Mon, 14 Jan 2013 14:13:27 +0000
The next government should probe President Michael Sata for corruption and abuse of office and the rule of law, says UPND president Hakainde Hichilema.
In an interview yesterday, Mr. Hichilema said that there was too much corruption in the PF government perpetuated by its leadership.
Citing the failure by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) to investigate the corruption allegations involving Justice Minister Wynter Kabimba, Mr. Hichilema said that the corruption levels in the PF were glaring and shocking.
He said that it was clear in no uncertain terms that President Sata interfered in the operations of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) and therefore, it would be important for the next government to re-open the investigations into all corruption allegations under the PF government.
“Up to now we don’t know the way forward over the investigations by ACC on Mr. Kabimba. We saw Mr. Kabimba harassing and victimizing ACC officers and few days later it was the president himself who went for ACC officers whom he ordered to stop the investigations. But we have to let him know that we shall ask ACC to re-open the investigations when we form government soon,” he said.
Mr. Hichilema wondered why President Sata had stopped the investigations when the commission was mandated to do so.
He said that the PF was not committed to corruption fight because most of its leaders were corrupt and lacked vision for the country.
Mr. Hichilema also revealed that the donor community was shocked at the levels of corruption by the PF government and its leaders, adding that Zambians should not hope for any good things coming out of the PF government.
And during his tour to Kalikiliki compound yesterday, Mr. Hichilema said that life had become unbearable in Zambia under the PF government.
He said life had become extremely expensive as the PF had failed to provide a leadership that would address the many challenges the nation was facing among them high levels or poverty, unemployment and underdevelopment.
“There is no way people will continue to live in the manner people here are living. We should come into politics because we want to offer a service not our colleagues in the PF who are interested in which tenders I will get and who gets that tender. Look at you people here, President Sata has abandoned you after voting for him, he has neglected you. There is no way you should continue drinking dirty water, there is no way you shall continue living this way. Let’s work together in offering this government checks and balances as we prepare to take them out of power in 2016,” he said.
Mr. Hichilema also bemoaned high mealie meal prices in Kalikiliki and non recreative facilities, saying that gambling was the major source of income among young teenagers who were the major source of income in various households.
