IS history repeating itself?
President Hakainde Hichilema has elected to retrace the footsteps of the country’s third president, Levy Patrick Mwanawasa in trying to recover money allegedly stolen by his predecessor, President Frederick Chiluba.
That expedition saw the government spending more resources than the money they alleged was stolen. At the end of it all, it came to nothing.
Not a single accusation that President Mwanawasa made against his predecessor was ever proved.
The misadventure however took its toll on the individuals involved, the accusers and the accused.
This time round, President Hichilema has committed himself to trace the money that the Patriotic Front administration under former President Edgar Lungu borrowed for major development projects he claims were never done.
Mr Hichilema said with debt restructuring almost concluded, his focus and concentration will now be on tracing the money that was borrowed by the PF government and bring those he has accused of abuse to account.
“With debt restructuring almost in place and with the peace and stability that we have brought, we are now going to look into where the money they (PF) borrowed went.
Where did the money they borrowed go…where was it hidden? We shall start the work of finding the money they borrowed.
The roads were never fixed yet they borrowed the money,” President Hichilema said yesterday during the launch of the construction of the Ndola-Lusaka dual carriageway in Kapiri Mposhi.
When President Mwanawasa launched the now discredited fight against corruption, his primary focus was Dr Chiluba, whose immunity was lifted for him to stand trial.
Mr Mwanawasa did not trust the judicial officials he found and created the Taskforce on Corruption to prosecute Dr Chiluba.
President Chiluba’s trial lasted seven years and ended with his acquittal of all the charges laid against him.
In the end, the nation found itself owing him more in terms of compensation. However, monetary issues aside, the damage was already done to the country’s unity.
President Hichilema has never hidden his disdain for former President Lungu and his administration, charging that State House was a den of thieves.
And one of his earliest actions after assuming the presidency was to offer what he said was amnesty for all former leaders to return whatever they had “looted” to the government.
In Kapiri Mposhi yesterday, President Hichilema said he had offered an olive branch to the leaders of the previous government but has just realised that his gesture has been abused.
If history is going to repeat itself, Zambians are likely to see Mr Lungu losing his presidential immunity and being tried.
But even as President Hichilema launches his crusade to recover the “looted” money, it is important that the investigative wings exercise caution.
We say so from experience over the fight against corruption which has been politicised to an extent that only the perceived crimes committed during the PF administration are being investigated, ignoring those being committed under the new dawn administration.
The nation should not be swallowed into acrimony as a result of the search for “looted” funds.
Zambians need to focus on building the country for development to be realised.
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