By Philos Zambianos ([email protected])
You apply for land or title deeds and your file mysteriously goes missing and when you offer to pay the clerk something, they suddenly remember that they saw your file the other day and in five minutes they find it. You need a passport for a trip in 48 hours and you find yourself forking out two hundred pin to get it because it will normally take several weeks to get it. Then there is tender procedure which is always circumvented, behind-the-scenes deals having been struck prior to the advertisement of the tender. This is the reality of corruption in Zambia.
Despite the late president Levy Mwanawasa’s gallant “fight against corruption” crusade, the problem has become more entrenched and as was revealed in a 2007 publication called “Show Me The Money! : How government spends and accounts for public money in Zambia.” by Transparency International Zambia (co-authored by the Post Newspaper columnist Edem Djokotoe and Pamela Chama),it is alleged more money went missing in government during Mwanawasa’s first term in office than the entire ten years of former president Frederick Chiluba.
We all heard last year about the 36 billion Kwacha (more than US $7million) that was unaccounted for and for me, the funniest part (which is not so funny) was that in 2006, K40 million allegedly went missing from the Auditor General’s office! I seriously think that GRZ should be renamed CRZ (Corrupt Republic of Zambia).
Most of us Zambians believe that corruption is wrong, even though we engage in it in various forms during our lives. Whether it is paying off a traffic cop after over speeding or getting a drivers license without getting tested, we have all gone though the CRZ system. But I have come to the conclusion that engaging in corruption in a society like Zambia is not necessarily always wrong or immoral.
Now before you cast stones at me for promoting or tolerating corruption, let me hasten to say that I am resolutely against it. I have been the victim of it many a time during government tender procedures in which a three-month-old company is awarded the contract despite my company being vastly superior and more experienced. Moreover, corruption is wrong on moral grounds as it gives one party unfair advantage (which they did not earn by merit) over others.
I may appear to contradict myself since I have also stated that it is not necessarily wrong to sometimes engage in corruption in a country like Zambia. There is no contradiction and the reason is simple; you cannot practice full morality when force is used against you. The normal rules of morality cannot be fully applied to an immoral situation or system. A few examples will suffice to make this point clear.
Someone related a story of how he made a stop over in Lagos, Nigeria sometime in the early 80’s during a flight to Europe. He presented his passport to the immigration officer who flipped through it and gave it back saying “There is a page missing in your passport”. “What do you mean?” he asked the officer. “Next please!”
As the person stood there confused wondering that was going on, a Catholic priest behind him whispered in their ear, “He wants you to put some money inside your passport”. “Why should I bribe him just to stamp my passport when it is part of his job?” he asked. “Just do it unless you want to be here locked up for days”, came the reply. He grudgingly did what they were told and voila, the officer stamped the passport in triple quick time with a grin on his face.
Imagine you are arrested and detained by the police on some trumped up charges by someone who has paid the cops to lock you up. You know whatever they are holding you for is false and you are innocent. Do you sit it out in Zambian jails full of disease and starvation or do you also bribe the same (or more senior) cops to let you out?
You apply for a mining license and follow all procedures to the letter but some bureaucrat who wants a bribe sits on your application for months (or years) and in the meantime your preliminary operational costs keep increasing and all your competitors get their licenses quickly (having paid the bribe).
As you can see in all these examples, the common principle is that the situations fall outside the normal rules of morality because someone is using force against you. As one philosopher put it, “Morality ends at the barrel of the gun”.
If someone runs at you with a huge knife with the express intention of killing you, you have a right to self defence that supersedes the right to life of the person trying to kill you. If you kill them in defending yourself, we cannot say you have done an immoral thing by taking the life of another human being.
The bad guy lost his right to life the moment he decided not to respect your right to life by trying to kill you. This goes back to the principle of morality application I have explained above. The attempted murder situation is an immoral situation and we cannot apply normal morality rules. Otherwise every murderer would simply go out and kill everyone knowing that the victims could not fight back to defend themselves.
So the crux of the matter is this. If you live in an immoral system like Zambia where you have to bribe people to get things done (something which is not your fault), stop feeling guilty about it and start playing by the rules of the system. If you are a company, open a special “oil and grease account” and make it very fat because the higher up the food chain you go, the more rusty bureaucrats and other decision makers are. If you do not agree, get the hell out of Zambia. If you stay and decide not to play, be prepared for lifelong misery to your grave.
But this does not mean your soul should become corrupt by thinking it is normal to bribe people in all situations. Always avoid corrupting people if you can and only do it when force is used against you. If you are caught over-speeding on the road, pay the fine as an honest person and refuse to pay the traffic cop if they try to solicit a bribe from you (there is no force being used against you in this situation).
If you leave Zambia and go to a normal civilized society where merit is what counts, never try to bribe anyone.
who are you? are you for real?
