Patronage a form of corruption - Chikwanda

Patronage a form of corruption - Chikwanda
By Chiwoyu Sinyangwe
Mon 21 May 2012, 13:40 CAT

PATRONAGE and cronyism are insidious forms of corruption, says finance minister Alexander Chikwanda.

Chikwanda deplored government-driven programmes of citizens' economic empowerment, saying they had only succeeded in promoting corruption by enriching those close to the people administering empowerment programmes. He said for a long time, Zambians had grown up and been raised in the system of patronage and cronyism.

He said most people believed that corruption only involved stealing money.
"But cronyism, patronage are insidious forms of corruption. That is why for me, I am not an enthusiast of so-called empowerment policies whether in Zambia or South Africa," Chikwanda said last Friday during the Zambia Chamber of Commerce and Industry dinner in Lusaka.

"Just as a person, I think the only way the government can help to empower people is by creating conditions which are conducive for people to self-fulfil themselves and perform to the best of their potentialities."

Chikwanda said the government's empowering of people amounted to patronage.

"Development is predicated on individual creativity and initiative, to create an atmosphere, not based on favouritism," Chikwanda said.

"It is important that we get the idea of development right. We create a system where there is no favouritism, let those people who have began to work prosper but not these empowerments via government institutions…what they are doing is not empowering people; what they are doing is just to create some obnoxious forms of corruption."

Chikwanda said citizens empowerment programmes had only resulted in the money being shared among few relatives and friends.

He noted that often the money would never be repaid.

"Let us do introspection. Let us find out what is wrong with us. Why is it that we only go on proliferating slogans and myths and fiction? Our country's development proceeds leaves much to be desired. There are very few entrepreneurs," said Chikwanda.