Maravi

Priest urges govt to revisit fight against corruption

Priest urges govt to revisit fight against corruption
By Mwila Chansa in Kitwe
Thu 28 Oct. 2010, 03:59 CAT

A NDOLA priest has observed that Zambia’s latest standing on the corruption perception index calls for pressure on the government to re-look the fight against corruption.

In an interview, Uganda Martyrs Chikumbi parish priest Fr Patrick Mwela said no one could pride themselves in corruption. According to Transparency International’s 2010 corruption perception index (CPI), Zambia falls in the 18th rank category out of the 69 ranks.

“The picture is still bad. We cannot be proud of such a position, no one can pride themselves in corruption,” said Fr Mwela who is also Caritas Ndola Diocese social programmes and projects officer. “This information should make us put pressure on our government to have a re-look at the fight against corruption.”

Fr Mwela observed that during the late president Levy Mwanawasa’s reign, the country began moving into the right direction with regard to the fight against corruption but lost it along the way.

“But the situation is not completely hopeless because the President as a leader can turn things around and one way of doing that in my view is when we look at the abuse of office clause that was removed from the ACC Act, that clause can be restored,” he said. “The President can still prevail over the situation and have that clause restored in the Act.”

Fr Mwela said the abuse of office clause was needed in the ACC Act as a tool for the fight against corruption.

He said Zambia needed serious tools and instruments to fight corruption and the abuse of office clause was one such tool.

Fr Mwela said Zambia’s 18th rank category was unfortunate but it was possible for the situation to be reversed if the tools for the fight against corruption were looked at.

Labels: ACC, CORRUPTION, PATRICK MWELA, RUPIAH BANDA

posted by MrK @ 6:50 PM