Carter backs calls to have Rupiah's immunity lifted
By Masuzyo Chakwe
Tue 10 Jan. 2012, 13:59 CAT
RUPIAH Banda should be taken to the courts of law if there is a case against him, demands the British government.
Analysing their three-year stay in Zambia, High Commissioners Thomas Carter and Carolyn Davidson said it was important that the due process of the law was followed on allegations of abuse of office by Banda.
High Commissioner Carter, however, said he was not hearing a clear case being made against Banda.
"I think in these things, it is the due process of the law that has to be followed and if there is a case against Rupiah Banda, that case needs to be made. There is a lot of noise being made about alleged corruption in the former MMD government, but what I am not seeing is clear cases being brought forward through the courts because that's the way to handle corruption issues. If action is going to be taken, it needs to be taken correctly and at the moment I am not seeing evidence of that," High Commissioner Carter said.
And High Commissioner Davidson said the United Kingdom had worked very closely with Zambia on the fight against corruption.
"We supported the Task Force on corruption until it was dissolved and we applauded the successes that came from that. But I think there were several high-ranking officials that were prosecuted and I think that's the important thing that the due process of the law needs to take. And that is why we have put in a lot of effort to actually strengthen the system and the institutions which tackle corruption," she said.
"The fight against corruption shouldn't be dependent on one or two people, it should be a systematic approach so that checks and balances are there and the instruments are there which enable corruption to be fought. Yes, I think we felt there was a lot of momentum lost particularly with the cases against former president Frederick Chiluba."
High Commissioner Davidson said they were also surprised that Chiluba's case was not appealed after being decided upon by a magistrate court.
"We were surprised that such an important decision such as the criminal case was decided at the level of a magistrate and then not appealed. It wasn't taken further; it was a very important case involving a very senior figure. And similarly the non-registration of the London judgment which found Chiluba liable for the theft of US$46 million of public funds and the fact that that was not appealed," High Commissioner Davidson said.
She stressed that it was not the British government that was pursuing Chiluba but the Zambian government.
High Commissioner Davidson said the lack of an appeal on the case was a missed opportunity.
The magistrate court over a year ago cleared Chiluba of his corruption cases and acquitted him. Then Director of Public Prosecutions Chalwe Mchenga rejected an appeal made by the Taskforce against the decision to acquit Chiluba. The government also rejected to register the London High Court judgment entered in its favour where Chiluba was told to pay back US $46 million of public funds stolen when he was president.
And High Commissioner Carter said the British government had contributed seven million pounds to the Anti Corruption Commission to strengthen its work to fight corruption over the last 10 years.
He said all the oversight bodies and the Auditor General had an important role to play.
"And I think it is very important that the oversight bodies have the freedom to pursue their inquiries without political interference, that seems to me absolutely crucial and the same thing applies equally to the judiciary," High Commissioner Carter said.
On the current regime, High Commissioner Davidson said it was very clear that President Sata was elected with a huge popular support.
"He started to talk about the policies he would follow and what came out very clearly from President Sata's statement and also from the PF manifesto was a very clear focus on pro-poor policies and we greatly welcome that because that fits in very well with our British development agenda in Zambia," she said.
"The other thing he made very clear was his determination to fight corruption and that is exactly what we want to hear and support the new Zambian government in its fight against corruption just as we have supported previous governments in the fight against corruption."
High Commissioner Davidson said the British government also welcomed President Sata's focus on a new constitution and looked forward to seeing the draft constitution when it is ready.
And High Commissioner Carter said he would like to see a new constitution which enhanced parliamentary democracy, good governance and the rule of law which was fully endorsed by all segments of the Zambian society.
Labels: AMBASSADOR, CAROLYN DAVIDSON, LEGAL IMMUNITY, RUPIAH BANDA, TOM CARTER
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People want an end to corruption, says Davidson
By Moses Kuwema
Thu 28 July 2011, 13:59 CAT
BRITISH High Commissioner to Zambia Carolyn Davidson says Zambians have indicated that they want an end to corruption. In an interview on Tuesday after she was asked on her expectations from the political parties campaigning in this year's elections with regard to corruption, High Commissioner Davidson said the vice does not aid development and that people wanted an end to it.
“The main message is that corruption is wrong, corruption makes people poor, corruption keeps people in poverty. Corruption does not aid development and am sure the message the political parties are getting from the people is that people want an end to corruption and they want to see a strong and vigorous fight against corruption,” High Commissioner Davidson said.
