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Rupiah has betrayed Levy - Kabimba

Rupiah has betrayed Levy - Kabimba
By Chibaula Silwamba and Ernest Chanda
Fri 05 Nov. 2010, 04:01 CAT

PRESIDENT Rupiah Banda, Vice-President George Kunda and their lieutenants have betrayed Levy Mwanawasa by removing the abuse of office clause from the ACC Act, PF secretary general Wynter Kabimba charged yesterday.

And Transparency International Zambia has urged President Banda to rescind his support for the removal of the abuse of office clause because the action would entail legalisation of corruption.

Commenting on the decision by MMD parliamentarians’ endorsement of the removal of abuse of office offence clause from the amended Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) Act during the committee stage in Parliament on Wednesday, Kabimba charged that President Banda, Vice-President Kunda, MMD parliamentarians and pro-government leaders had certified corruption and abuse of office by public servants through their action to remove the clause.

Kabimba said it was shameful that people that worked closely with late president Mwanawasa, masquerading that they believed in his cause, had now abandoned him.

“Today, Levy is no more, and because now they are on the payroll of somebody else they have completely betrayed Levy Mwanawasa that they could go to Parliament and betray his cause,” Kabimba said. “They gave the impression to the people of Zambia that they believed in the man so much. The lesson for the people of Zambia to learn from such leaders is that these are leaders who are self-serving. These are leaders that at anytime would betray the cause of the people in order to serve interests of him who appoints them to those positions.”

He named President Banda a betrayer.

“Rupiah Banda was a Vice-President to the late Levy Mwanawasa, appointed by Mwanawasa in the belief that he shared the same values as himself. In the hope that as a man that served in a UNIP government under Dr Kenneth Kaunda which government was the first to introduce the corrupt practices Act, to deal with the cancer of corruption in our society, would be the champion of that cause,” Kabimba said. “To our dismay and consternation, RB’s legacy after 2011 will not be about a President that stood to eradicate corruption in our society. There will be nothing for him to show that indeed he believed in the cause of Levy Mwanawasa whom he served as Vice-President.”

He said the clearest signal that President Banda had sent to Zambians over his stance on corruption was the removal of the abuse of office clause from the ACC Act.

“Nobody today can justify the removal of that clause. We hope the people of Zambia and donors are marking the words of the President when he tries to justify the removal of that clause,” he said.
“President Rupiah Banda, Vice-President George Kunda and their lieutenants are certifying corruption and legalising abuse of office.”

He said the abuse of office clause was in the ACC Act to prevent corruption in public office, and President Banda’s team should not have removed it.

“The removal of the clause can only mean that they are supporting abuse of office. Otherwise of all the clauses in the ACC Act, why pick on the abuse of office?” asked Kabimba. “I read some of the debating in Parliament, saying that ‘why are you discriminating against those serving in public sector?’ Of course we have to discriminate because they are at the service of the people. So they can’t go out conducting themselves like anybody else on the streets because they are entrusted with the confidence of the people to serve Zambians. That is the difference.”

And TIZ executive director Goodwell Lungu said civil society members were disappointed with the debate and decision of Parliament.

He said it was not true that the clause was retrogressive as proponents for its removal claimed.
“This will have a negative effect on the fight against corruption; we will not lose hope. We will embark on a campaign to collect signatures to petition the President not to assent the bill,” Lungu said.

He said despite President Banda justifying the removal of the clause, TIZ and the civil society organisations were hopeful that he could change his mind.

“It’s not too late for the President to make a U-turn and we will commend him for that,” said Lungu.
During deliberation in Parliament on Wednesday, opposition Alliance for Democracy and Development Luena member of parliament Charles Milupi raised a point of order on why the Minister of Home Affairs had mounted a garrison of police officers at the Parliament gates to monitor unarmed opposition members who were picketing.

Milupi also questioned the minister's double standards by trying to frustrate the picketing when only about two weeks ago another group of people was allowed to picket against one member of parliament.

Making a ruling, National Assembly Speaker Amusaa Mwanamwambwa said the question of people who were allowed to picket over two weeks ago was a dead issue.

On the police officers’ presence, Speaker Mwanamwambwa ruled that the home affairs minister was in order to keep law and order anywhere including the precincts of Parliament.

And later when the Anti Corruption bill came up for committee stage there was a show of supremacy from the MMD parliamentarians who, through Vice-President George Kunda rejected every amendment the opposition tried to push in.

Vice-President Kunda who often smiled mockingly whenever opposition members read out their amendments dictated the mood for the ruling party as everyone seemingly looked up to him for direction.

Despite the opposition members' hard push for the reinstatement of the abuse of office offence, they could not change the status quo as they were outnumbered by the MMD who had teamed up with some 'rebel' Patriotic Front parliamentarians to out vote them when the matter came to a vote.

Whatever amendment was proposed by the opposition at every stage of the bill was rejected first by Vice-President George Kunda and then the other MMD parliamentarians followed suit.

And later justifying the government's removal of the abuse of office offence after Itezhi-tezhi UPND parliamentarian Goddfrey Beene moved an amendment to have the clause re-instated, Vice-President Kunda argued that the law was targeting civil servants who were also voters.

“This particular clause Section 37 of the ACC Act was debated. And we have argued that this law is outdated, it's archaic and it's backward because it's targeted at civil servants. Why are we targeting civil servants? Why are we targeting such voters?” asked Vice-President Kunda. “We should encourage people to earn extra income. And if we keep that law we could be encouraging a police state where people will be pursued even for allowances that they have worked for.”

But Kabwata PF parliamentarian Given Lubinda cautioned Vice-President Kunda against thinking that he is the only Zambian who has studied law.

“I'm very surprised by people who think that they are the only ones who went to school to study law. They are not the only ones who have studied law,” debated Lubinda as deputy National Assembly Speaker Mutale Nalumango cautioned him against debating individuals.

Zambezi West UPND parliamentarian Charles Kakoma argued that police had no capacity to fight corruption as could be proved from history.

Roan PF parliamentarian Chishimba Kambwili reminded the MMD that posterity would judge them harshly for abolishing a good law.

The number of opposition members defending Section 37 of the ACC Act was too few, hence the bill went through committee stage and will only come up for report stage before going for Presidential assent.

Labels: ACC, CORRUPTION, LEVY MWANAWASA, RUPIAH BANDA, TIZ, WYNTER KABIMBA

posted by MrK @ 6:54 AM