Maravi

Mulongoti and his defence of the corrupt and corruption

Mulongoti and his defence of the corrupt and corruption
By Editor
Tue 03 Aug. 2010, 04:00 CAT

MIKE Mulongoti, Rupiah Banda’s Minister of Works and Supply, has become increasingly associated with the most disagreeable messages and thoughts. And what we are saying cannot be dismissed as a mere false perception by those who hate Mike.

Mike is seen as one of the most ardent defenders of corruption and corrupt elements in this government after Rupiah and George Kunda. And there’s no person who would consistently and persistently defend corruption and corrupt elements, and still be perceived as a clean and honest person.

Mike, like Rupiah and George, is thought to favour greed.

The nation has not forgotten how much Mike did and how far he went to defend Frederick Chiluba, his corruption and his questionable acquittal and the refusal by Rupiah to appeal this. Mike has not hidden his defence of corruption.

And today, this same Mike is in the forefront of trying to justify their unjustifiable decision, their corrupt scheme to try and remove abuse of office as an offence from our statute books. The arguments Mike has been advancing on this score cannot, in any way, be said to be intelligent. But Mike thinks these are intelligent “legal arguments”. Anyway, “the most stupid fool is better off than someone who thinks he is wise when he is not” (Proverbs 26:12).

When it comes to the issue of intolerance, of not respecting debate or public discourse, Mike is one of the worst culprits in this government. The nation has not forgotten the threats Mike was issuing against us in the run-up to the 2008 presidential elections. Mike made it public that they would close The Post once they were in power, after winning the elections. And indeed they have tried to do so in many ways. What keeps The Post going today is not the goodwill of Mike and his friends but the immense public support the newspaper enjoys from the Zambian people and the commitment and dedication of its staff. There are many things they have done to try and close this newspaper. But The Post is still here. And this they can’t stand; they can’t forgive. They are choking with hatred and envy for The Post.

But again, “people who set traps for others get caught themselves. People who start landslides get crushed. You have to hate someone to want to hurt him with lies. Insincere talk brings nothing but ruin” (Proverbs 26:27-28).

For us, we think it is “better to correct someone openly than to let him think you don’t care for him at all” (Proverbs 27:5).

We have no problem being schooled by Mike on what our role should be. We pay a lot of attention to whatever is said about us. We know our role. We know that we have a number of overlapping but distinctive functions. One is to inform and educate. To make intelligent decisions about public policy, people need accurate, timely, unbiased information. And because opinions diverge, they also need access to a wide range of viewpoints. This role is specially important during election campaigns, when few voters will have the opportunity to see, much less talk with, candidates in person. Instead, they must rely on our work to explain the issues and characterise the respective positions of candidates and their political parties.

Our second function is to serve as a watchdog over government and other powerful institutions in our country. By holding to a standard of independence and objectivity, however imperfect, we can expose the truth behind the claims of government and hold public officials accountable for their actions.

And if we choose, as we have often done, we can also take a more active role in public debate at any time or any stage. Through editorials, news stories, features, we can campaign for specific policies that we feel should be enacted or should not be enacted. We can also serve as a forum for organisations and individuals to express their opinions through letters to the editor and the printing of articles with divergent points of view.

We also have another increasingly important role: setting the agenda. Since we can’t report everything, we must choose which issues to report and which ones to ignore. In short, we decide what is news and what isn’t. These decisions, in turn, influence the public’s perception of what issues are most important. But we can’t simply manipulate or disregard issues at will because our competitors – the state-owned and government-controlled newspapers, television and radio and others – are free to call attention to their own list of important issues.

If the level of public discourse is broadened, citizens can better sift through the chaff of misinformation and rhetoric to find the kernels of truth. This is the way we see our role and the way we approach our responsibilities. We don’t see it the Mike way.

The truth is Mike and his friends have never wanted our advice or paid any attention when we corrected them. So then, they will get what they deserve, and their own actions will make them sick. It is said that “inexperienced people die because they reject wisdom, and stupid people are destroyed by their own lack of concern” (Proverbs 1:32).

We hate evil, pride, arrogance and lies. And in this, we are supported by the teachings of the Lord: “To honour the Lord is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil ways and false words” (Proverbs 8:13).

Mike’s reaction to our comments do not surprise us or worry us in any way because we have been taught that “if you correct a conceited man, you will only be insulted. If you reprimand an evil man, you will only get hurt. Never correct a conceited man; he will hate you for it. But if you correct a wise man, he will respect you. Anything you say to a wise man will make him wiser.

Whatever you tell a righteous man will add to his knowledge” (Proverbs 9:7-9).

Sensible people accept good advice and “someone who holds back the truth causes trouble, but one who openly criticises works for peace” (Proverbs 10:10).

We know that Mike was very disturbed by what was stated in one of our editorial comments concerning corruption in our roads sector – a sector that falls under his ministry. In particular, what appears to have disturbed Mike most is our pointing out the fact that since he came to this ministry, he is increasingly wearing very expensive clothes, suits costing two or three thousand dollars. We all know where Mike is coming from. We all know the financial problems Mike went through. We also know how Mike was living off friends here and there – literally begging for this and that until Levy Mwanawasa gave him a government appointment after the 2006 elections. What happened to Mike’s little tuntembas, small businesses, his lodge in Kabulonga is not a secret. Mike had no money to buy such suits. He didn’t even have that type of money when he was a minister in Levy’s government. Where has the wealth that Mike is boasting about come from? We know that money does not grow on trees. We also know the salary and allowances Mike gets from government because these are gazetted. It is clear that the wealth Mike is boasting about has come as a result of his appointment to public office as Minister of Works and Supply – a ministry that is awash with money, that is dealing with big and expensive public works.

What we said about Mike is being said by his own fellow ministers about him. It is also being said by contractors who have been given government works. For his own information, we received many calls agreeing with our comment on him. We have no doubt Mike is living on unearned income. And living on unearned income provides a prima facie case of corruption.

What Mike needs to learn is that if you are good, you are guided by honesty. And honesty makes a good man’s life easier, but a wicked man will cause his own downfall. Anyone who loves knowledge wants to be told when he is wrong; “it is stupid to hate being corrected” (Proverbs 12:1). And “stupid people always think they are right. Wise people always listen to advice” (Proverbs 12:15).

It is clear that Mike is working for evil, he is defending corruption and corrupt elements. And today, Mike is in the forefront of advancing a law that will protect the corrupt and the gains from their evil deeds through that law they want to change. But Mike should know that he will only earn the trust and respect of fellow citizens if he works for good; by working for evil, he is making a big mistake. If Mike continues getting more stubborn every time he is corrected, one day he will be crushed and never recover.

Labels: MIKE MULONGOTI, RUPIAH BANDA

posted by MrK @ 7:10 PM