
By G.Mtonga
In Zambia corruption is a problem and worst of all we have no system to hold elected officials accountable for the rape of our country. Our system and our constitution do not give the general public a glimpse into the nature of our government or the institution that govern us!!
How does ZRA work with the Ministry Of Finance? How do we decide and who decides how money is allocated ? How do our pension schemes work? Why does it take a long time for a person’s family to get their money from pension schemes? How does the Ministry Of Education pay teachers; and what role does the government have with the military? How much does the president of Zambia make in a year? How much do ministers make in a year?Do our politicians have businesses other than their political careers? Where do politicians get the money they use for campaigns?
The above is a small paragraph of the many questions that can’t readily be answered by the Zambian people; the general public is as oblivious to the function of the Zambian government as a hunted animal is to its hunter!! The masses do not even know what their politicians are supposed to do for them, few people can walk into the office of a Member of Parliament from their constituency and demand answers!!! Politicians will continue to treat Zambia like their pocket book until the Zambian people advance structural elements that will reduce corruption and gain accountability:and it starts with our Media!![pullquote]The separation of power in Zambia is as separate as conjoined twins[/pullquote]
Corruption is a disease whose remedy is merely the punishment resulting from commiting the crime! If we set up legal as well as financial consequence for corruption, we can deter official members from committing these crimes against their nations; corruption is in gravity and destruction to a nation the same as committing TREASON!! Corruption can be addressed both as a legal matter and an administrative issue; by creating a “ Watch Dog” and at the same time creating aggressive laws with zero tolerance that will address corruption by government employees and government officials!!
Our media outlets should commit to journalistic integrity and report fragrant violations of power with the expediency and tenacity of other media outlets in the world. In New York City, The New York Times reported on John Edwards the man who was a contender for the presidency of the United States as having affairs and using state resources to coverup his affairs; the law was applied and he is facing trial in the court system and all his hopes of becoming president went down the drain.Even failure to pay taxes or report income from investments is enough to get an elected official in hot water as was the case for Congressman Charles Rangle ( D-NY)
Zambians however will say ” But Nimuzambia.. Infintu tafyakachinje!!”–“Its Zambia Things Will Never Change!” Things can change if we ourselves stop participating in a system riddled with nepotism, unethical practices, and mistreatment of government workers!! Government employees will steal because our government does not treat them right!! Our administrative system offers more incentives to steal than to work and young graduates are getting into the system with hopes of changing it but find that it is far much more logical and beneficial to participate in the corrupt system than to go against its massive machinery! Corruption then starts from the grassroots and goes all the way to our ministers and govt officials; ALL AT THE EXPENSE OF THE ZAMBIAN PEOPLE AND THE FUTURE OF THE NATION!
We can address corruption by creating an independent watchdog to watch and audit the “The Zambian government” and the politicians that campaign to be effective leaders. Who exactly can ask the government to show their books; other than themselves? The separation of power in Zambia is as separate as conjoined twins; it is virtually non-existent!! If we created a watchdog we can audit budgetary issues, perform audits of ministries, and provide dialogue on a state level as to where money from donors goes in addition to the money earned by the Zambia Revenue Authority ( ZRA) through taxation. We can have one member of all the political parties registered in Zambia on the board of the organization and it should have its own separate budget to retain its independence!! All ministries would be subject to audits and the Office of the President would also be subject to financial and administrative audits! The organization would be given power to disclose the finances of each member of government who is “paid through our tax money” and the information can be published for the Zambian people to readily have access to it!! This of course is an ideal case!!
Of course its easy for me to write about what to do and how to solve corruption! However, we can practice what we preach! Why don’t all the Media Outlets, who are already entrenched in Zambia’s media networks form this organization?If media outlets led the fight against corruption by using their footprints in unison to address corruption we would move forward!!
The point is that something is being done!! Most companies fail because of mismanagement; rarely is it a result of liquidity problems, or aggressive competition by their competitors!!! They fail because the management was as intelligent as a frog trying to eat an animal 10times its size!!! Zambia is failing because of mismanagement; which obviously is the perfect breeding ground for corruption!! The Zambian government needs entities to oversee its practices and its governance; not just the international community but established organizations that are on the ground in Zambia. Transparency, Accountability and Communication; these government virtues will allow our political system to slowly clean its system of corrupt men and women who are getting rich while the average Zambian suffers in his/ her own country!!