Ok LT point taken
Corruption is bad
but uyu muntu,corruptption is the rrot cause of the bad economy we hav rite nw pa zed.currption shld nt even be entertained,eligible and qualified people hav nt made it,due to this same corruption,it very bad.i jst hope one day zed will be a corruption free nation one day.
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who tod u,ok let me digest yo story..
Art: Is perception. The writer is an artist.
sorry bloggers for the wrong spellings,ise chizumgu chiina bwelela ku left.
Ok people!
Am hitting the sack…after 3am….see y’all later
Keep blogging^:)^
OKAY!!!!!!! 😉
Contradiction in terms. Corruption begets even more corruption and immorality. Period. Nip it in the bud whenever and wherever you can. The more you do it there more the country gets enmeshed in it.
#6. Ba mwinsho. ati “chizumgu” manje na chinyanja nacho chinabwelela ku mazele ka?
The sad reality of our societies. Corruption, like crime, exists in every corner of the world where people are found. We adapt to crime by securing our property etc. To adapt to corruption on the other hand should not be encouraged.
#11 life_life, ordinary bazungu cannot countenance giving a bribe. they count their pennies and therefore they will be the first ones to report you.
ako kanono ba nevers,
mudala wanga yili bad,hahaha.
the problem with you bloggers is you don’t read the article before commenting.The facts stipulated in the story are true and most of you have paid some clerk in Zambia to get things done quickly.If not I’m sure you are going to do it to get your new passport quickly.Corruption is so deeply enrooted in Zambia, if the task force were to arrest every offender there wouldn’t be enough room in all Zambian jails to contain offenders.From RB to the cabinet ministers,permanent secretaries to all poorly paid civil servants, you’ld all be arrested.
ok,the writer is right. do you know how many times they make you fail just to get a driving licence? ask anyone who has been there. Its better to pay someone K150,000 than wasting about K500,000 just for a licence.Such is life in Zed.
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mr philos,am now through with your article,its a good one but you are contradicting your self,now tel me is it good or bad? or yes i will send you an email jst seen your code….
You can not justfy evil though all Zambians including Mwanawasa have engaged in some kind of corruption for expedience. No one not even priests have been spared. Its a question of Changa baseka uwachelwa and impupu nipakuboko. What we need is for the entire nation to gather at different stadia to confess to the Almighty for this horrible sin which even as I write is going on. A fella at my work place has just been fired for selling jobs and yet every he has been condemning Chiluba.
I agree with the author. Almost everyone who has made it pa zeed has some traces of corruption even people like HH remember ZPA issue? Iam not condeming them either but what this guy is saying about passports, driving liscence even NRC is very true.
Great article. You hit the nail on the head. Corruption is very really in the corporate world. If play clean you wont get any contracts its as simple as that. Period.
Yes corruption is bad and we have relatives who have made it through corruption,but at the end of the day they more mightier than us.Shameeee. 🙁
Yes man. Corruption is the root of all the evil in Zed. Its a sin we are all gulty of as Zedians.
Anyway,the writer is right.When i was getting my passport, i had to pay K300,000 instead of the usual K70,000 coz it was urgently needed.Corruption in Zed is do deep-rooted that it will take a whole generation of good education,poverty eradication etc to bring it to acceptable levels for it is practically impossible to wipe it out completely.
Dear Zambians please help me to define the term “corruption”. I feel that many of us have a vague understanding of it!!! This I learn from the LT right now. We need an expert to help us define this term and somehow show how corruption can damage the nation and so on… I believe in learning more about something rather than just taking everything for granted: thinking that everybody on the LT understands what corruption is all about… or rather just some segments of it!!!
I got my NRC renewed within 2hrs. No bribery, no sweet talk. Just pure queueing and patience. I got my passport renewed in 10 days as promised by the person behind the counter. Just pure patience, no jostling, no panicking, no bribery, nada. I got my license and passed at one attempt (ok thats more than 10 years ago). Again, no person got my money. I pay my speed trap infringements, too. If I have no money, I negotiate to pay later which I do promptly. Sounds, fake? Sorry buddy, it’s real. At least I consider myself one less person from the corruption list. Can someone join me?
The problem we have in Zambia is ‘assumptions’. Just bcoz u r corrupt does not make every Zambian corrupt.
There’re alot of contradictions in the story but that’s the reality of Zambia today.
For example, the civil service have embraced corruption as a normal part of their daily work routine & humbly call it “pipo working together.”
Chalala is a good example where most civil servants have built powerful mansions from resources they can’t explain. It’s a sad development, but that’s where Zambia has reached.