The British envoy said her country had been working with the Zambians to address the challenges of corruption through the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), the office of the Auditor General and the parliamentary select committees.
She said UK’s support was aimed at making sure that these institutions worked and did their job effectively.
And High Commissioner Davidson has said the translation of the Electoral Code of Conduct into seven local languages by the Electoral Commission of Zambia was a step forward which would see to it that people knew their rights and responsibilities.
She said ensuring that the code of conduct was applied and enforced properly was everybody’s responsibility.
“Having a code is one thing, making sure it is applied and enforced is another and there is a real responsibility on everybody to ensure that it is applied and enforced properly. There is no point in having a code of conduct if all it is, is a piece of paper, so it’s behold on everyone to abide by it,” said High Commissioner Davidson.
“The other important message is that elections are not only about putting a piece of paper in the ballot box on the day, they are about the preparations which go with it and the period of campaigning in advance and when people are making assessment of elections in Zambia, they will be looking at the whole thing, they wont just be looking at how the whole thing goes on the actual day.”
Labels: CAROLYN DAVIDSON, CORRUPTION
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Verify details, British envoy urges voters
By Moses Kuwema
Fri 10 June 2011, 04:01 CAT
BRITISH High Commissioner, Carolyn Davidson, has urged voters to go to their respective polling stations and verify their details in the voters’ register. High Commissioner Davidson said this when she visited some polling stations in Munali Constituency on Wednesday.
“It is important that all registered voters go to the polling stations at which they registered and check that their details are correct in the register of voters. By verifying the details, voters will avoid the problem of possibly being denied their right to vote on the voting day just because there is a problem with their credentials,” High Commissioner Davidson said.
Davidson stressed that it was important for people to exercise their right to vote in this year’s tripartite elections and help strengthen democracy in Zambia.
She said this could only be done if people took advantage of the voters register of voter period, which ends on June 12, 2011.
High Commissioner Davidson also said the 2011 elections presented an opportunity for Zambia to burnish (polish) its reputation of holding transparent, free and fair elections.
She said her country and other partners were working with the Electoral Commision of Zambia (ECZ) to ensure they were adequately prepared to conduct transparent elections in which all stakeholders had confidence.
Labels: CAROLYN DAVIDSON, VOTERIGGING
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Zambia needs issue-based campaigns
By The Post
Fri 03 June 2011, 04:10 CAT
It’s important for all our politicians to always bear in mind that what the people are looking for in the coming elections is not leader who can insult, scandalise, malign and abuse others the most.
What our people are looking for in these elections are leaders who can win material benefits; leaders who can help them live better and in peace; leaders who can help them see their lives go forward and guarantee the future of their children. And to realise all these things, our people know that they have to vote wisely and only for people who are known for their honesty, ability, dedication and concern for the welfare of all.
What our people are seeking is genuine democracy in which the leaders are servants of the electorate and not their masters. If this is so, it is difficult to see how malice, slander, calumny, lies about one’s political opponent can help one win an election. Politics should be honest and responsible.
It should be an effective way of serving others and working for the integral development of one’s country. And it is sad when elections are marred with unfairness, lies, slander and malice.
Election campaigns should not be a competition for slander but a competition to serve. Maligning political opponents is not service. Respect for the dignity of one’s political opponents requires that campaigns are conducted with honesty and dignity and not with lies and malice. Elections should never be a matter of character assassination, fraud or coercion since that would break the sacred character of democracy.
Election campaigns should be anchored on issues to enable our people to make correct political choices. We say this because election time is time to vote for honest, courageous, hardworking and selfless leaders. It is also an opportune time to review our past in order to prepare for better political choices for the future.
The electorate cannot do this well if all that they are fed by the politicians are lies, slander, malice and calumny about each other. Issue-based campaigns are therefore absolutely necessary in a democratic process. Good elections require intelligent and responsible participation of all.
And to perform this task well, voters need to get themselves informed of the manifestos from the various political parties. These manifestos are supposed to have the programme of action that the parties propose to follow in order to serve the good of all people. A sound manifesto should articulate achievable programmes that will enhance the development of our country and our own well-being.
Hence, we should be able to decide to vote for the party that has a programme we see as the best for us as a nation. We don’t think our people would vote for a party whose only discernible manifesto are insults, lies, slander and malice against political opponents.
