Have we become tolerant of corruption?

It will be difficult to fight corruption for as long as Zambians continue to eulogise criminality, Public Accounts Committee (PAC) chairperson Charles Milupi has observed.

“The problem is that we have a culture of eulogising criminality. If we had a different culture, that would be a major step in fighting corruption,” Milupi said. “We have clerks building mansions and we tolerate them even when we see that their wealth is ill-gotten.Instead of questioning how they acquired that wealth, we say ‘ebaume aba’ (these are great men). We have allowed laws to fall by the roadside which has led to a ‘Sangwapo’ kind of situation.” POST 21/11/2007

Mr. Milupi goes on to quote examples from the latest Auditor-General’s report
“a cashier at the Zambia Police Headquarters who misappropriated K1 billion and another officer at the Immigration Department who misappropriated K855 million”


“ the Ministry of Communications and Transport had the worst record, as 30 per cent of its total revenue collections for the year under review, amounting to K5.5 billion, was misappropriated.”
“K15.4 billion was reported as misapplied in the 19 ministries and spending agencies in 2005.”“Under the Office of the President, Southern Province provincial administration, K1.67 billion (94 per cent) of the K1.78 billion meant for cattle restocking, was misapplied”
“Amounts totalling K6.3 billion were not banked on time in 2005. Of this amount, 43 per cent was ascribed to the Ministry of Communications and Transport.”“Zambia Police misappropriated appropriation-in-aid amounting to K167.6 billion in 2005.”
“public funds were also lost on badly managed projects such as the Mbesuma Bridge and Mongu-Kalabo road projects where US$1 million and K112 billion were respectively spent on nothing.”


These incidents are all documented in the latest Auditor-General’s report. No wonder the government has no money to pay decent salaries to its employees and provide public services. There seems to be a culture of allowing officials to loot public funds with impunity!


The PANEL