Wed, 26 Sep 2012 13:46:08 +0000
THE Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia (EFZ) has challenged President Michael Sata to replace people he is not confident of working with in the fight against corruption rather than transfer the Road Development Agency from the Ministry of Works and Supply to State House.
EFZ executive Director Reverend Pukuta Mwanza told the Daily Nation that he did not believe in the move President Sata had taken because it exposed governance to corruption inside State House.
Rev. Mwanza said that the only way out of the mess was by strengthening institutions of governance and getting rid of corrupt officials at the agency.
“This will cause problems not only for the agency but for the President himself because there issues of auditing of each financial year so who are going to audit the president and what report will be given at the end of the day,” said Rev. Mwanza.
He said as the Evangelical Fellowship, they believed in delegated power and responsibilities and those accepting to handle such progammes should ensure that they commit themselves to delivering services and fight corruption with vigor.
Rev. Mwanza observed that it was sad that President Sata had concerted high levels of corruption in government, adding that it was his duty as a head of state to get rid of all corrupt elements in government.
The clergyman said that the move by President Sata to move RDA to state house would not help fight corruption, adding that if anything it has only eroded the confidence in the fight against corruption.
“The action itself does not help at all to deal with corruption. It is shooting down on government’s commitment in the fight against corruption. Because for now we have institutions of governance in the fight against corruption such as Police, the Anti-Corruption Commission and other security wings,” he said.
Rev. Mwanza said that the attitude President Sata had exhibited proved to the rest of the nation that he had no confidence on the system and the people he was working with.
“Let him get rid of those people because he no longer has confidence in them. It is a move that we shall not support because it gives the President too much power to decide who gets that construct and you know the issue of loyalty to the party in power which is a very serious threat to the democracy of this country.”
Various stakeholders have condemned President Sata’s move to transfer RDA from the Ministry to State House saying that the move would create a futile space for corruption.
ADD president Charles Milupi and UPND’s Hakainde Hichilema have urged President Sata to exercise conscience in the manner he was handling the matter because State House will breed corruption in the procurement and delivery of road contracts.