As British High Commissioner to Zambia Carolyn Davidson has correctly observed, an issue-based campaign is what Zambia and Zambians need.
What our people want to see are candidates who are committed to the manifestos of their political parties as well as to their personal vision for their constituencies. Candidates should therefore be evaluated on their capacity to implement both their party’s manifesto and their personal vision. We say this because the very essence of leadership is that you have to have vision.
You can’t blow an uncertain trumpet. It is said that those who stand for nothing fall for anything. Therefore, leaders must stand for something. And insulting, maligning, scandalising and slandering political opponents is not standing for something. It’s only people who stand for nothing that avoid issue-based campaigns and opt for slander and malice.
As Henry Kissinger once observed, leaders must invoke an alchemy of great vision. And this vision should be reflected in their manifesto and in what they say. The best vision is insight. A leader is said to be one who knows the way, goes the way and shows the way.
Insults and slander of political opponents is not a sign of one knowing the way, going the way and showing the way. It is actually a sign that one does not know the way society wants to go. You can’t lead anyone farther than you have gone yourself.
If the furthest you have gone in articulating a vision is insults, slander, lies, calumny, there is no way you can lead others in a better direction. Leaders establish the vision for the future and set the strategy for getting there; they cause change. They motivate and inspire others to go in the right direction and they, along with everyone else, sacrifice to get there. And surely, lies, slander and malice are not the way to get there.
In an election that is based on issues, those who offer themselves for re-election will be evaluated against the record of what they have or have not achieved. Did they fulfil their promises? Did they offer quality service to the people and not only to those who voted them into power? Were they available to listen to the concerns of all the people?
And were they selfless in responding to the needs of all, especially the poor? What is the quality of their judgment on many problems and challenges facing the country?
In an issue-based campaign, those who have not yet held office will be carefully evaluated in terms of their competence and their reputation for honesty and selfless dedication to the common good.
In an issue-based campaign, candidates will try to focus much on issues of competence, courage to speak out the truth, concern for social justice, desire to work for the common good instead of self-enrichment, disposition to use power for service, especially service of the poor and underprivileged, openness to dialogue, good moral standing, transparency and accountability to the electorate. And Christians will look for candidates who follow the example of Jesus, who came not to be served but to serve and who emptied himself for the good of everyone.
Clearly, election campaigns must be carried out in a peaceful and honest way, devoid of any slander of one’s political opponents. All candidates and their supporters must be guided by the truth, integrity and justice which are anchored on God’s Commandments.
It is necessary, once again, to remind all our politicians that the politics they are involved in should be for the good of all our people and our country, and not for the political survival of any individual or political party. They should never forget the noble goals of political activity, that is, the promotion of the common good and the service of all the people.
This being the case, their election campaigns should concentrate on how they intend to improve the life of the nation rather than on insulting, slandering, scandalising, maligning and dehumanising their political opponents. Good leadership will be achieved, not by the formality of structures, but by the integrity of our individual politicians and by their willingness to work together and be inspired by a larger vision.
Labels: 2011 ELECTIONS, CAROLYN DAVIDSON, POLITICS
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British envoy calls for issue-based campaigns
By Masuzyo Chakwe
Fri 03 June 2011, 07:50 CAT
ZAMBIA needs issue-based campaigns, says the British envoy to Zambia.
In an interview, High Commissioner Carolyn Davidson said lack of issues in the election campaigns was something that was being talked about in the run up to elections this year.
“An issue-based campaign is what Zambia needs. There are issues, we have mentioned the issues before, about the economic growth not reaching the people and there are a lot of issues and I think if you go out into the constituencies that is what the people are talking about,” she said.
She urged leaders to be translating the messages that they were getting from their constituents into messages about the issues which people really cared about.
High Commissioner Davidson said issue based campaigns were necessary in a functioning and developing democracy like Zambia.
She said it was also good that there was a lot of debate in Zambia which needs to be encouraged because that was what elections were all about.
She said elections were about having lots of talk and different opinions being expressed.
High Commissioner Davidson said it was important that all media organisations behaved responsibly and that all the people talking to the press also behaved responsibly in terms of messages about peaceful and very transparent free and fair elections.
She said the United Kingdom's position was very clear in that a free press was an important part of any functioning democracy and that needed to be encouraged.
