Most African leaders not serious with fighting corruption, says expert

COMMENT - Message to Marilyn Celli - corruption is not a 'vice' or 'moral failing', it is a way of doing business. When governments decide to hire civil servants, but then not pay them a living wage, the result is predictable. When the WTO or EU ignore corruption when handing out 'donor aid' so transnational corporations do not have to pay taxes or share dividends, they are complicit in the stealing of resources from people in resource rich countries. So let's not pretend we are dealing with some kind of personal moral failing.

Most African leaders not serious with fighting corruption, says expert
By Misheck Wangwe in Kitwe
Mon 27 June 2011, 03:50 CAT

A VISITING expert in good governance says Zambia’s vision of becoming a middle income country by 2030 will remain a dream if the government is not willing to make sacrifices to meet the needs of the majority poor.

In an interview, Marilyn Celli, a lecturer in Germany, said in African countries like Zambia many leaders never showed serious commitment to fighting vices such as corruption and lack of accountability which were the main causes of widespread poverty.

“Corruption has deprived Zambians of their fundamental basic rights such as shelter, clean water, effective health and education sectors.

As the country goes to the polls, Zambians must look for people who are willing to make sacrifices to take over government power.

Most of these leaders have forgotten that people make sacrifices for them to be in government,” Celli said. “When they are given power, they adopt lavish kind of life and they forget that people made sacrifices. The country needs leaders with a strong conviction of serving the poor.”

He said the country was in need of a creative leadership with the ability of fighting corruption vigorously and enhancing transparency in the utilization of both public and donor funds.

Celli said the reports that the Zambian government had started paying back billions of kwacha to the Global Fund which were misappropriated in the health sector showed the high levels of irresponsibility on the part of government.

He said it was sad that the country had to pay back huge sums of money using the hard earned revenue from taxpayers when the majority poor were in need of essential basic needs.

“Despite all these sad readings like the government paying back to the Global Fund, it seems there were no adequate corrective measures taken to stop these vices. Fighting poverty in Zambia seems to be complex because of corruption. There should be political will towards these problems if Zambia was to talk about meaningful development,” she said.

Celli said President Banda and other presidential aspirants must begin campaigning by discussing issues of poverty, which were the root cause of misery in the lives of many citizens.

Celli was in the country to inspect projects on the Copperbelt under the auspices of the Civil Society Against Poverty Alleviation.