Singapore and Miles Sampa
BEFORE public officers travel to Singapore, there is something we must emulate and internalize in our culture to make the trip worth the while- that is public integrity.
Integrity is the anti-thesis of Mingalato.
Without integrity, no nation will develop and prosper. Integrity means adherence to the rule of law, in that all individuals and entities, regardless of their status or position, are treated equally under the law.
The rule of law, on the other hand, is a fundamental principle in governance that suggests that everyone, including governments, institutions, and individuals, is subject to and accountable under the law. It implies that laws are clear, fair, and enforced equally, ensuring that no one is above the law. Not even the Judges are above the law.
Therefore, before our public officers travel to Singapore to learn lessons from their success, let us resolve the criminality behind Miles Sampa Statesponsored scheme to annihilate the Patriotic Front (PF), which has now been fully exposed and laid bare. It has pervaded the entire structure of the governance system.
Miles Sampa’s chief disciples who prosecuted the October 24 scheme and subsequent propaganda campaigns have spoken, condemning the attempt to kill the country’s strongest opposition party, the PF.
They are demanding for their just recompense from Miles Sampa and his fellow conspirators.
Therefore any pretension at legitimizing the Sampa “coup” against PF falls away. Those who worked towards this cause must be brought to book.
It is a matter of public record and knowledge that the Police, Executive, Judiciary and Legislature have their hand in this aberration. They lack the independence and distance to investigate and render objective determination.
Therefore, only the Public Protector must investigate and bring to book all those involved, those who exercised their authority to further the illegitimate conduct of one Miles Sampa.
The greatest tragedy about abuse of authority is that victims have no recourse to justice, which is controlled as to who holds executive authority.
We have in mind political prisoners currently being held in the Petauke Police cells, Rizwani Patel and two others on account of assaulting the Miles Sampa disciples, which disciples have turned against their instigator.
This should not have happened in a country where the rule of law is observed.
Firstly, nobody should be held in custody for more than 24 hours without being brought to court. The three in Petauke have been in detention for more than a month.
Secondly the liberty of an individual should not be curtailed without justifiable cause. The three in Petauke and many others arrested on political grounds have been held, sometimes in distant location for indefinite periods.
It has become the norm that individuals can be arrested, prosecuted and in some cases convicted for offences that should not really grace the courts of law.
Such was the case with Chishimba Kambwili. Arrested, prosecuted and convicted for pointing out the voting patterns in Zambia.
Statistics by academics and election observers have reached the same conclusion that Chishimba Kambwili articulated. Was that a criminal offence deserving a custodial sentence when concrete data exists to confirm the pattern?
It is very worrying that the Judiciary has appeared malleable, subservient to political dictates. Ordinarily the Judiciary should operate independently from political interference, ensuring the fair interpretation and application of laws.