By Venus N Msyani
Corruption escaped President Hakainde Hichilema’s address to the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly. It was the first Hichilema speech with no word corruption and it is both surprising and not surprising.
Surprising because President Hichilema assured the 76th Session that corruption would be at the center of Zambia’s economic transformation agenda and it has been. Was he not supposed to report the progress of his declared fight against corruption?
Hichilema addressed the 76Th Session of the UN General Assembly after the new dawn administration had just recovered K65, 333, 046, and US$ 57, 900 from a corruption suspect, which might have motivated his speech.
US president Joe Biden’s praise of Zambian youth for having rejected corruption by voting United Party for National Development (UPND) into office added to it.
Unfortunately. Hichilema administration seems to have misunderstood Biden’s praise. The fight against corruption is being abused by using it to weaken the opposition.
it is generating unnecessary arrests, intimidations, and harassment. Properties are being grubbed from owners without proper investigations.
Most of these properties if not all, belong to the former ruling party officials. Making the fight against corruption appear selective and vindictive.
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) was some weeks ago advised by UPND to act on old corruption cases involving the previous regime before looking at new alleged corruption by the current administration and it appears the advice was taken.
Emerging corruption allegations involving the new dawn administration officials are disappearing like a cloud of smoke in the air.
For the opposition, it has reached the point where even the deceased are not safe. A few months ago, authorities exhumed the body of a suspect who it was alleged had faked his death to escape from corruption prosecution.
The suspect (deceased) was a former ruling party Patriotic Front (PF) member and the former president’s close friend. Would be surprised if the news didn’t get to the ears of the world.
This is why also it is not surprising to see HH avoided mentioning corruption during his recent address to the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly.
Corruption is the cause for our failure to progress…. whether by former governors or current governors. We always have had sacred cows therefore rendering the fight against the scourge a mere rhetorical exercise.
In my view, the UNGA is an international forum for international agenda and African countries must resist the temptation of taking their domestic matters to the General Assembly. Africa has had the monotony of repeating itself on 2 topics: asking for donations to fight poverty and how their former Presidents misconducted themselves. It’s not surprising that when African leaders take the podium they address an empty hall. They talk to themselves! The reason is that they’re predictable. It’ll be better to strengthen the AU before seeking a voice at the UN. Why do African leaders travel to UNGA with large entourages and stay at plush hotels? The British did well to load them on a bus during Elizabeth’s funeral
When at fora such as UNGA, you are there to talk about issues that affect UNGA and not your country. In as much as corruption is a problem in Zambia, not everyone in that meeting has it as a problem. The President talked about matters such as membership to the security council, etc, which affects everyone at UNGA. In my view, his speech was appropriate
Because he is one of the most corrupt leaders in world. A puppet of the west
Mugabe once said the UN general assembly is the most useless and time wasting assembly on the global. Leaders have gone there to present their speeches that have no impact on the global. Half the time the delegates are fast asleep and snoring in their seats. There is nothing to be proud about addressing the UN General Assembly. Its just a time waister.
At the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly. It was more than one agenda special interest first GRZ second.
“Establish Justice is the first of five objectives outlined in the 52-word paragraph that the Framers drafted in six weeks during the hot Philadelphia summer of 1787. They found a way to agree on the following basic principles:
“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”