GOVT NOT FOR THUGS
…Threats and intimidation won’t stop us from demanding accountability – Silumbe
By George Zulu
WE CAN’T have thugs in government who think that threats and intimidation on its citizens is the way to stop people from demanding for transparency and accountability, Leadership Movement president Dr Richard Silumbe has said.
Dr Silumbe was commenting on the government’s warning on Monday to diplomats to stay away from Zambia’s current debate on the theft of donated medicines and medical supplies.
He said it was upsetting to see how President Hakainde Hichilema’s government was defensive and intimidating towards people demanding that it address thieving in the public sector.
Dr Silumbe said the threats and insults directed at diplomats who fund the health sector and other social services by Cabinet ministers were not only sad but also unfortunate.
He urged Zambians to wake up and kick the United Party for National Development (UPND) out of power next year.
“The worst we have had is a government which is arrogant, insincere, insensitive and a leadership which is combatant towards criticism. The UPND and Hichilema are a lost cause for the people of Zambia. The stance taken over the theft of drugs and medical supplies shows lack of remorse,” he said.
Dr Silumbe said the UPND administration was unrepentant, as it was willing to send many lives that depend on the donated medicines and medical supplies to graves as a result of its failure to stop the thieving in the Ministry of Health.
“We have seen that this government has really failed Zambians. We have seen these things but today we are now even getting it from well-wishers such as the US Ambassador Michael Gonzales. It is true that senior government officials are stealing the medicines meant for the underprivileged poor people,” he said.
Dr Silumbe wondered why the UPND government was not apologetic and repentant in the conduct of thefts in the Ministry of Health whose aid cut had the potential to drop dead the entire health service delivery system.
He said it was now clear that thieving, lies and lack of political will in the fight against stealing, corruption and abuse of public property were part of the UPND’s DNA.
“We had the issue of sugilite. We had the issue of a former foreign affairs minister walking into some Chinese company and coming out with a briefcase. We have ACC telling Zambians that they are investigating senior government officials from the office of the Attorney General for corruption. We have seen headlines about some ministers using families to steal CDF. We have seen scandals in the procurement of fertilisers, fuel and importation of maize among many other scandals involving countless thefts and corruption in the UPND. It has always been defensive and combatant and everyone who demands for answers is arrested,” he said.
Dr Silumbe said the UPND administration was full of corruption, nepotism and theft-related scandals.
He wondered how Zambians ended up with a group of people with such a character in power.
“These people are stealing. They are thieves no doubt about it. The scandals we have heard so far are just petty cash to them, while for most of us it is our life line. It is my appeal to the people of Zambia to make well-informed decisions next year by kicking these thieves out of power. UPND is a wolf in a sheep’s skin and we should not allow it to continue,” he said.
“And today what the US ambassador is saying is very embarrassing on the part of Zambians and we are seeing that the UPND government doesn’t care about the people. In short, what the US ambassador is saying is that we have thieves in this government. It is a government of thieves that does not care about its people but only their pockets and as a result we as Leadership Movement are calling on the UPND president to resign on moral grounds so that our people can be given another leadership. It seems he has failed,” Dr Silumbe said.
Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation minister Mulambo Haimbe, Monday, warned diplomats to respect the independence of the country and stop meddling in its affairs.
This follows the exposé by US Ambassador to Zambia Michael Gonzales that medicines and medical supplies donated for poor people are systematically stolen and end up in private pharmacies.
As a result of the systematic thefts of medicines and medical supplies and failure by the UPND government to address the scourge despite being given all the information, Gonzales announced the cut of K1.4 million (US$50 million) aid putting 1.3 million people on ARVs at high risk.