And High Commissioner Davidson said it was important that economic growth trickled down to the people who needed it the most and that the government was in the best position to do that.
High Commissioner Davidson said Zambia was a democracy and the way democracies worked was that people demanded from the government what they wanted.
She said the Zambian people needed to be making demands on the government to address the poverty issues and work out how best to achieve that.
High Commissioner Davidson said her government was already doing that through different programmes but that was just a small part of it while the rest was down to Zambians holding their government accountable, asking and pressing it to tackle some of the issues that were important to them.
High Commissioner Davidson also said her government was working very closely with Zambia and the regional economic community to address some of the problems affecting trade.
She cited the Africa free trade initiative which her government was very committed to delivering. High Commissioner Davidson said what they wanted was for trade to flourish on the African continent among African neighbours.
“It doesn't make sense for Zambia to be exporting more agriculture produce to the EU than to the Congo and we are working with Zambia to address to obstacles which are blocking regional trade,” said High Commissioner Davidson.
Labels: 2011 ELECTIONS, CAROLYN DAVIDSON
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‘Fighting’ corruption with corrupt hands
By The Post
Sat 20 Mar. 2010, 04:00 CAT
So much has been said and written about the fight against corruption in Zambia and yet we find ourselves going back to this subject time and again. The fact that we keep revisiting this issue is indicative of how crucial it is to the development of our country.
On Thursday, British High Commissioner to Zambia Carolyn Davidson warned that there would be consequences for the assistance provided by cooperating partners if evidence suggests that the government is not committed to the fight against corruption.
We understand High Commissioner Davidson is a diplomat so she might be obliged to sound diplomatic. But it is important to call things by their names. Fighting corruption is a very serious undertaking, which has to be done with the whole soul, mind and heart by those involved in it.
It is not an undertaking for the faint-hearted. This is because corruption is at the centre of underdevelopment in any environment and those who benefit from it do everything possible to shield themselves from the wrath of the law.
In most cases, it is the people fighting corruption who are fought by the corrupt. That is why we say the fight against corruption is not for the weak, the faint-hearted – those with chicken hearts.
The poor people are always victims of corruption because they are the hardest hit by the poverty that corruption brings about.
Today in Zambia, it is becoming increasingly difficult to fight corruption because those who are corrupt appear to have taken over the reins of power, those in government appear only to be paying lip service to the fight against corruption. Examples are abound!
And so High Commissioner Davidson should not search for the evidence suggesting that government is not committed to the fight against corruption.
Rupiah Banda and his minions have laid this evidence bare for all Zambians to see that they are not committed to the fight against corruption.
In fact, Rupiah is not interested in fighting corruption because he has already identified those fighting Frederick Chiluba’s corruption and plunder of national resources as having had personal problems with him. He has declared that he will not fight other people’s battles because he has nothing against Chiluba whom he says was a “damn good president” and those expecting him to show hostility against him are wasting their time.
Rupiah and his minions have openly showed that they facilitated Chiluba’s acquittal and stopped people’s efforts to appeal against that dubious acquittal.
And Rupiah boasts about this. He says he cannot allow any appeal against Chiluba because doing so will be like daring a lion after surviving its initial attack. Mike Mulongoti, Rupiah’s minister, says jailing Chiluba would have been costly for the country.
The government has on its laps a judgment from the London High Court, which found Chiluba liable for misappropriating millions of dollars belonging to the Zambian people.
Rupiah and his minions are applying all the tricks in the book to frustrate the registration of this judgment in our High Court for execution. So what more evidence should High Commissioner Davidson look for?
It is no longer a secret that Rupiah did not go to State House to fight corruption. He went there to further it. During the 2008 presidential by-election campaigns, we warned our people that Rupiah could not be entrusted with the fight against corruption because he is corrupt. How can a corrupt man be expected to fight corruption?
Today, there are a number of transactions in government which are shrouded in corruption and when people try to raise alarm, Rupiah is the first one to defend and justify such transactions. As a result, most of our government leaders and officials have lost respect for public property and resources.
It is now free for all since Rupiah is leading the way. He has become the procurement officer number one and State House is being used more as a procurement office.
Rupiah has even failed to deny his involvement in the oil procurement deal involving LITASCO, which backfired in their faces. Even energy minister Kenneth Konga has failed to wash his hands clean in the matter. And because of the mishandling of this oil tender, Zambia stands to lose at least US $32 million.
