Maravi

Michael has created fear among the corrupt

Michael has created fear among the corrupt
By The Post
Wed 15 Feb. 2012, 12:00 CAT

THE pursuit of justice must be a fundamental norm of every government, every political leader.And justice requires that no one robs others, no citizen has the right to exploit others, no leader embezzles public funds and abuses his office to enrich himself, his family and friends.

Justice also requires that the fruits of the efforts and intelligence of each citizen should reach all other citizens. Justice requires the consistent practice of political honesty.

The foundation of good government must be established on the sound basis of laws. Corruption is against the law. And the rule of law requires that those who break or violate the law must be prosecuted. It is lawlessness to allow corruption to go unpunished, to allow people to steal public resources with impunity.

It is a strict duty of justice and truth not to allow corruption to go unpunished. Public resources are there for the welfare of all and not for the enrichment of a few. We therefore invite all citizens of good will to avoid corruption at all costs and condemn it whenever and wherever they see it. Corruption destroys social structures.

Citizens of goodwill have a mission to promote transparency, accountability and honesty in society. Corruption is against the law and has drastic evil effects - it is robbing our nation of scarce resources. There are many people in our country today who each day cannot meet basic needs necessary for a decent human life.

These are also entitled to a standard of living worth of human dignity that includes a solid roof over their heads, running water, and other services required in an organised community. Government resources are needed to address these deficiencies, imbalances or inequalities.

Economic justice requires that each individual has adequate resources to survive, to develop and thrive, and to give back in service to the community. Stealing public funds in order to enrich oneself deprives the poor of the opportunity to get themselves out of poverty.

We must be responsible in the use of public funds. An honest, incorruptible authority is needed to guide the energies of all towards the common good. And the government is the instrument by which we cooperate together in order to achieve the common good. This being the case, corruption in government destroys all hope of a reversal of fortunes, especially for the poor and disadvantaged.

There is therefore need for a conversion of heart and for the transformation of the social structures in order to build our country in a manner that will be beneficial to all. We need a government that works for the benefit of all. We need politicians in government who understand that they have a duty to serve the people and to equitably distribute goods and services among all the people.

The work that Michael Sata and his colleagues are doing should not just benefit a few - it should benefit all, especially the poor. The position that Michael has taken on corruption deserves to be supported by all. We are not saying this because Michael is a friend of ours. Yes, he is a friend of ours and there is nothing wrong with that.

Frederick Chiluba used to be our friend. We supported and praised the good things he was doing at the beginning of his government. But power, greed and vanity got to him and totally corrupted his mind, soul, decisions and actions. He started boasting about how sweet power was and how much he didn't know that power was so sweet. He became drunk with power and glory.

He became deformed and abandoned the values, principles and standards that made us friends in the first place. Corruption won him over. He started to live a corrupt life, a life that was far beyond his means. The President of the Republic of Zambia is not a millionaire or billionaire - he is not paid that kind of money. But Chiluba became one through corruption, through abuse of power and public office.

We never hesitated - not even for a moment to denounce his corruption, his abuses and our friendship ended there. It had to end because obligations to the people should always take precedent over commitment or loyalty to a friend. Corruption has to be condemned, denounced and fought wherever we see it and regardless of who is involved in it.

We hope and pray that Michael will not take us through the route that we had to travel with Chiluba. And we are not the only ones who are today praising Michael's approach to the scourge of corruption. Fr Kwaku Mwanza, a Catholic priest in Chipata and the station manager for Radio Maria, is also praising Michael's efforts on this score and he is urging him not to lose momentum, not to scale down his crusade.

And according to Fr Mwanza, corrupt government officials are currently scared of Michael's heightened anti-corruption tone. Yes, this is so because corrupt elements always fear incorruptible leaders. But fear, as Fr Mwanza observes, is a temporary feeling. Soon they will get used and get back to their corrupt ways.

The fight against corruption should therefore not be based simply on fear, on mechanical discipline. It should be based on conscious discipline. But like in all crimes, it is not that those who are involved in corruption don't know that it is wrong to do so.

They know that corruption is wrong and against the law in the same way murderers know that it is wrong and unlawful to kill others - but they still nevertheless go ahead and kill. It seems there is no other sensible alternative to stop corruption other than to fight it. The stakes are very high. Corrupt elements are defending colossal interests and they will defend it with everything at their disposal.

If there is need to kill, they will kill. If there is need to contaminate more structures of government and government officials, they will do so without hesitation. This means that those who want to stop or stamp out corruption are in a very serious fight and have to be very clear about it. Fighting corruption needs leaders who once convinced that a particular course of action is the right one, are undaunted when the going gets tough. Perseverance is needed.

We say this because perseverance is not a long race, it is many short races one after another. Persistence is also needed. This is so because persistent people begin their success where others end in failure. Fighting corruption is risky because corruption always fights back.

And it has the means to fight back. Risks have to be taken in the fight against corruption. To expect to win the fight against corruption without risk is like expecting to triumph without glory. Fighting corruption is a tough undertaking and tough times never last in this fight.

But it is said that where as tough times never last, tough people do. There can be defeats in fighting corruption. And sometimes fighting corruption can be a very lonely undertaking. But as we have seen over the last few days after our soccer victory in Gabon, success or victory has a thousand, a million fathers, but defeat is an orphan.

To succeed, we have to take courage and keep on moving, making mistakes and quickly correcting them - but never quitting. Success seems to be connected with action. So more action is needed from the action man and his colleagues and other collaborators.

Many lies will be told about them. But it is said that smart leaders believe only half of what they hear and discerning leaders know which half to believe. It's a tough fight but victory is certain if we are willing to fight.

Labels: CORRUPTION, FREDERICK CHILUBA, MICHAEL SATA

posted by MrK @ 3:23 PM