By Revelation Editor
Ruling UPND deputy secretary general Gertrude Imenda says not everyone who belonged to the PF was corrupt.
Imenda said this when she was asked why the UPND was welcoming PF members whom the party branded as corrupt when they were the ruling party.
Responding to the question, Imenda said when the UPND said the PF was a corrupt party, it did not mean all the members were corrupt.
“When we say PF was corrupt, we did not say everybody who belonged to PF was corrupt. Those that were, there are those who were taken to court. Some maybe they have been discharged,” said Imenda. “Others have been jailed. So, this one (PF’s Charity Banda) she has got no case in court. Has she got any case in court? Everybody is presumed innocent until proven guilty by the competent courts of law.”
Indeed, while there was rampant corruption in the PF administration, not everybody who worked in that administration or was connected to that administration is corrupt. And we have always disagreed with the blanket statements mainly issued by those in the UPND of associating everybody who worked especially in the PF administration as corrupt. And we also believe that there has been rampant corruption in the UPND administration too, but not everybody who is in UPND is corrupt.
But while agreeing with Imenda against placing a blanket statement against those coming from PF as corrupt, we question the standing of some of the individuals who have worked with the UPND in so far as their standing with corruption is concerned. There is actually something troubling with the conduct of our politicians in this country because they usually see value in their fellow politicians in terms of what political value they can bring politically to the table, as opposed to their character and their deeds. There are many leaders who served in the PF who have a lot of skeletons in their cupboards but are freely roaming the streets because they are in right standing with those in power. We also know that there are corrupt politicians in the UPND who are walking freely simply because they are members of the party and in right standing with those in power.
There is going to be need of some heavy lifting in terms of how the fight against corruption has been handled by the UPND administration. We urge that should Zambians give them the opportunity to continue in government after the August 13 general elections, the President and his team will need to just sweep the carpet off and start afresh.
As for those in the opposition, we are rarely hearing the words “zero tolerance against corruption” in their campaigns. They need to assure Zambians now how they will practically put in place policies that will address the corruption, not only of the people they are seeking to take over from, but those they are working with right now, or those who will be in right standing with them, in the event they are entrusted with power.
The fight against corruption must feature prominently in this election campaign as that is one problem which the country has always grappled with, but which successive administrations have failed to tackle.
Related
By Revelation Editor
Ruling UPND deputy secretary general Gertrude Imenda says not everyone who belonged to the PF was corrupt.
Imenda said this when she was asked why the UPND was welcoming PF members whom the party branded as corrupt when they were the ruling party.
Responding to the question, Imenda said when the UPND said the PF was a corrupt party, it did not mean all the members were corrupt.
“When we say PF was corrupt, we did not say everybody who belonged to PF was corrupt. Those that were, there are those who were taken to court. Some maybe they have been discharged,” said Imenda. “Others have been jailed. So, this one (PF’s Charity Banda) she has got no case in court. Has she got any case in court? Everybody is presumed innocent until proven guilty by the competent courts of law.”
Indeed, while there was rampant corruption in the PF administration, not everybody who worked in that administration or was connected to that administration is corrupt. And we have always disagreed with the blanket statements mainly issued by those in the UPND of associating everybody who worked especially in the PF administration as corrupt. And we also believe that there has been rampant corruption in the UPND administration too, but not everybody who is in UPND is corrupt.
But while agreeing with Imenda against placing a blanket statement against those coming from PF as corrupt, we question the standing of some of the individuals who have worked with the UPND in so far as their standing with corruption is concerned. There is actually something troubling with the conduct of our politicians in this country because they usually see value in their fellow politicians in terms of what political value they can bring politically to the table, as opposed to their character and their deeds. There are many leaders who served in the PF who have a lot of skeletons in their cupboards but are freely roaming the streets because they are in right standing with those in power. We also know that there are corrupt politicians in the UPND who are walking freely simply because they are members of the party and in right standing with those in power.
There is going to be need of some heavy lifting in terms of how the fight against corruption has been handled by the UPND administration. We urge that should Zambians give them the opportunity to continue in government after the August 13 general elections, the President and his team will need to just sweep the carpet off and start afresh.
As for those in the opposition, we are rarely hearing the words “zero tolerance against corruption” in their campaigns. They need to assure Zambians now how they will practically put in place policies that will address the corruption, not only of the people they are seeking to take over from, but those they are working with right now, or those who will be in right standing with them, in the event they are entrusted with power.
The fight against corruption must feature prominently in this election campaign as that is one problem which the country has always grappled with, but which successive administrations have failed to tackle.
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