Harrington Accuses Edith Of Hypocrisy On Corruption

ZITUKULE Consortium executive director Nicolas Phiri says the PF administration has shown no appetite to fight graft in the past 10 years and has completely undermined state institutions created to fight graft.

And former minister William Harrington says anyone who knowingly conceals a crime is guilty of an offence and should be arrested and prosecuted accordingly.

Phiri said it was absolutely mischievous and insulting to the people’s collective intelligence for the government to insinuate that it has received Edith Nawakwi’s revelations “with great indignation”.

He said he was deeply dismayed and taken aback by the Zambian government’s position on the debate about the sale of public companies and assets which the government willingly pursued as part of the broader economic reforms to save the economy from total collapse in the early 1990s.

“Recently, FDD president Edith Nawakwi, after taking years of political self-quarantine, has come back to the political limelight by alleging that leader of the opposition UPND Hakainde Hichilema benefited illegally from the government-led and initiated privatisation programme. We wonder why Madam Nawakwi, having had that information for more than two decades remained mute until now,” Phiri said. “It is absolutely mischievous and insulting to our collective intelligence for the government to insinuate that it has received Ms Nawakwi’s revelations ‘with great indignation’. The PF administration has shown no appetite to fight graft in the past 10 years and has completely undermined state institutions created to fight graft. What is so special about Ms Nawakwi’s revelations that could make government so unsettled? How can a serious regime get surprised about a programme which was initiated, controlled and supervised by the state through the Zambia Privatization Agency under Ministry of Finance?”

He said the government’s response to the matter implies that an individual in Nawakwi had more information on a government programme than all the institutions and systems of government created to carry out government business in general and the privatisation process in particular. 

Phiri said that admission by the government was shameful as it exposes the malice and ill intentions by those in government against dissenting voices. 

“We saw similar machinations when the gassing syndicate engulfed the country,” he said.

Phiri said it was hypocrisy of the highest order by the Zambian government to suggest that reports of alleged abuse of the privatisation process which took place more than two decades ago have unsettled a government which has entertained corruption and turned a blind eye to daylight robbery of national resources ranging from mukula, gold to financial assets.

Phiri said there was documented evidence of mukula logs leaving the country undetected, even when the law does not allow the export of logs.

“Further, there are glaring discrepancies in the export-import which government has not bothered to reconcile and clarify. It is also well documented that Zambia losses close to 7.1 million dollars per annum in bribes to facilitate the illegal trade of Mukula. How about the 48 miracle houses whose owner still remains anonymous? How about the fire trucks bought at a cost of 48 million dollars and insured for far less than the market value? What about the chemical gassing which claimed more than 50 lives to mob justice? Why isn’t this government bothered by all these scandals?” asked Phiri. “We call on government to desist from taking citizens for granted and focus on providing solutions to the challenges faced by our people. There is so much pain and anguish in this country which those in power must spend time on as opposed to witch-hunt of those challenging the status quo.”

And Harrington said Zambians expect the law enforcement agencies to move in and take decisive action and arrest anyone who has concealed any crime so that they can assist with investigations.

“My former cabinet colleague in the [Frederick] Chiluba administration Edith Nawakwi who served as finance minister at one stage has and continues to insist that she is aware of certain ‘crimes’ committed by UPND leader in his role as consultant in the privatisation of some state-owned companies. It is grossly unfair and immoral to accuse some of a criminal offence he or she may have committed twenty five years ago. Interestingly, Hakainde Hichilema has publicly challenged anyone with incriminating evidence against him in the privatisation exercise to report him to the police and have him arrested. He has even offered to give away his house in Kabulonga but no one has come forth to take up the challenge, not even Nawakwi herself,” said Harrington.

This article originally appeared on The Mast