By Antonio Mwanza
From that February day, in 2003 when President Levy Mwanawasa went to Parliament and slapped President Chiluba with 168 charges of corruption, the fight against corruption in Zambia has become a political tool that politicians have often used to target political opponents to gain political mileage by shouting ‘corruption’ the loudest.
In this country, many people believe that corruption is only corruption if it involves a politician. Like if you pay a bribe to obtain a Drivers Licence, or if you pay a traffic police officer a K50 to avoid being charged with a traffic offense such as over speeding that is not corruption. In Zambia corruption is most treated as corruption when a politician is named or involved; the whole fight against corruption has been corrupted and politicized.
Equally, the levels of lack of information and misinformation is not helping matters. Many people believe that Government resources are in the hands and control of politicians. This is very far from the truth: Politicians don’t control state coffers, it is the technocrats, the Permanent Secretaries and their fellow bureaucrats who are CONTROLLING and SPENDING agents of state resources not politicians. That is essentially why the Auditor General’s and the Public Accounts Reports cite technocrats and not politicians as culprits of corruption and abuse of public resources because they are the ones in charge of the state coffers not the politicians.
You fight corruption not by shouting the loudest or by accusing others of corruption, no, you fight corruption by taking the necessary fiscal, social and legislative steps to address the causes, seal the loopholes and punish the culprits.
While Levy Mwanawasa used the fight against corruption to market himself, the results clearly show that other than using the fight against corruption for political gain there were no real practical measures that he and his government took to stamp out corruption.
For instance Levy’s so called Task Force Against corruption only enriched his lawyer friends whom he appointed on the Task Force. 18 million dollars of taxpayers money was spent on Mwanawasa’s lawyer friends and foreign investigations while Chiluba was acquitted of all the charges.
In fact the independent Evaluation Report done by a consortium of international donors concluded that many stakeholders believed that The Task Force was used as a personal tool by Mwanawasa to settle political scores and market himself as an anti-graft President for political expediency.
Like I earlier said, you don’t fight corruption by shouting ‘corruption’ the loudest, you fight corruption by putting in place the appropriate fiscal, social and legislative measures to combat draft and that is exactly what the PF Government has done as can be demonstrated by the numerous PRACTICAL steps that this Government has put in place:
- Strengthening legislation: The PF Government has strengthened the anti-graft laws by for instance introducing the Public Finance Management Laws as well as operationalizing the Financial Intelligence Centre(FIC). Additionally, Cabinet has since agreed to further strengthen and re-align the mandate and operations of FIC and ACC to ensure a more cohesive and effective way of fighting corruption.
- The Government Increased funding to improve the management and operational capacity of ACC as well as FIC and other investigative wings.
- The PF Government is paying particular interest to to increasing the staffing levels of the ACC and other investigative wings with the correct number of skilled experts in various anti-graft techniques.
- The PF Government has embarked on the decentralization process of the ACC to ensure widespread presence especially in urban and peri-urban areas of the country.
- Government has continued education and sensitization of the negative effects of corruption as well and the unwavering support that the PF Government has continued to give to the work and mandate of the Auditor General’s office as well as the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament are yielding major results as an be seen from the increased number of prosecutions and convictions of erring officers.
- President Edgar Chagwa Lungu has demonstrated unparalleled leadership by not shielding any member of his administration from being investigated and prosecuted by the competent courts of law. Under ECL, there are no sacred cows, anyone and every one whether Minister or an ordinary cadre is subject to the law of the land.
Ultimately it will take you and me, not just ECL and officials to fight corruption; corruption is a moral, social as well as a legal issue and it will take every one of us to demonize and fight it.
The author is the PF Deputy Media Director
Useless article written by a stupid guy! Why LT editors allow such articles?
PF must go!
I KNOW MANY THINGS ABOUT THE UPRIGHT, COMPETENT AND NOBLE LEVY PATRICK MWANAWASA:
1. HE WOULD’NT HAVE APPOINTED THE STREET BOYS LUSAMBO, CHITOTELA OR KAMPIONGO
2. HE WOULD HAVE FIRED CHILUFYA FOR CORRUPTION
3. HE WOULD’NT HAVE ENTERTAINED BILL 10
4. HE WOULD NOT HAVE HAD DAVIES MWILA AS HIS PARTY SG
5. HE’D NOT HAVE FIRED KALYALYA
6. HE’D NOT HAVE APPOINTED CHRIS MVUNGA AS ANYTHING IN HIS GOVT
7. THE U.S. DOLLAR WOULD HAVE BEEN TRADING AT LESS THAN K10
10. THE PRICE OF MEALIE MEAL WOULD’NT HAVE TREBLED
ZAMBIA WOULD HAVE BEEN 10 TIMES BETTER AND MORE RESPECTED THANITIS TODAY
Antonio mwanza , you are a lier
Blocks of flats were confiscated from Chiluba in Zambia and Belgium to begin with …….
And it would help if lungu denied publicly , allegations that he is a corrupt thief……
Antonio mwanza is parroting the exact same lies the silly cader
Zambian Citizen peddles ,
They must be one and the same useless PF rat, desperation drops your guard.
Inflation above the roof, exchange rate historic failure, reserves gone, Zambian currency second worst performing in the world, FIC admonished for telling the truth, 48 houses spring up with no owner, fire tenders insured at K250, 000, fired Bank governor comfirms that economy was in decline even before covid. You can add the Guinness book of failures, still scoring more
Antonio mwanza = Zambian citizen always choses not to mention the blocks of flats confisticated from the FJT estate in Zambia and Belgium.
