Maravi

Zulu challenges MMD anew on corruption

Zulu challenges MMD anew on corruption
By George Chellah
Wed 03 Aug. 2011, 14:00 CAT

FORMER Solicitor General Sebastian Zulu says President Rupiah Banda’s administration is not suitable to continue leading the country. And Zulu has maintained that the MMD has no credible presidential candidate in the forthcoming general elections.

In an interview, Zulu, who is also former UNIP secretary general and campaigned for President Banda during the 2008 presidential by-election, said his views about the current administration were based on principle.

“I have nothing personal against the President, I am talking on principle. If he is paying lip-service to the anti-corruption fight, I cannot support him,” he said.

He said several leaders in the country, including the Church were saying that President Banda’s administration was corrupt.

He described the people who verbally attacked him for refusing to endorse President Banda as street fighters with no rules of decency.

Zulu said those in MMD that were attacking him had no evidence to disapprove what he said initially about President Banda and the fight against corruption.

“The people who have attacked me, they are like street fighters. They don’t follow the rules. And you know a street fighter uses every weapon, he can throw stones, he can take a catapult, he can use anything,” said Zulu, who is also former Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

“He street fighter has no rules of decency. I cannot go down to that level at all. I am a professional so I will restrict myself to the election issues which I raised, which the MMD administration have not parried.”

He challenged the MMD to respond to the issues he raised on corruption.

“The issues I raised were: why the MMD dissolved the Task Force on Corruption, they told lies that it was because it was not making sufficient recoveries, that is a lie; the next point they have not reacted to is, why they removed the abuse of authority clause in the anti-corruption Act. That’s a very crucial issue in the fight against corruption. At the moment they are at large, they can steal government resources knowing that nobody will ask them where they got the money,” Zulu said.

“The third point I had raised is why the administration is not willing to enforce the London judgment. They are not willing to enforce it, why is that? The fifth point I raised was that, why did they purchase mobile clinics instead of building permanent structures, we have no volcanoes, tsunamis or earthquakes, which destroy the infrastructure. So I wanted answers on that, good answers. These are election issues.”

He said the MMD would not be able to convince the people during the elections.

“The MMD government have not answered the election issues I raised as to why I cannot support the MMD government and as to why RB must go. They have got to answer these issues. The MMD vuvuzelas are just raising a lot of dust, not answering the issues, which I raised,” he said.

And Zulu has observed that the MMD lacks a credible presidential candidate when asked about the credibility of President Banda’s candidature.

“I am saying that the Banda administration and I am not attacking him personally, I am saying the Banda administration, of which he is the head, has failed to fight corruption; has failed to give reasonable replies to these election issues,” Zulu said.

He also dismissed accusations of bribery from his critics, who included Ben Mwila.

“BY Mwila was minister of defence when US $20 million was paid to Katebe Katoto, a private foreign person. Mwila has got to explain why they paid to an individual US $20 million. Why did Mwila as minister of defence allow such money to be paid to an individual?” he asked.

He dismissed claims that he was frustrated because President Banda has not given him a job. “I am too expensive to be employed. So to say that I am frustrated because he did not appoint me as a minister, what benefit would I have as a minister which I can’t get now as a lawyer? In fact, when we were campaigning with President Mwanawasa I said to Mr Rupiah Banda ‘if you are given a ministerial post, me I don’t want one’, I told him ‘please accept it’,” Zulu said.

“He President Banda said he was a career diplomat, he would be too happy if he was given a diplomatic posting. I told him, I said ‘no, not for me, I do not want to be a minister so please accept it.’”

He said Eastern Province was no longer a stronghold for MMD.

“Just wait for the results. You will see the results,” said Zulu.

Labels: CORRUPTION, MMD, RUPIAH BANDA

posted by MrK @ 7:57 PM