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President Sata's Claim of Being Allergic to Corruption is Mere Deception |
Press Statement
17th November, 2011- President Michael Sata’s recent and ongoing controversial appointments into public office of individuals with criminal convictions or are in court on corruption and other charges is a clear indication that his claim of fighting corruption is not genuine but rather deceptive. Further, it has become normal behaviour for the President to make haste and un researched appointments devoid of necessary consultations only to reverse some of them within hours or a few days. The people of Zambia should now be clear in their minds that when President Sata claims he is allergic to corruption, he is deceiving them, he means the opposite, it is his way of covering up his true intentions. These controversial appointments which many Zambians have complained of without redress in some cases are an indication of worse things to come.
- Mr. Sata is acting deliberately. There are some people who have chosen to be chief defenders of the President even when they know he is wrong, those who would like to ignore such grave actions as mere mistakes or minor setbacks. In truth, these actions are a reflection of deliberate and well planned moves and more negative developments are yet to come if the President’s ways are not checked. Are the people who support these appointments saying Mr. Sata did not know these individuals well before appointing them? The answer is he knew them very well, he worked with them in the MMD since the 1990s and in PF openly and secretly. Through his actions, Mr. Sata is confirming to Zambians that he is sympathetic to these individuals for various favours they may have rendered in the past or are to render in future, these are his friends or associates and they share a lot in common.
- For many Zambians who take an objective approach to analyzing issues the President’s actions and hoodwinking ways constitute a conscious approach to executing his plan for running this country through his campaign slogan of ‘don’t kubeba’ which in simple English language means glorifying falsehoods or cheating. In the same way, voters were cheated through ‘don’t kubeba’, the rest of the Zambians are being deceived that the President is allergic to corruption and that he wants to run the country using the ten commandments, when in fact it is a cover up for negative appointments and corrupt actions intended to benefit a few select people while hundreds of thousands of youth and women remain unemployed with promises of a better life remaining unfulfilled.
- New corruption allegations. Further, it is surprising that the President and the PF Government are silent over recent media reports that some contracts have been awarded to companies belonging to relatives or friends to rehabilitate ministerial houses and State House without following proper tender procedures. The public deserve a response from the PF Government on these allegations. If the allegations are true, then this is corruption committed by those who are claiming to be allergic to corruption.
- ‘Don’t Kubeba’ is a threat to Society’s morals. In fact this ‘don’t kubeba’ approach to running the country should be exposed without delay because it has the capacity to destroy our society’s morals. Our children may consider cheating as normal behaviour and will grow up with it. This in turn is likely to feed corruption in public office and society as a whole into a bigger monster. Time will tell.
- Genuine corruption fight necessary. The people of Zambia deserve a genuine, professional and serious fight against corruption. The fight against corruption should not be politically motivated, selective, vindictive nor deceptive. Appointments to public office should be on merit, broad based and properly scrutinized before being announced. Zambians need to be given real hope for a better life. This hope will not be realized through the President’s ‘don’t kubeba’ or deception syndrome.
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