Also , it would help if lungu denied publicly that he is a corrupt theif
The boy has to eat, that is where his salary comes from. So he has to parrot. No objectivity whatsoever. Zambia was a good country. For those who vote with stomachs, have you now seen that our giant strides to the Zimbabwe situation are progressing very well.
This is a point worth noting. Indeed for as long as we think that corruption is only by politicians we will continue going around circles like headless chickens shouting corruption and diverting attention from all of us ordinary corrupt souls. I have lived in the diaspora for more than twenty years, I have read news of corruption in polical circles in Zambia, but I have seen real corruption amongst ordinary citizenry like never before. The opposition political parties have not helped matters either because they are mostly absent MPs. They are preoccupied with sending their leader to the moon (state house). Until we as a nation stop our corrupt practices and get politicians who are genuinely willing to direct the fight for corruption at the right targets our ammunitions will continue to…
Until we as a nation stop our corrupt practices and get politicians who are genuinely willing to direct the fight for corruption at the right targets our ammunitions will continue to be wasted. We as a nation are largely a very corrupt nation, technocrats, security, politicians and the common man alike. We need to introduce a full curriculum to educate our children from kindergarden school level to cartel this cancer that has developed and progressed so much in our society. Politicians are clevery corrupt they will shout the loudest at one individual because they want to take that position and steal. Most if not all of our political opposition leaders have no vision except rudeness and shouting corruption loudest.
In Zambia there is corruption by citizens and grand corruption by politicians. Grab the nearest dictionary so that you don’t confuse yourself further
Well done Munthu, ngati amvela amvele.
Iwe mwaiche Antonio kanshi naiwe ulimbuli ayii? Efyo wingalalembe fi? As if you are not a graduate? That K25000 from ZESCO is nothing. Time will lapse on you abanobe balepanga real money, iwe uchili ulefulukuta nechimpombwa naba Chilufya. Bakalamba abo, nendalama baleiba, iwe ndwiii ulifye pa Lusaka Times kwalakwala, ifyabupuba.
The search must start now, where are we going to find a President like Mwanawasa, I am a member of PF but an objective one and realist, just look at how as PF, we have messed the country. If you want to argue with me, first argue with the economic indicators which have been in decline even before covid 19, then come to me. These stats which are all in serious reverse can be seen on BOZ and government statics websites. However, we still have some dandala heads, like one minister who said our economy is doing very well, sad, terrible guy he is, may God deliver him.
Iwe naiwe Mwansa, uchiliulefwaya Mwanawasa? Teifyo iyoo. We need strong institutions of democracy such that nakwindi kuti aba President but ichalo chileyafye from strength to the sky whatever. You mean you cant see them in America where ichipumbu chakwa Trump same as a pig could have built a wall by now, expelled all moslems, reversed Obamacare etc if institutions were not in place. We are all mere mortals and even you ngafya booka kuti waikatapo, wapena nokupena na economy yalondoloka kùnganda kumobe wayamba nokufimwena pakapunda ati awe, the economy is fine…
“Me resigning? Let us treat this information as a rumour but if it happens, then it is real. If I resign from FDD where am I going? I am very much FDD” Mr. Antonio Mwanza said. (20 January 2018)
On point, young Antonio. Chendabusiku has summed up our situation as a nation and where we need to go. Very well put my man!!
On point, young Antonio. has summed up our situation as a nation and where we need to go. Very well put my man!!
Chendabusiku
How can the message be heard when your president is accused of being a corrupt thief everyday and does not even attempt to deny those allegations ?????
Monkey hear monkey do
Take note: “…For instance Levy’s so called Task Force Against corruption only enriched his lawyer friends whom he appointed on the Task Force. 18 million dollars of taxpayers money was spent on Mwanawasa’s lawyer friends and foreign investigations while Chiluba was acquitted of all the charges….”
The Nchito brothers, Mark Chona etc chewed this money only for FTJ to be acquitted. The Nchitos established an airline and lived lavishly. Mwanawasa abrogated the Constituition and had a sitting DPP, Mukelabai Mukelabai, removed-he set up the original task force within his office and taxpayers money could have been saved had he headed this task force within the DPPs office. The Nchitos conspired with M’membe and others to heap dirt on Mukelabai but s tribunal cleared him of all…
….but a tribunal cleared him of all accusations of corruption and colluding with plunderers. MHSRIP.
The only corruption conviction Mwanawasa ever archieved is FTJ’s pairs of shoes. What a waste of time he was. He name all project started by others “Levy”
Antonio mwanza AKA Zambian citizen
You conveniently chose not to mention the blocks of flats confisticated from the FJT Estate in Zambia and Belgium….
Antonio mwanza AKA Zambian citizen
You conveniently chose not to mention the blocks of flats confisticated from the FJT Estate in Zambia and Belgium….
Antonio mwanza AKA Zambian citizen
You conveniently choose not to mention the blocks of flats confisticated from the FJT Estate in Zambia and Belgium….
Very wise comrade. Continue educating the masses
The barking dog monday is on break so the puppy has taken over.
A$$hole
Corruption will never end as long as gride people still wants more it requires positive attitude to eradicate it..