Maravi

Corruption doesn't pay, it destroys

Corruption doesn't pay, it destroys
By The Post
Fri 02 Mar. 2012, 11:00 CAT

NOTHING that comes from corruption will last, but the effects of honesty and loyalty will remain forever. It is said that wealth that has been obtained dishonestly is like a stream that runs full during a thunderstorm, tumbling rocks along as it flows, but then suddenly goes dry. Acts of honesty, in both private and public life, are as lasting as eternity. It doesn't work to rely on money, money stolen from the public for that matter, to make you an important political figure, to make you a president. This country has never known a rich president.

There is no need to steal public funds in the hope that having more money will gain you any political office you want. Dr Kenneth Kaunda was not a rich man but he became our first president; Frederick Chiluba was not a rich man but he was elected over people who were considered richer and became our country's second president.

The third president of our country, Levy Mwanawasa, was a well-to-do lawyer but he was not rich. Rupiah Banda didn't have any money when he weaved his way to become the fourth president of our country. Our current president, Michael Sata, is not a rich man and he doesn't seem to have any ambitions of being rich, of having a lot of money.

Chiluba tried to use the money he had stolen as president of the Republic to entrench himself in power and change the Constitution to give himself a third term. He bribed all sorts of scoundrels to support his third term bid but he failed. Stolen money couldn't get him a third term of office.

Hakainde Hichilema has been carrying himself as a very rich man but he has lost the last three presidential elections to people without deep pockets. Don't rely on dishonest wealth; it will do you no good; it will not make you politically powerful. Instead, it may just ruin your whole political career.

It is true, and Enoch Kavindele is right, that corruption has aborted the promising and brilliant public and political careers of some of our country's best sons and daughters. And one such person is Dr Katele Kalumba.

We have said it before, and we are not ashamed to say it again, that Katele has very good leadership qualities that have been destroyed by corruption. It's sometimes difficult to understand why such a nice man, such an intelligent and highly cultured individual could sink so low and get himself involved in all sorts of schemes that were designed to abuse public resources and trust.

We have had the privilege to socialise and work with this man. He is indisputably an outstanding individual, a man one would always find difficult to dislike. But he did something wrong - he got involved in corruption and was accordingly convicted for it by our magistrates' court.

What led to all this? It's vanity. It's greed. It's lack of discipline. It's loss of principles. It's also an issue of being in the wrong company - a political grouping without standards, without values and principles. Corruption was not something frowned upon, despised, disgraceful under the Chiluba regime. It had become a way of doing politics, a way of life.

They were very excited with money and the power, illusory for that matter, that accompanied it. They started to get deformed; they started to think with money, they could rule this country for as long as they want. Chiluba used to boast about that. He used to say there was nobody with enough to carry out an effective election campaign against him. We lost Chiluba to corruption.

Without corruption, Chiluba would have done more for this country because he had talents, great mobilisation talents, excellent oratory - he could move people to do good things if he had the right attitude. But he became big-headed with money and power. It got to his head and to his heart. He lost his sense of humanity, solidarity and duty.

And with that, his public respect was lost. Chiluba died a disgraced man despite the attempts of his equally corrupt friend, Rupiah, to make him a hero. Chiluba did not die a hero. Levy died a hero, and not Chiluba.

Katele is right in showing contrition. Such contrition can only come from someone who has a bit of decency in him. And Katele had some decency in him. And we have no doubt he must now be regretting what he did and how collectively they ran the MMD into the path of self-destruction through corruption.

Enoch is not right in saying that corruption was or is an individual matter and not a matter for the whole party, the MMD. It is a party matter. It is a matter for the MMD. The MMD, as a political party, is a disgraced party. Corruption has disgraced the MMD in the eyes of the public.

Their perception is of corruption and unfitness for public service. And if not handled with honesty and care, such distasteful perceptions may endure and do the MMD damage for a long time. There is need for the MMD to face the issue of corruption head-on. It cannot be denied that the MMD is a party of corrupt people, corrupt leaders, cadres and members who were there for nothing but enriching themselves.

This is not an individual issue. It is a collective issue for the whole party. The MMD is today associated with corruption. Of course, not everyone in the MMD can be said to have stolen public funds or abused public office. But the perception of the public is that this is a corrupt political party.

That's what people think and it must be appreciated as a deeply felt distaste, rather than a momentary irritation. It is very difficult for decent individuals, for honest individuals, to do well in a party like MMD with no decent principles, values and standards, in a political party led by the values, principles and standards of corrupt elements.

Many people joined the MMD to enrich themselves and not to contribute to the happiness of the suffering masses of our people; they joined the MMD not out of a desire to serve but rather out of a need to cheat or rape the nation; they joined the MMD because it paid to belong to the ruling party - there was endless eating, government jobs and contracts.

Some are starting to do the same thing they did with the MMD to the PF. They are quitting the MMD to join the PF for the same reasons they joined the MMD in the first place - to eat, to get jobs and contracts. There is very little, if not nothing, about serving the people, about sacrifice and selfless service.

We have many people in our politics who have been destroyed by corruption. It serves the individual and the nation to avoid corruption, to fight corruption. Imagine what great prospects would be there for our country with politicians like Katele maintaining their integrity and working side by side with the masses of our people to push our country forward!

But we hope Katele is not making these very positive and correct statements to get reintegrated into the political leadership of our country. It's finished for him. But he still can be of value to our country by taking another form of leadership - that of leading by example, by explaining to our people the dangers of corruption by giving his personal example.

If he does that, many people, including ourselves, will be willing to join hands with him and push that agenda. For now, he has to be made to meet the temerity of his actions.

Corruption doesn't pay, it destroys individuals and the nation.

Labels: CORRUPTION, FREDERICK CHILUBA, RUPIAH BANDA

posted by MrK @ 5:22 PM