By NATION REPORTER
ZAMBIANS should guard against electing corrupt leaders because there is a real danger that such a corruptly elected government would thrive on corruption and looting of the country’s purse at the detriment of the welfare of the people, Fedelis Solomon Ngoma has said.
Mr Ngoma has challenged the law enforcement agencies to take the fight against corruption at all levels without restricting the crusade against graft to a few targeted citizens for that is but political persecution.
Mr Ngoma, from the Institute for Public Policy Research-Zambia (IPPRZ) says his organisation is concerned with the damaging effects of corruption in the country.
Mr Ngoma has said it is distasteful that political corruption has continued to damage the country to the extent that citizens were expecting to be bribed for them to perform their civic duty such as voting for the country’s leadership.
“It is so distasteful that political corruption damages society to the extent that voters expect bribes from candidates and political parties during elections. Corrupt people can easily be elected to positions of leadership, and a corrupt elected leadership runs a corrupt system and thrives on further corruption,” Mr Ngoma said.
Mr. Ngoma emphasised the importance of ensuring that the political system and electoral process had the highest level of confidence among the Zambian people.
He has called on the administration of President Hakainde Hichilema to lead the fight against corruption genuinely, sincerely and without turning the crusade into a witch-hunt against perceived political foes.
“In our view as the Institute for Public Policy Research in Zambia, corruption in all its manifestations is immoral and unethical. We recently raised concerns about the financial irregularities revealed in the Auditor General’s report, and we urge the government to take action before the situation worsens,” Mr Ngoma said.
He stated that various institutions such as the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), Office of the Attorney General, the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC), and the Economic Crimes fast track court had been established to support the fight against corruption.
Mr Ngoma however stressed that the institutions of good governance could not fight corruption alone, and called for the support of civil society and NGOs.
“Your administration should be a lead partner in our nation’s anti-corruption crusade,” he said. “It should not only come from the mouth of President Hichilema, but also from the various stakeholders, including government and top party officials, in order for us to fight this virus,” he said.
Mr. Ngoma emphasized the need to revisit some of the acts in the Zambian Constitution, such as the Anti-Corruption Commission Act, Electoral Commission Act, and Drug Enforcement Commission Act, to promote transparency and accountability.
“We expect that the government will create new institutions in an effort to ensure that the ideas of accountability and transparency are actualized in reality, not merely parroted as meaningless slogans as we’ve seen in the past,” he said.
