By Isaac Zulu
Cancellation of contracts is now becoming a breeding ground for corruption as UPND members have formed cooperatives and want to profiteer out of the contracts, Chama North member of parliament Yotam Mtayachalo has charged.
Speaking with Daily Revelation, Mtayachalo said President Hakainde Hichilema must not be pressured by his cadres that are seeking jobs and start awarding them contracts.
He said that reports have emerged that some UPND members and sympathilsers are pressuring the Head of State so that he can give them jobs and calling on the new dawn government to engage them in the supply of goods and services in government departments.
He said it is for this reason that the UPND administration has opted to cancel the tender for the supply of farming inputs for the 2022/2023 farming season.
He pointed out that the continued cancellation of government contracts by the UPND administration is “a breeding ground for corruption.”
“We are concerned about the sudden cancellation of the tender for the supply of fertiliser at a time when the UPND government is just about to commence the distribution of farming inputs to small scale farmers. And reports reaching us indicate that President Hakainde Hichilema is under pressure from the UPND members that voted for him and are now demanding that the Head of State gives them jobs. And that is why we are now seeing this trend of cancellation of contracts, with the recent one being the cancellation of the supply of fertiliser to farmers,” Mtayachalo explained. “The UPND cadres have formed and registered cooperatives and companies with a view to award contracts to UPND members and sympathisers. And this can be a breeding ground for corruption. You should also remember that the Patriot Front government was accused of awarding government contracts to PF cadres and sympathisers, which the UPND, then in opposition, said was tantamount to corruption. And at the rate the UPND administration is going, they might be labeled the most corrupt government. In this vein, therefore, I can only state that President Hakainde Hichilema should not succumb to pressure from UPND members that want him to give them jobs and are now calling on their involvement in the procurement and supply chain of government departments.”
He said that the cancellation of the tender for the supply of fertiliser will inconvenience, not only to companies that were bidding for the supply of the said farming inputs, but small scale farmers as well who depend on subsidised farming inputs.
“What this government should know is that the tendering process is a costly undertaking. The people, companies bidding for those tenders spend money for them to apply for the supply of goods and services, including the supply of fertiliser. It should also be noted that we have been receiving phone calls from the people from our respective constituencies regarding the cancellation of the tender to supply fertiliser and other farming inputs to small holder farmers. And speaking as a member of parliament who comes from a rural constituency, this sudden decision has inconvenienced both the farmers and the the would be suppliers,” Mtayachalo said.
He noted that the awarding of contracts for the supply of goods and services to government departments should be done on merit; as opposed to “rewarding individuals that are inclined to the ruling party.”
And Mtayachalo said that the UPND administration has failed to settle down and stabilise in government the past one year that.
He said that lamentations that were recently made by President Hakainde Hichilema to the effect that his Ministers and Permanent Secretaries are pulling in opposite direction calls for the Head of State to make pragmatic decisions so that all senior government departments pull in the same direction in order for the new dawn administration to deliver on its campaign promises.
“It is also worth note taking that the President Hakainde has made it clear that he has observed that his Ministers and Permanent Secretaries are pulling in opposite directions in the implementation of government projects. It is good that the UPND administration, through President Hakainde Hichilema, is taking cognisance of this fact. This should serve as a wake up call for the Head of State to take precision decisions that would enable the UPND administration deliver on his campaign promises. Otherwise, so far, they are failing because they have not been consistent with Presidential pronouncements and commitments,” said Mtayachalo.
