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Should President Hakainde Hichilema be given more time to fight corruption? Corruption is not an apolitical issue in the country, so the answers to such questions are inevitably biased.
This does not mean that Zambians should stop asking such questions. It is worth asking because it is likely to spark public debate. Debate is key to dealing with complex issues, and corruption is no exception.
“You cannot eradicate corruption in two years and eleven months because you will find the roots of some people; some people are brought up thinking corruption is the way out,” Hichilema told attendees at the Zambia National Service (ZNS) Officer Cadets Commissioning Parade in Kafue District on July 19, 2024.
Hichilema is known for speaking in professional language. From this point, it is easy to see where he is heading. Hichilema is lobbying for more time to fight corruption in the country. This is the reason for the above question. Should he be given more time?
Hichilema is right. Corruption in the country is too entrenched to be eradicated in three years. However, giving the UPND government more time to fight corruption would be a waste of time and resources.
During a live interaction with the public on Hot FM radio station at the Presidential Palace in Lusaka on Friday, August 19, 2022, Hichilema revealed that he still retains interest in his businesses. This means that Hichilema has clients and obvious business partners, which means that he is not without conflicts of interest. Hichilema may be innocent, but obviously, not all of his clients and business partners are innocent.
In the fight against corruption, punishment is inevitable. To successfully fight corruption, all acts of corruption must be punished. As Hichilema is not free from conflicts of interest, he cannot punish every act of corruption. This is illustrated by the difficulties the president has faced in dealing with some corruption scandals in the country.
Meanwhile, Hichilema sacked the current board members of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) following allegations of corruption by Dr. O’Brien Kabba, a professor of constitutional law at the University of Zambia and a senior fellow at Sepal. He was a former member of the ACC board.
In his article, “Three issues that have emerged in the UP government’s fight against corruption and what the president must do”, he advised Hichilema to dissolve the now defunct ACC board.
This is the first time Hichilema has listened to anti-corruption advice. To some, this means the president is cracking down on corruption. He should be given more time to fight corruption. To me, and certainly to many others, corruption has grown to an advanced and sophisticated level. Hichilema should step down and let the right person fight corruption. Someone with no conflict of interest. Someone who can declare his assets and liabilities every year for others to follow.
Zambian politicians are more exposed to corruption scandals than any other group. This means that they believe that they cannot survive in politics without corruption. This mindset must be changed if the fight against corruption is to be won.
There is a need to inculcate a culture of integrity, transparency and accountability among politicians. This starts with encouraging them to voluntarily disclose their assets and liabilities every year. Hichilema has been advised not once, not twice, but many times to disclose his assets and liabilities. The President has refused to do so, thereby frustrating the achievement of this objective.
This does not mean that Hichilema is unaware of the importance of disclosing assets in the fight against corruption. He is not without conflicts of interest, so refusing to disclose assets and liabilities is the best option for him. Unfortunately, it makes Hichilema look like he is trying to hide something. This makes him a corruption suspect. Therefore, it is not worth spending more time fighting corruption.
What do you think? Should President Hakainde Hichilema be given more time to fight corruption in Zambia?
By Venus N. Musiani
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