chilambwe’s demand for the Catholic leadership to discipline him, Fr Miha challenged the duo to explain what the MMD government was doing with public resources.

“First of all, both Mr Mbulakulima and Mr Chilambwe are Catholic. And I’m sure they understand the story of our Lord Jesus Christ who, after fasting for forty days was tested in many ways. He was tested with the evil of power, corruption and cheating but He resisted.

Those two are my children and that’s why they call me Father; I was praying for both of them,” Fr Miha said. “Now, when I commented on the Auditor General’s report, I was merely stating facts.

You cannot have a situation where various cases of abuse of public resources are highlighted every year and the government doesn’t take any action. Where is the essence of good governance if people who abuse public resources cannot be probed?

Looking at the two people’s reaction to my comment, it suggests that they are not clean. If they were, they would have agreed with me that there is a lot of corruption. Let them explain how the MMD government is using public resources.”

Fr Miha challenged Chilambwe and Mbulakulima to explain the cause of poverty in the country since they belonged to the ruling party.

“Can they explain to the nation how their government has been using donor money? And if they claim that their government is fighting corruption, why are we poor? If you step on a cat’s tail, it reacts angrily,” said Fr Miha. “I insist that those stealing public resources should be put behind bars.

These two leaders couldn’t understand my language because they don’t know amapinda proverbs. When I said the fight against corruption has gone to the dogs I was simply saying we’ve abandoned the fight; not that those in government are dogs. So, this is a simple adage that a learned person should have understood easily.”

Commenting on revelations in the Auditor General’s report last week, Fr Miha said the fight against corruption had gone to the dogs.

He said next year’s elections would not be free and fair because the ruling party had condoned corruption.

And in reaction to Fr Miha’s comment, both Mbulakulima and Chilambwe called on the Catholic leadership to discipline him for what they termed as insulting the national leadership.