Maravi

Be exemplary, Chongwe urges leaders

Be exemplary, Chongwe urges leaders
By Kombe Chimpinde
Mon 20 Feb. 2012, 12:01 CAT

CURRENT leaders must be in the forefront of fighting corruption through exemplary behaviour, says Dr Roger Chongwe. And Dr Chongwe says the report on the Commission of Inquiry launched to probe the January 14 Mongu killings over the restoration of the Barotseland Agreement of 1964 is ready for presentation to President Michael Sata.

Dr Chongwe said it was pointless to give lip service to the fight against corruption when those that were shouting from the mountain tops that they were fighting the vice were themselves perpetuating it.

"That is the danger. We should remind our leaders what activities amount to corruption and this is why we also need to restore Section 37 the Abuse of Office clause in the corrupt practices Act which was repealed by the previous government because as long as that is out of our statute, even our previous leadership is likely to fall prey to corruption," said Dr Chongwe in his comments on Given Lubinda's statement when he addressed Ambassadors and High Commissioners on Thursday that the government through the fight against corruption is setting a stage for current leaders to be called to judgement when they leave office.

"It's a good idea because current leaders have got to acknowledge that the fight is for everyone. If we can do that then we are on the track to eradicating that scourge. The fight against corruption is aimed at eradicating the whole system, the whole character, the whole corrupt behaviour. Once it is eradicated, it will not manifest itself in our leaders."

Dr Chongwe said corruption had become endemic and that it needed a lot of effort to be wiped off the face of the country.

"When bad behaviour has set in and most people benefit from that behaviour, it becomes difficult to influence people to change that behavior and that is why the fight against corruption must also apply to the current leaders," Dr Chongwe said.

"…In addition, there are business people in this country who are also corrupt and against whom the fight is being fought. There are corrupt court judges the lawyers. So the fight is against anyone who has been involved in corrupt practices against our laws, even marketeers."

Dr Chongwe current leaders must query each other on excesses in their wealth.

"Those that are in leadership are obviously suspecting each other that ‘maybe my colleague is corrupt or smart'. That is how it should be. We should not be complacent, we should always query each other on excesses and how we acquire wealth including our current leadership," Dr Chongwe said.

Lubinda said leaders in government were aware that the fight against corruption they had embarked on would also follow them.

"Some have said to us that by digging up issues of corruption, we must be alive to the fact that he who digs pits falls in them. We are alive to the fact that we are digging these pits because we ourselves in this government are called by our society to be exemplary. We are aware of the fact that what we are doing now shall follow us so this fight is not against any particular individual," said Lubinda.

Meanwhile, Dr Chongwe said the Barotse commission of inquiry which he chaired was waiting for an opportunity to present its findings to President Sata.

"We have told Cabinet that the report is ready. The report has been ready since the end of last month and we have asked them Cabinet to arrange for us to present the report to the President," Dr Chongwe said.

"We are waiting for the President through Cabinet to tell us when we can present the report. The commission is looking forward to the presentation because we know the people of Western Province and Zambians generally are anxious that this important issue relating to democracy in our country should be resolved one way or another."

He said the report and its recommendations were now dependent on the prerogative of the President on what action he would take.

"We are merely a commission and the President can accept or reject our recommendations. So it depends on the leadership. We will present it to him and he will table it before Cabinet to make a final decision, then it will be published for public consumption," said Dr Chongwe.

Labels: GIVEN LUBINDA, ROGER CHONGWE

posted by MrK @ 1:50 PM