•aDDRESSING PARLIAMENT: PRESIDENT Lungu radically felt it unnecessary that former presidents should be built houses at Government cost since they do not work alone.

By Austin Kaluba –

Anti-Corruption advocates should bear in mind that graft is not only stealing funds but also about putting wrong people in key positions.
Electing people who have neither the passion nor the qualification to high office should be considered a form of corruption that is crippling Africa’s development, taking the continent to the stone age.
If we invest in good leaders who are sincere and understand opportunities, then we will be half way to overturning events for a better society.
Every good leader should have humility by putting the interests of the masses at centre stage instead of focusing on personal aggrandisement.
It is in this regard that President Edgar Lungu’s recent speech to the National Assembly is commendable, as he provided the nation with many pragmatic insights of what he and Government have on the cards.
The whole speech revealed that the President is more concerned about the people of Zambia than for himself.
This was especially evidenced by his historic decision that former presidents should no longer be built houses by the State.
President Lungu has demonstrated that great leadership is not about wealth but about service, breaking a tradition that modern Africa leaders have adopted from their traditional counterparts who fought to be chiefs more for the affluence the position offered than service to the people.
President Lungu radically said he felt it unnecessary that former presidents should be built houses at Government cost since they do not work alone.
He told the House that the President has a whole team of people he works with to manage the affairs of the country such as his vice-president and Cabinet ministers.
True to the President’s acute observation, a president does not work alone but has several subordinate staff to support him.
Mr Lungu said, since all these people are instrumental in helping the President deliver on his mandate, they too should be built houses after leaving office.
Needless to say that the Government will spend a lot of money to do this. We take it that any person, serving as President of our country or any portfolio in his Cabinet, should be more than able to build a decent house.
President Lungu has yet again demonstrated his unusual indifference to wealth by refusing to be built a mansion and directing that things should henceforth change – no building of mansions for former heads of State.
If you consider how much money is spent by Government to build a house for a former head of State, you will discover it is colossal.
It is not surprising that the Government has only managed to build the house of the first Republican president Kenneth Kaunda.
In a young country that is 50 years old, but has already seen six presidents ascend to that coveted Edwardian house-State House, how many mansions are going to be built for former heads of state dead and alive?
Together with other emoluments that presidents enjoy, are we not pouring more money in already over flowing coffers when the masses cannot even afford to build a shack?
That money could do so much in improving the lives of many Zambians, which is simply the major standard by which development is measured.
Like President Lungu has demonstrated, this should be a precedence that should be upheld by any man or woman who vies to hold the highest office in the country.
The obscene amounts that are lavished on former heads of state can be used to build properly-equipped health centres, a school, bridge or even a road that would benefit many people.
It is no wonder that Transparency International Zambia (TIZ) has paid tribute to President Lungu for demonstrating prudence in the management of national resources by abolishing the law that compels the Government to build houses for former presidents.
TIZ executive director Goodwell Lungu said in a statement in Lusaka recently that the move would help to save public resources.
“As TIZ we feel he (President Lungu) has demonstrated a good sense of saving public resources through this move.
“On the part of TIZ, we promise the President that we shall not hesitate to recommend to his office, Government officials who abuse their offices and are involved in corruption for their dismissal in accordance with his able pronouncements,” he said.
Mr Lungu also welcomed the President’s commitment to combat corruption.
Stories of African presidents shipping suitcases of cash abroad have made headlines recently, prompting legal probes into illicit wealth accumulation.
On February 14, France 24 reported that the French Police searched the apartment of Theodoro Obiang Nguema, the President of Equatorial Guinea, whose family has accumulated massive wealth by mortgaging the country’s oil.
As corrupt African leaders accrue wealth, the African people are anchored with debts and watch powerlessly as their natural resource reserves are run down with little to show for in return.
Early in March this year, Switzerland agreed to give Nigeria US$380m (£260m) that was allegedly looted by the former military dictator Sani Abacha and stored in European bank accounts.
The transfer was carried out under the supervision of the World Bank, ending 16 years of court wrangling.
Abacha, who ruled Nigeria for five years after a 1993 coup, is believed to have stolen $4.3bn while in office, placing him among the ranks of Congo’s Mobutu Sese Seko as one of Africa’s most materialistic kleptocrats.
Following his death from a sudden heart attack in 1998, the Nigerian government asked Switzerland to help it recover $2.2bn that he was said to have stashed in European bank accounts.
The greed of Abacha sickened even Nigerians. After his death aged 54, his wife Maryam was caught trying to flee the country with 38 suitcases stuffed with cash.
On the other side, Western bankers and governments turn a blind eye to the plunder of African resources and the illegitimate accumulation of wealth by the continent’s elites.
Naming and shaming African corruption culprits and their Western associates is a step in the right direction towards addressing the plunder of African wealth and the scourge of capital flight.
Coming back to Mr Lungu’s selfless act, the crusade should be extended to other high Government offices in the Judiciary, Secretary to the Cabinet and Speaker.
This is in view of the salaries that were exposed in 2013 when Judges expressed annoyance with the disproportionatel salaries awarded to the Attorney General, Director of Public Prosecutions, Solicitor General, among others; calling them a form of corruption.
The awards, they said were not only immoral but illegal since there was no approval by Parliament.
It is felt that all salaries and allowances from the President to all constitution office bearers must be approved by Parliament without exception.
This is for purposes of transparency and accountability and seniority of rank.
According to the Statutory Instrument No 59 of 2012, the salaries for the Secretary to Cabinet, Attorney General, Solicitor General, Director of Public Prosecutions, Auditor General and Investigator General are higher than that of the Chief Justice and other judges by a K100 million.
But judicial sources said historically, all government employees except the Secretary to Cabinet earned less than High Court judges and that was the reason why most of the people that had served in these offices aspired to be judges because of the accrued benefits.
Consider this, a retired judge in Zambia earns 80 per cent of his salary till death. If he dies, the widow is entitled to 50 per cent of his salary till she dies.
With Lungu’s altruistic act, isn’t it time we revisited the salaries and ‘benefits’ of these high ranking officers like judges, secretary to the Cabinet and Speaker to ensure they were within the normal income bracket of every worker.
The clarion call has been sounded by President Lungu; and it is loud and clear.
There’s a popular Ghanaian pidgin saying that says “Monkey Dey Work , Baboon dey chop” meaning some greedy people put in less work but survive off their minion’s labour.