LEAs and probes against corrupt ministers

By Daily Revelation Editor 

President Hakainde Hichilema recently directed law enforcement agencies to investigate people before announcing the ministers or other people they were investigating.

The President said so when speaking at the 68th Annual Conference of the Local Government Association of Zambia, last Wednesday.

We are appalled that Hichilema is uttering these remarks when the public is justifiably demanding that the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) should name the ministers they said they were investigating but have feared to mention, claiming they are doing so in order to protect their integrity.

It’s not exactly clear what integrity the ACC is trying to protect, given that it’s their mandate to actually probe and prosecute corruption in this country unfettered by anyone and to the best interest of the public. The ACC has also forgotten that the people they are investigating are servants of the people, and therefore their bosses have demanded to know who these corrupt people are.

We are not just sure actually when the ACC will finalise with these same so-called investigations, since investigations involving government officials in this administration always seem to take forever, and die natural deaths without ever seeing any action on them. In very rare circumstances when the ACC or other investigative wings have revealed the alleged  corruption of any government official, it is either that official has been fired or is about to be dispensed off from government, like it happened with former Health permanent secretary Dr George Magwende. However, todate, the ACC has never announced the outcome of the investigations against him. Could it be on account that if they proceeded further on the matter, ultimately they will also have to interrogate the minister, Sylvia Masebo, who happened to be the policy maker in that Ministry, and who up to this day has failed to take up Mcebisi Mlonzi’s challenge that she should sue him over the several allegations he raised against her?

Coming back to Hichilema’s remarks. We take the same to mean that Hichilema is indirectly or even directly telling these law enforcement agencies not to respond to increasing public demands for accountability on which specific government officials are being investigated. In short, Hichilema is providing cover for his ministers despite claiming that he is committed to fighting corruption wholesomely. Of course, we believe firmly that he doesn’t mean his words. We believe that Hichilema’s understanding of corruption revolves around the actual or alleged wrongdoing of the Edgar administration. Any corruption committed beyond that period is treated as normal and part of everyday life.

We honestly believe that the law enforcement agencies have perfectly understood that directive and will enforce it to the hilt. You will never ever hear about anyone from these agencies actually mention any corrupt government official they are investigating, except at the very explicit directive of State House. Don’t even fool yourselves thinking otherwise because anyone who has lived in this country for a long time, even briefly, at least should have a brain to know how state institutions operate, which is unfortunate indeed.

We expected that serious moves will have been taken by now, three years after the UPND administration was sworn into office, to reform the manner these state institutions operate. We say so because no matter how genuine the intentions of anyone in these institutions, they cannot manage to do anything tangible on account of how the system they operate under works. This is a system built mainly around the President’s wishes and those connected to him. It is a system that serves the wishes and desires of the President as opposed to the public, who are supposed to be the real bosses in this case.

In this instance, the President has made his desires known and tactfully told these agencies how they should proceed on the ministers and other senior officials in government. Now we urge you to sit back and watch how they will go about effecting his directive while you sit ndwii.