Maravi

Andrew Banda and the challenges of power

Andrew Banda and the challenges of power
By The Post
Fri 06 July 2012, 13:25 CAT

WE agree with Andrew Banda that there are challenges that come with power, with privileges of being close to the head of state. We also agree with Andrew that there are people who try to use, manipulate for their own selfish ends those in power, those close to those in power. There are endless streams of very dangerous and manipulative favour-seekers.

It is these who have made good men and women in the political and civic leadership of our country fall. But as we have stated before, if you are honest, truly honest, you won't be manipulated into doing wrong things, into abusing power or public office, you won't be corrupted. If you are unassuming and have a clear understanding of the worth of people and of yourself, you won't be corrupted.

There is need to maintain eternal vigilance about this throughout one's life, especially one's public life. There is need to examine everything one does, checking to see whether it is correct or not, whether or not one has let oneself be carried away, be used, be manipulated.

And as we have also stated before, the exercise of power must be the constant practice of self-limitation and modesty. Public office, or power as it is sometimes called, is not something one should treat as personal, something one should enjoy or use to amass wealth and gain oneself things that are not one's due.

We have over 47 years of experience in self-rule, in self governance and this should teach us what can be done and what cannot be done, what is acceptable and what is not, what one can get away with and what one cannot get away with.

By now, we should all know, especially those who are in power, the importance of incorruptibility as part of the essence of self-respect. There is no one who will not appreciate opportunities to enjoy the good life. But this should not be by using one's position to get oneself or those close to one anything that isn't one's due.

We all know what damage abuse of office does to the authority of the state. Corruption destroys the authority of the state. If you destroy the authority of the state, the consequences are terrible. It is a matter not of the criticism of others, of those who had the privilege to govern or of those who were very close to those who governed, but of the destruction and negation of all the values and merits.

We have had two regimes since our independence that one can without hesitation say were corrupt. The first one is that of Frederick Chiluba and the second one is that of Rupiah Banda. No one can in all honesty accuse Kenneth Kaunda and his regime of corruption. And no one can accuse Levy Mwanawasa of corruption. Yes, there could have been some corrupt elements with corrupt practices in Levy's regime but not by Levy himself.

Similarly, for the nine months Michael Sata has been in government, we have not heard anyone meaningfully, justifiably and truthfully accuse him of stealing public funds or enriching those close to him. Of course, lies, malice, calumny will always be there.

It was there against Kaunda with some malicious people claiming he had stolen US $4 billion and books from State House. They failed to find even a dime or a page of a book that KK had stolen or even by mistake taken that wasn't his due, that didn't belong to him. We also used to hear all sorts of innuendos, insinuations, lies about Levy being corrupt.

We will not be surprised to hear lies of corruption against Michael. But if there is anything that is true that points to corruption, that can be said to be abuse of office against Michael, he should be made to account for it now or in the future. No one should be given impunity against wrongdoing, against corruption.

As for the families and friends of our presidents, what they should learn is that this country always has only one president. The wife of a president is not a president; the children of the president are not small presidents and the friends of the president are not co-presidents.

If they truly love this country, if they truly love their relative or friend who has become president, they should not be overbearing on him to do wrong things, to abuse his office or power. Their legitimate role is to protect him from wrongdoing, from being manipulated by criminals whom he may not realise are criminals out to do wrong using his authority or office.

But what we saw under Chiluba was the holding of the state captive by criminals of all shades, stripes or hues. The state became a tool for amassing wealth, for robbing the Zambian people and enriching themselves. This repeated itself under Rupiah. Rupiah's family and friends, and indeed himself, used the presidency to enrich themselves.

Even people like Andrew who were generally not greedy, not corrupt increasingly became tempted by power, by the opportunities offered by their closeness to State House, to the president to enrich themselves. It does not surprise us that Andrew is today being investigated here and there for corruption.

The advice Andrew is giving, although he did not strictly follow it himself, deserves to be heeded. Andrew is certainly not being honest about how badly his father and his brothers ran government and how they were corrupted to abuse state resources and government business to enrich themselves.

Andrew is not courageous and honest enough to talk about these things, to reveal and admit what they did. But Andrew knows what he is talking about and is to some extent right. Power corrupts and absolute power, they say, corrupts absolutely. We know of cases of good comrades who, little by little, fell into the clutches of very experienced and manipulative criminals in subtle ways.

And as we have stated before, one of the most important American contributions to democratic practice has been the development of a system of checks and balances to ensure that power, public office is not abused.

It is a system founded on the deeply-held belief that power is used well when its potential for abuse is curbed, and when those holding power are held as close to the people as possible. We should not allow Chiluba and members of his regime to get away with their crimes, their corruption.

Similarly, Rupiah and those who abused power with him should not go scot-free; they need to be called upon to account. No one should be allowed to get away with impunity. Of course, everything should be done within the confines of the law.

The rule of law should prevail above any expediencies of the moment. We are not the only ones in the world calling for accountability from those who have been entrusted with the governance of our country. Many African countries are prosecuting their former rulers who abused public resources and power. It is also being done in Asia and Latin America. Even the Europeans are doing it.

The French are prosecuting their former leaders who abused public office and resources. Can this be said to be retribution, vengeance, hatred or inability to coexist and tolerate each other? No. It is simply the rule of law taking its course, without placing anyone above it.

It is accountability in public affairs that is being safeguarded and practiced. Is this wrong? No. It is the way honest societies and honest people deal with each other, administer public affairs. Wrongdoers, corrupt elements need to be made to account for their wrongs, their corruption.

Labels: ANDREW BANDA, FREDERICK CHILUBA, WYNTER KABIMBA

posted by MrK @ 11:44 PM