Maravi

Rupiah’s defence of Chiluba’s corruption

Rupiah’s defence of Chiluba’s corruption
By Editor
Fri 05 Mar. 2010, 04:00 CAT

OBLIGATIONS to the people should take precedence over commitment to an individual.

It is clear that for Rupiah Banda obligations to his friend Frederick Chiluba have taken precedence over his obligations and duties to the people. Instead of serving the people of Zambia heart and soul, Rupiah is more interested in his own political fortunes. Rupiah is not there to serve the people wholeheartedly. He appears ready to abandon his obligations to the people in pursuit of self-interests.

And as Anglican priest Fr Richard Luonde has observed, under Rupiah Zambia is in the hands of people who are not sincere; people who are ready to gamble justice due to the people in the political casino if they think their political fortunes will increase. In the belief that Chiluba will increase his appeal to the voters, Rupiah is ready to sacrifice a lot and ensure that Chiluba remains far away from prison to campaign for him. Rupiah has clearly betrayed the people, the poor. He has failed to promote the interest of the people. What Rupiah is interested in, is not the welfare of the people but his own political survival and the other things that go with one holding political power.

Instead of promoting the interests of the people and secure justice for them, Rupiah has chosen to protect Chiluba and unjustly deny the people justice. Rupiah sees nothing wrong with habouring criminals, thieves, plunderers. Rupiah is very comfortable in the company of Chiluba, a man this government believed to have stolen from the Zambian people and took to court in London to try and recover what he had stolen. And the person who took Chiluba to court in London in the firm belief that he had stolen was no other than the then Attorney General of the Republic, George Kunda. The London High Court gave this government the judgment it was seeking. But now because the political circumstances have changed, this government, including the then Attorney General, want to repudiate that judgment and turn it into an orphan.

This is how crooks operate; this is how insincere people conduct themselves; this is what dishonesty does to human beings. Rupiah and his minions have no shame in trying to shield Chiluba and his league from justice. Rupiah does not even feel ashamed to be in the company of Chiluba’s convicted wife Regina. And while Rupiah was calling on Zambians to accept the judgment acquitting Chiluba, he was not doing the same with that convicting his wife for the stolen money she was receiving from him. This was not a judgment by a British court but by our own magistrate. They have accepted our magistrates’ court’s acquittal of Chiluba but not its conviction of his wife. And Rupiah is not calling on the Zambian people to accept the conviction of Regina. Regina may not be in prison but she is a convicted criminal who is not in prison on account of bail pending appeal. And if Chiluba’s wife is convicted for receiving stolen money from him, where does this leave Chiluba himself? And this is not the only issue, the only court that has looked at things in this way.

The London High Court has found Chiluba to be a thief who has stolen public funds. Our own magistrates’ court has also found, as a matter of fact, that Regina received stolen money from Chiluba who at that time was her ‘boyfriend’. All this to Rupiah and George means nothing; means that Chiluba is innocent! What innocence?

There is a lot of money to be lost because of Rupiah’s selfishness. The Zambian people stand to lose millions of dollars that could be recovered from Chiluba and his friends. This will be the price the Zambian people will be forced to pay for Chiluba’s friendship with Rupiah and his desire to ensure that he doesn’t go to prison.

This is the type of servant the Zambian people have in Rupiah. What type of servant is this who does not advance the interests of his masters but is more concerned with those of their enemies? Whatever true leaders of the people do is to serve the people. Their duty is to hold themselves responsible to the people. Every word, every act and every policy of theirs must conform to the interests of the people; they have the interests of the people and the sufferings of the great majority at heart.

Zambia needs leaders who can look after the interests of her people as they do with their own lives, subordinating their personal interests to those of the people. We need leaders who are more concerned about the masses than about any individual, and more concerned about others than about themselves. We need to bring our political leaders to understand that the supreme test of their words and deeds is whether they conform with the highest interest and enjoy the support of the overwhelming majority of the people. At no time and in no circumstances should they place their personal interests first; they should subordinate them to the interests of the nation and of the masses. Hence, Rupiah’s handling of Chiluba’s corruption cases – his acquittal and the withdrawal of the appeal against this – can be said to be corrupt; it is selfishness at its worst. Wholehearted devotion to public duty is therefore required. The people of Zambia need leaders who are ready at all times to stand up for the truth, for that which is fair and just, because truth, fairness and justice are in the interest of the people.

And as Fr Luonde has concluded, Rupiah has failed to promote the interest of the people but is instead busy protecting crooks that have swindled the country. Given this behaviour, what should be the Zambian people’s attitude towards Rupiah? Should they support him or vote for him?

The masses of our people are looking for leaders who are willing to protect their interests. Moreover, a government of the people, by the people, for the people protects and promotes the people’s rights and interests and not of those who rob them, who steal from them. But Rupiah’s government seems to be a government of crooks, by crooks, for crooks and as such they are busy protecting crooks and their interests, their loot. Is this the type of government the masses of our people should seek to promote, defend or preserve? Is this the type of leaders the masses of our people should be expected to vote for – leaders who allow the poor to be robbed?

What Rupiah has done is indefensible and he will live to regret it. Rupiah is doing all this for Chiluba for selfish reasons. And that which is done for selfish reasons can never be noble. Shielding corrupt elements from justice is not a noble thing; it is an evil deed that can only be done by people who are evil and full of vanity and greed.

With all this, there is no way Rupiah can claim to be fighting corruption in this country. It is not possible for one to fight corruption while at the same time defending corrupt elements. Rupiah can only be one thing: a fighter against corruption or a supporter of corrupt elements. These two positions are mutually exclusive. It’s clear that Rupiah has chosen to defend corruption and corrupt elements and to fight those who are fighting corruption. This is how things stand today. But is this the type of president the Zambian people want? This will be very easy for Rupiah if the majority of our people were corrupt like his friend Chiluba. Things are going to be very difficult for him because his corrupt friends and their supporters are in the minority. So Rupiah has chosen to fight the majority.

They have gotten their acquittal; they have withdrawn the appeal. And they think they have won but soon this will be like a mouthful of sand – they wont enjoy it at all; it will be too much for them to chew.

Labels: CHILUBA, RICHARD LUONDE, RUPIAH BANDA

posted by MrK @ 5:28 PM