Can you imagine what can be done with the US $32 million if it was put to good use by Rupiah and his minions? Why should we always be thinking of turning to donors for help when the country has got so much resources which are being wasted by the selfish few?
Most of our hospitals and clinics do not have drugs while schools are dilapidated and yet we keep crying before donors for financial help.
The Zambia Public Procurement Authority has been turned into a rubber stamp for the deals of Rupiah’s league. As we speak, Rupiah – again using Konga’s office – has single-sourced a Chinese company to drill 6,000 boreholes at a cost of US $50 million. Why single-source in the first place?
As if that was not enough, why exaggerate the figures? Who is receiving kickbacks from such questionable transactions?
Without any shame, Rupiah is using some of his children in such transactions. And when they are caught, he is the first one to justify and defend their involvement. Not too long ago, Rupiah’s son was caught involved with Dora Siliya in the RP Capital saga.
But Rupiah was the first one to defend Dora saying she was an intelligent young lady who knew what she was doing, and that those condemning her were themselves wrong. We can go on and on listing Rupiah’s questionable deals.
The point we are making in saying all this is that if the fight against corruption has to be meaningfully fought, people like High Commissioner Davidson should point their guns in the right direction. Rupiah should not be allowed to pay lip service to this important fight against corruption.
However, we understand the diplomats’ difficulties or limitations because this government will not allow them to demand for accountability for the millions of dollars that their countries assist Zambia with in financial and material aid.
We say this because not too long ago, some diplomats were issued with all sorts of threats by the government when they suspended aid and demanded that culprits in the Ministry of Health K10 billion saga be punished.
But like Suzanne Matale rightly observes, cooperating partners have the right to act and demand accountability when their money is embezzled. And indeed, every evil or criminal act should be punished.
All well-meaning Zambians should join in this noble fight against corruption and demand that Rupiah and his minions should practically lead the way. This is because great talkers have never been known to be great doers.
Rupiah’s pronouncements on the fight against graft have never been accompanied by deeds. There is nothing that Rupiah can demonstrate to show his commitment to the fight against corruption.
Labels: CAROLYN DAVIDSON, CORRUPTION, DONORS
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Zambia assured of UK support
By YANDE KAPEYA
BRITAIN has assured Zambia of her continued budgetary support despite the global financial crisis which has affected many countries in the world.
British High Commissioner to Zambia, Carolyn Davidson said her government would stand by its commitment and render development assistance to developing countries like Zambia.
Mrs Davidson said this in an interview in Lusaka yesterday.
She said the United Kingdom (UK) would not reduce the budgetary assistance but use its Gross National Income to work with developing countries.
“Like our Prime Minister Gordon Brown earlier stated, this is not the time to abandon countries like Zambia. Despite the global economic crisis, we shall continue to render assistance in any possible way we can,” Mrs Davidson said.
And Mrs Davidson said there was an urgent need for the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to institute stringent measures which would resolve the political crisis in Zimbabwe.
She said the humanitarian crisis in Zimbabwe was increasingly become alarming.
Mrs Davidson said there was an urgent need for the MDC and the ruling ZANU-PF in Zimbabwe to deal with the power sharing agreement.
“ The key issue here is for the two parties to accept the power sharing deal which was signed in September to end the humanitarian crisis in that country,” she said.
Mrs Davidson said she was, however, confident that President Banda and other leaders in the region would deliver solutions to the political crisis in Zimbabwe.
Meanwhile, the British government will tomorrow introduce a new streamlined visa application system.
Mrs Davidson announced this at a press briefing in Lusaka yesterday.
She said the new system had been streamlined from a score of 80 points to five, making it easier for applicants to access visas within a short period of time.
“The introduction of the new points based system means that to qualify for a skilled worker permit, foreign nationals will have to earn a certain number of points before being allowed to work in Britain,” Mrs Davidson said.
She dismissed reports that it was difficult for Zambians to access visas from the British High Commission office in Lusaka.
Mrs Davidson said her office had since January this year issued 3, 700 visas out of 4, 600 initial applications.
She said only those who had improper documentation were denied access into the UK.
“Britain is open to everyone and as a commission we are geared to offer a good service to people in Zambia through our threshold visa section. Those who do not manage to get visas in their first application have the right to appeal,” she said.
Labels: CAROLYN DAVIDSON, DONORS, UK
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