Prosecute Chipoya

Prosecute Chipoya
By The Post
Mon 30 Jan. 2012, 14:00 CAT

IT is said that justice begins at home and the leaders themselves must be the first to give witness.It is also said that we cannot call others to virtues which we ourselves do not make an effort to practice. We say this in the light of Michael Sata's timely and decisive action against the corruption of his senior private secretary Alfred Chipoya.

A few days after being sworn in as President of the Republic, Michael warned all those who were going to serve in his government not to sell government decisions. In short, he warned them against taking bribes or inducements from people for them to facilitate certain government decisions or actions.

And it seems Alfred did not take this warning seriously. It was not an empty warning. Michael knew exactly what he was talking about. He knew very well that government officials do sell government decisions.

To be forewarned, it is said, is to be forearmed. For a long time, State House has been the citadel of corruption in Zambia. Presidential aides did all sorts of wrong things for the president, including facilitating his corruption. In the process, they also started doing their own things, making money for themselves in the same way the president was doing. Some of our presidents lost their moral authority to demand integrity, incorruptibility from their aides.

In the process, State House aides became very affluent, made a lot of money for themselves and became really big-headed, as if they were very senior political leaders; some of them even lost respect for ministers and other elected representatives of the people.

Look at how big-headed Richard Sakala had become under Frederick Chiluba! Look at how big-headed Dickson Jere had become under Rupiah Banda! Even Levy Mwanawasa was dribbled by his own aides - they engaged in all sorts of corrupt activities, and made money on his back. Probably as our late comedian Sauzande would say, "those are those", Michael is "another".

Corruption at State House has gone on for too long and has in some way messed up the reputation of the presidency. And Michael seems to have cracked it. We have had a situation where presidential aides have manipulated the decisions and actions of the president for too long.

They have been the ones collecting CVs from people for all sorts of appointments in a manner that has been personally beneficial or profitable to them. They have been selling appointments to all sorts of scoundrels with cash or other favours they could exchange with them. Only those people the aides wanted to see the president saw the president. They have made the president inaccessible to the people the president needed to see or meet.

It's good Michael is doing something about it. We knew it was just a matter of time before the action-man got to it. These are people the president should have all the confidence in but if they behave in this way, where does it leave the president? How far can he rely on them and trust their advice?

This is a very serious betrayal not only of the president but also of the public that every day rely on the decisions and actions of the president. This is not a small matter by one indisciplined and greedy aide. It is a practice that has been perpetrated for a long time and has been widespread at State House and other institutions of the state.

Government or state decisions and actions are being sold every day. We have many people from the Chiluba days who have been convicted for selling government decisions and actions. Major General Wilford Funjika was one such public officer who was sentenced to jail for selling government decisions.

We don't see any good reason why Alfred should not be arrested, prosecuted and if possible convicted for corruption, for bribery, for abuse of his office as an aide to the president. It's not enough for Michael just to relieve Alfred of his duties.

Michael may not need to ask the law enforcement agencies to move in, they should be proactive themselves. Why haven't our law enforcement agencies moved in on Alfred? Are they waiting for an order from Michael? There is need to prosecute Alfred so that all public officers know the consequences of selling government decisions and actions.

They might have done it in the past and got away with it because they were serving compromised presidents who they could easily blackmail. We don't think Michael has gotten to that stage yet where some small aide of his can blackmail him. This is the importance of incorruptibility as the essence of self-respect.

If a president is sending his aides to steal for him, as some presidents have done in this country, one loses the authority to stop them stealing for themselves, receiving bribes from all sorts of criminals for themselves. We urge Michael to maintain eternal vigilance about this. So far so good. So far so commendable. So far so inspiring.

We ask our leaders and those working with them to respect themselves and to be exemplary in their daily lives. We say this because as leaders, as aides of our representatives, they cannot give to others that which they themselves do not have. If they don't have discipline, they will not be able to instil discipline in others.

If they themselves receive bribes or are corrupt, they will not be able to instil a sense of dignity, integrity, honesty, incorruptibility in those they lead, in those they have appointed to help them serve the people.

Alfred is an experienced State House aide. He served under Levy and should know very well what can be done and what shouldn't be done. Alfred knows the standards set by Levy and demanded by him. Alfred also had the opportunity to serve at State House under Rupiah Banda.

He knows what it means to have a corrupt president at State House. Alfred saw how State House was turned into a den of thieves by Rupiah. He had the opportunity to compare the two. Alfred has also seen what type of leader, what type of human being Michael is.

He should have known better what is possible or not possible under Michael. But he chose to ignore the character of his new boss and thought they could continue the Rupiah way of doing things. Alfred should face the temerity of his actions.

He has betrayed Michael and deserves no sympathy other than that which the law can give him. Let Alfred be arrested and prosecuted.