Menace of corruption

Tue, 27 Jun 2017 12:05:20 +0000

CORRUPTION is a monster which, if not nipped in the bud, will swallow this country and turn it into a banana republic where money, not justice, rules.

A country without integrity is hollow. No-one respects its leadership and no sane person can do business with it.

The two reports released within four days that our no. 1 law enforcement agency, the Zambia Police Service, is the most corrupt institution in Zambia, has left many people deflated and empty. If the Police Department is compromised, where do you report anything? Who will protect you?

Last Friday, Parliament heard that the Police is the worst culprit in the fight against the scourge. This is according to the Parliamentary Committee on National Security and Foreign Affairs in a report unveiled on the floor of the House.

Chairman of the committee and Kanchibiya Member of Parliament, Dr Martin Malama, himself a former Inspector General of Police, led a group of parliamentarians who received submissions from members of the public and the unanimous opinion by stakeholders was that some of our men in khaki uniform should themselves be behind bars.

This prompted some of the backbenchers to propose that the Police Traffic Department, the fulcrum of corruption in the Zambia Police Service, should be disbanded and their work taken over by the Road Transport and Safety Agency (RTSA).

And yesterday, another report, this time by the Anti-Corruption Commission, reiterated that indeed the Police are the most corrupt institution in the land, far ahead of other agencies in the Ministry of Home affairs, including the Judiciary.

While the ACC report focuses on the Ministry of Home Affairs and Judiciary, ActionAid Zambia has called on Government to address corruption in the public procurement system, saying this will be in line with President Edgar Lungu’s commitment to fight the vice.

ActionAid quotes a revelation by the Financial Intelligence Centre that Government lost more than K3 billion through corrupt practices over the past few years. The NGO was worried that huge sums of money was misapplied while the State is struggling to raise money for urgent public spending.

While the civil service is often under the spotlight, corruption is spreading to all the spheres of life in Zambia. The land scams gripping local authorities in Zambia is possible because of corruption. Now even political parties have been sucked into the cesspool.

Corruption, once it has spread its tentacles to all spheres of national life, is one of the most difficult vices to uproot. That is why prevention is the best cure.

In the case of the police, the ACC says it was exploring ways to deal with the problem. The police have the integrity committee established to educate police officers on best practices that require them to be morally and professionally upright in the conduct of their work. It must begin to do just that.

It is important that all stakeholders must support Government in its efforts to eradicate corruption in all its forms, not only in the Zambia Police Service but the civil service as a whole. This includes the local government system where the scourge has begun to rear its ugly head.

The goings-on at Lusaka, Ndola and Kabwe councils point to the fact that something must be urgently done to clean up the mess in our local authorities. This is where some corrupt elements among our investors have used their financial muscle to take advantage of the local people using council officers willing to bend the rules for a few pieces of silver.

Zambia may not be as bad as other African countries on the integrity ladder, but what is going on is cause for great worry. More so if those mandated to investigate and prosecute corruption and other anti-social ills are the ones officially reported to be the most corrupt.

Where does that leave the ordinary citizen?