ACT AGAINST CORRUPION NOW

THE failure by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) to charge Chishimba Kambwili for charges that are commonly known to have caused his dismissal take away from the campaign against graft.

There is no doubt that the President worked on credible information to dismiss him from office.

Sadly, the President must now stand scrutiny for the decision he took on good advice.

The ACC must come out in the open and declare the full cause of their action and advice to the President rather than hide in the shadows of officialdom and propriety.

More importantly law enforcement officers and security wings should take President Edgar Lungu’s directive to swiftly prosecute public officers including ministers involved in financial misconduct seriously.

This is not the first time President Lungu has given such directive to law enforcement wings. In fact, the President has publicly done so in the past whenever and wherever he had a chance to do so.

Two months ago or so when he officiated at an international forum on corruption held in Lusaka, President Lungu touched on the subject when he categorically made his stand on the matter.

He said the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) and other security wings had his full blessings to probe and prosecute any minister and in indeed other public official found wanting without fear or favour. There would be no scared cows, he stressed.

When he opened a seminar for ministers and controlling officers on prudent financial management practices in Lusaka yesterday, the President again issued the directive.

There is no doubt that he had given law enforcement officers leeway to carry out their work independently.

The ball is entirely in the court of the security wings. They have no excuse whatsoever not to investigate and arrest erring officers for as long as they had the evidence.

With persistent allegations of corruption being levelled against government officials by some opposition party leaders, the President is on firm ground with the directive as investigations will help put the matter to rest.

Apparently there is no doubt that word corruption has seemingly become a catchword and weapon for opposition leaders in their constant criticism of the government.

It is therefore crucial that law enforcement wings step up the game to bring to book all those found guilty of financial misconduct.

But despite appeals by President Lungu for those continuously pointing accusing fingers, to freely produce evidence to the ACC for further investigations and possible prosecution, nobody has done so.

Even former ministers who were part of the system but are now parroting the corruption song have not come forward with evidence so far to justify their claims - surprising indeed.

The question then is how will these graft allegations be put to rest if people are not producing evidence which can be used by the ACC to prosecute those being accused?

We are also mindful of the fact that in an effort to strengthen the ACC, one of the major players in the fight against corruption, a new chief executive officer was appointed and endorsed by Parliament.

It is therefore our sincere belief that the President has effectively played his part and citizens will be looking up to the law enforcement officers for results.

Citizens are fed up hearing the same unsubstantiated corruption claims daily as have become hackneyed phrases in the absence of tangible action or successful prosecution of culprits.

It’s not only unwise but unfair to make baseless allegations against anybody in the absence of evidence.

We challenge those in the opposition and indeed other citizens to refrain from using unjustified corruption claims to attack those in government for the sake of it – we urge them to produce evidence to ensure transparency and accountability.

We also commend President Lungu for attaching importance to issues of financial management control as evidenced by his gracing of such key meetings. This is how it should be.