Repent for being corrupt, govt urges Zambians
By Tony Nkhoma
IT IS immoral for anyone to call himself a Christian while engaging in corruption at the same time, Government has said.
Ministry of Infrastructure and Urban Development permanent secretary Albert Malama appealed to Zambians to repent for engaging in corruption.
Malama was speaking in Lusaka at a private sector symposium organised by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).
“So, my appeal to you colleagues is that as you go to church, repent and make sure you don’t get involved in vices that tarnish the image of the church and those that go against the Christian values,” he said.
Malama wondered why the country should continue calling itself a Christian nation when citizens were corrupt and easily bribed.
“I sometimes wonder, actually, if we are a Christian nation. I think when you go to church, they will tell you that I am too corrupt. So why do we, on one hand, profess to be Christians while we are taking bribes with the other hand?” he said.
Malama said government was serious about cleaning up the construction sector and would not hesitate to take decisive action against any individual or company, whether private or public, found engaging in corruption.
He called for increased cooperation with the private sector and civil society in the fight against corruption.
“We need your insights, your feedback and your partnership to design and implement regulations that are both effective and practical. We want to work with you to create a framework that rewards excellence and integrity and not corruption,” Malama said.
He said there was a need to build a robust, ethical and competitive industry that could deliver high-quality infrastructure for the people of Zambia within the budget.
He said corruption in the construction industry led to shoddy workmanship, inflated costs, delays in project completion and ultimately squandering of public resources that could have been used to improve the lives of citizens.
“We expect you to self-regulate, to implement robust controls and to uphold the highest ethical standards. We encourage you to establish transparent reporting systems and to take a firm stance against any form of bribery or corrupt practices,” Malama said.
ACC Director General Daphne Chabu called for integrity in the construction sector.
Chabu said the future of the country was at risk if the construction sector continued to rest on a foundation weakened by corruption.
“Reports from oversight institutions, including the Auditor General’s Office, have repeatedly flagged disturbing trends. Poor quality works, uncompleted projects, inflated costs and abandoned sites. Behind these failures often lie deeper issues, kickbacks, bid rigging, collusion, conflicts of interest and even falsified test results,” she said.
Chabu said the fight against corruption was not a battle between governments and the private sector, but for everyone.
