Stamp out corrupt civil servants
Dear editor
We are concerned with the reckless financial irregularities in the public service as revealed in the latest Auditor Report.
It is now clear that the impunity in the public service is becoming an epidemic of our times. We say so against the reality that the erring officers have easily laundered their standing in society while their unpatriotic behavior is left to reflect on the party in Government.
The continued politicization of the anti corruption drive has adversely affected the quality delivery of public services.
We wish to demand that this should be brought to an end, and this is the opportune moment to send the strong message to would be perpetrators of public finance regulations. We are glad Secretary to the Cabinet Dr Simon Miti has acted and we wish his decision was consolidated with supplementary efforts of Law Enforcement Agencies.
We find the revelations in the Auditor General’s report indicating imprudent usage of public resources a sad reading. We regret the breach of public trust by the erring public servants and we find it in bad taste and extremely inexcusable.
As much as we express displeasure, immediate action should be taken by those entrusted with the noble duty to enforce the law.
In this regard, we wish to strongly condemn the officers involved in this act deliberately aimed at frustrating the efforts of President Edgar Chagwa Lungu’s efforts to equitably protect and share national resources. We are very confident law enforcement agencies will proactively take up this matter and bring all perpetrators to book. It is a fact that there is enough legal framework in place to put a spirited fight against corruption. The institutions have sufficient institutional independence to adequately do the work. It is irresponsible on the part of the Law Enforcement Agencies to wait for the Presidential directive for them to safeguard public resources.
We stand by President Lungu’s previous public pronouncements on national issues and we maintain that there are no sacred cows. Irrespective of the penetrators, the law must fairly and firmly be administered without looking at the status of the offenders. The law enforcement agencies must therefore move in and ensure that the Auditor General’s report is given a lease of life rather than relegating it to an annual procedural announcement.
We wish to also clarify that the civil service comprises of professionals from diversity of background and not dominated by a single political entity. It is therefore a grave misdirection on the stakeholders to narrow the ills in the fight against corruption. The ball is now in the hands of the relevant investigative wings and there is no justification on why this malpractice which is in public domain can be an exception.