Most ministers, HH aides will go to jail, warns Silumbe
By George Zulu
MOST serving ministers and State House staff will be jailed for corruption and abuse of office related offences if President Hakainde Hichilema loses power after August 13 general elections, Leadership Movement (LM) president Dr Richard Silumbe has warned.
In an interview with The Mast yesterday, Dr Silumbe said Zambia needed to reset its national agenda by decisively dealing with the corruption taking place in government and not selective justice as the case was now.
He said corruption under the United Party for National Development (UPND) was rife and destructive to government service delivery.
“Just look at what is happening in the Ministry of Health, we still have no answers about the 68 medical containers found at some parking lot in Makeni. Zambians are waiting to hear what happened. This matter has gone quiet because the person behind it is someone powerful and close to State House,” he said.
Dr Silumbe said if the crime was committed by someone from the opposition, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) would have made a huge case of it.
He said apart from the Ministry of Health, deeper corruption was at the Ministry of Agriculture in the procurement of fertiliser, seed and other farm inputs.
Dr Silumbe said what was shocking and troubling was the shielding of government officials involved in illegal activities.
“This is troubling, especially for our farmers. This government has no interest in the poor people; no wonder all they can do is to punish farmers in the manner they did last farming season. Don’t you wonder how this country, during the farming season, the market of farming implements is flooded with fake fertilisers, fake seed, fake chemicals and fake everything? I wonder whether this leadership is not aware of the corruption at the Ministry of Agriculture that allows for that,” he said.
Dr Silumbe said Zambians were being shortchanged as high levels of corruption allowed mines to be handed to foreigners.
“Go to that office at Cadastral at the ministry and you will be shocked by what happens. Corruption is real. Sadly, our people have lost land and mines through corrupt activities at the Ministry of Mines,” he said.
Dr Silumbe warned that when LM assumes power, it would tackle both past and present corruption regardless of the people involved.
“Unlike our friends in the UPND who look at who has committed what crime, with us in government, it will not be about retribution but the rule of law. No wonder we are saying that most of these ministers will be jailbirds when they lose power in August. Let them steal now and eat because time to account for theft of public resources will come soon,” he said.
