Maravi

George Kunda is used to stage-managing things

COMMENT - Did you know that in the case of US and Canadian citizens, they are bound by their own national legislation, and can go to jail if they are found to have bribed a foreign official? Check out the FCPA or Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (US) or the Corruption of Public Officials Act (Canada). This is why an individual like Marc Rich has taken up Swiss citizenship.

George Kunda is used to stage-managing things
By The Post
Sat 26 Nov. 2011, 12:00 CAT

Business and individuals do well in a strong and decent community of people with principles and standards and common aims and values.

Where there is abuse of power and public office, where there is corruption, honest business does not do well. Only dishonest business thrives or prospers under an environment of corruption, abuse of public office, corruption, bribery and all other related vices. Therefore, a correction or reversal of corrupt transactions cannot be seen as undermining the confidence of investors as George Kunda seems to suggest. It actually increases investor confidence.

The Zamtel deal was born twisted, corrupt and stinking. From the very beginning, that transaction was not straight and we are not surprised that the Commission of Inquiry has confirmed everything we had said at the beginning of that transaction. There was nothing above board in that transaction as George is suggesting. That was simply a corrupt deal that has to be reversed. And if people like George continue pushing that type of line, the best thing would be just to arrest and prosecute all those who were involved in this deal and corruptly benefited from it. Public offices were abused in that transaction and there is nothing George can say that will convince Zambian people that all was above board.

George claims that the findings of the Zamtel sale Commission of Inquiry which revealed glaring evidence of illegality and fraudulent transactions was stage-managed. We disagree.

Stage-managed for what and how? We know that this is how George and his boss Rupiah Banda used to operate - they stage-managed everything, including court proceedings. They got the result they wanted in everything. They wanted Frederick Chiluba acquitted, they stage-managed everything and got him acquitted. We are not saying so, it is them who said so.

Rupiah made it very clear to the whole country, to the whole world that it was him who freed Chiluba from going to jail for corruption. How did he do it? He didn't tell us. But Chiluba was acquitted by magistrate Jones Chinyama. This means that if it was Rupiah who freed Chiluba, then the order to acquit him must have flowed from Rupiah.

How? By abusing the entire judicial process through connivance with those who administered the justice system. And this is why we have insisted that Chief Justice Ernest Sakala, Director of Public Prosecutions Chalwe Mchenga, George and Rupiah should be made to explain their role in the acquittal or freeing of Chiluba.

Of course, this is not the only thing they stage-managed. Many things were stage-managed. They even stage-managed the refusal to register the London High Court judgment that was obtained by the Zambian government against Chiluba.

But there is a problem here. Crooked people, dishonest people, those who stage-manage things think everything is done that way, think everyone stage-manages things. They judge other people by their own standards and practices. Dishonest people have difficulties accepting that there is anyone in this world who is honest. Corrupt people usually believe that everyone has a price, everything is about money. Our own and only explanation for all this is that genuine goodness is threatening to those at the opposite end of the moral spectrum. And the only way evil fights good is to smear it with the filth of evil, to discredit it so that people lose faith in the possibility of anyone or anything being good.

If George and his friends lacked integrity in the handling of public affairs, they shouldn't think that other people also lack integrity. If George and his friends stage-managed everything, they shouldn't think that other people also stage-manage everything. It is not right for George to start judging others by his own standards - the standards of crooks, dishonest and corrupt elements. They manipulated everything they did but it is not right for them to think that everyone does the same.

Reversing the Zamtel sale to Libya's LAP Green will not erode investor confidence in our country. If this deal is reversed, investor confidence in our country will increase because all honest investors abhor corruption and would like to invest in a country that is free from corruption.

If this transaction is reversed, Zambia will be seen as a country that doesn't tolerate corruption, dishonesty, bribery and so on and so forth. And to honest investors, a country that does that is seen to be safe to invest in.

Only crooks will keep away from a country that doesn't tolerate corruption and other abuses of power. Only corrupt elements will keep away from such a country. And in truth, we don't need that type of investors; and already there are too many of them in our country. What we need is honest investment from honest investors. If by reversing the Zamtel deal dishonest investors, crooked business keep away from our country or fear to come to our country, then that will be a very good thing because we don't need them. What we want is honest investment and honest investors will want to do business in a country where there is transparency, honesty and integrity, especially in the top leadership of a country.

Incorruptibility is part of the essence of self-respect for the people and their leaders. Honest investors want to deal with incorruptible leaders, those they don't have to pay bribes.

It is very clear that those who were in the leadership at the time of the sale of Zamtel to LAP Green structured that transaction to benefit themselves. We have no doubt that, one way or another, money moved into their pockets as a result of that transaction. That deal has not benefited the country in any way. And it was corruptly procured. Yes, George is right when he says that Michael Sata's government should take over the obligations entered into by the previous government. But where things that were corruptly entered into for the benefit of a few individuals can be reversed, they should be reversed.

And the Zamtel deal is one such deal that can easily be reversed by simply giving back to LAP Green what belongs to LAP Green and to the people of Zambia what belongs to the people of Zambia. If people enter into corrupt deals on the assurance that whoever takes over from them will not be able to change anything or reverse anything, then it would be impossible to fight corruption.

If George and his friends had entered into the Zamtel deal thinking whatever its state, the Zambian people are saddled with it and nothing can change, they were deceiving themselves. This deal will be changed because it is truly illegal and fraudulent. LAP Green can go to court if they want. It is their right. But this is not the first time a corrupt deal is being reversed. George himself, as Attorney General and Minister of Justice under Levy Mwanawasa, got the Zambian government out of such deals and some matters even went as far as court in England. So what is George talking about? If George has nothing to say, the best thing is just to shut up!

Labels: CORRUPTION, GEORGE KUNDA, ZAMTEL

posted by MrK @ 5:42 PM