I agree with the author to a certain degree in justifying corruption in some ways,imagine a situation where somebody finds him or herself in a life or death situation for example somebody is critically rushed to the hospital and you are told that medicine will cost 200 pin and you only have 80 pin and no hope of finding the remainder and a doctor or clinical officer promises you the same at 50 pin leaving you with 30 pin in your pocket for breakfast.Morals or principles aside i will rather go for the later alternative than dying in the process of justifying things,think about it
Kafupi introduced the brown envelopes, so we have no option but to follow suit! even on something as simple as replacing a lost NRC, someone wants to be paid inorder to speed up the process.Indeed, it deep rooted!
If you stay in Zed,you have to do what Zedians do.Even getting teders to supply the government ministries,you have to corrupt someone.the main cause is the poor conditions of service for workers.Government needs to work on that,what do you expect from a corp who earns K500,000 per month? corruption off course.
corruption makes things easier, but it must not be encouraged, you only do it when neccessary
It is immoral everytime because there is always a victim whether apparent or not. You are preaching “if you can’t beat them join them” theology and it only promotes the continuous decay of society.
Deee2,learn to tell the truth(remember what happened to Annanias and his wife in the bible).you cant get a passport using normal procedure in 10 days unless you have a relative at the passport offices.
The mother of corruption is a thieving mentality.
#24 conti… Take passport office: U pay K300pin and wait 10 days, if u have sufficiently used yo passport b4 or 21 days if new or otherwise. Pay 500pin to passport office (collect receipt) for express. Believe me, if u r patient and cool, u will get it. Free and clean. If u pay anybody else, u do so at your will and this does not count as “corrupt Zambia” but as “a corrupt Zambian”.
Attitude change is all it takes to change Zambia. Attitude change in our belief systems. Attitude change in our data intake and analysis. And attitude change in perceptions.
Poverty is the root cause of all the corruption in our country. Intentional laziness of people in offices gives rise to corruption that has become the order of the in government institutions. Believe you me we need the ACC undercover officers to be deployed at all paaaport offices in Zambia come February 2009.
the best is to leave zed because of CHI CRZ
IT IS TRUE PHILOS, BUT YOU FORGOT SOMETHING. JOBS IN ZAMBIA IS ANOTHER PROBLEM. I THINK THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD LOOK INTO THIS MATTER, IF AT ALL LAWS GOVERNING THE EMPLOYMENT ACTS EXISTS.
TO SOME EXTENT WE BLAME PEOLPLE IN CERTAIN POSSITIONS WHO ENGAGE THEMSELVES IN CORRUPTION TO BE IMMORAL BUT CHECK OUT HOW MUCH THEY AGE AT THE END OF THE MONTH. IT IS JUST A WAY OF SURVIVING.
THIS IS A GOOD ARTICLE THOUGH, I LIKE IT. PLEASE KEEP IT UP
#28 #31 Rashid Jones.. I hate to break it to you that it happened. I couldn’t believe it either. I actually thot the lady was joking when she told me 10 days instead of 21 days she had just told the other lady b4 me. I don’t know how I can prove to you otherwise.
I still don’t agree when pipo say the cause of corruption is ‘poor conditions…’. Some of the most corrupt pipo on earth, white or black, are some of the richest too. How do u explain that? The Chungu’s of this world are not exactly poor. Even if they wanted to be, as a CEO were they were, they couldn’t. Corruption is in the mind. If 1 has a corrupt mind, he will be corrupt even if the situation does not ko 4 it.
In Zed, we survive by nichekeleko
Good one the question is can it be changed? :-ss:-ss
The problem is that, when you talk about corruption in Zambia, the focus is on top leadership – politicians, defence chiefs & the like.
Corruption is cross-cutting, from private sector, public sector & general public like the examples the author has given.
If we view corruption in the broader sense, then one cannot pretend that corruption does not exist like some bloggers are alleging.
Corruption can only be fought when we broaden the net & not just limit ourselves to few individuals we read in the papers.
corruption can also be likened to an ecosystem which in simple terms is an environment where different organisms exists(insects,people,birds etc)and each organisms plays a role that helps in the existance of the other species(niche).Using this ecological relationship as an example it really shows how difficulty it is for this world to be balanced in terms of no corruption and fair trade coz we need thieves,pastors,corruptors etc to balance this world, a model of a perfect earth only lies in biblical tails and dreams welcome to the reality :d
The most corrupt ministry in zed govt is: Ministry of home affairs(police, immigration,passport office,NRC offices.
Parastatals: (ZRA,ZESCO,ZAMTEL)
Nearly ALL cabinet ministers engage in corrupt activities.
MAY THE ALMIGHTY GOD DELIVER US AMEN
37# Conti… I believe in trying the system out before even thinking of paying anybody. In most cases, I find things work better if you ask for the real information on how things are done normally and what causes delays as you are doing something. Pipo respond favorably when u ask them for information on how best to do someting. If in a hurry, dont show unnecessary urgency. Tell them how urgent the situation is and ask them for ways they can help in mitigating the situation. Get very surprised without annoying them if they start fidgeting preping for a bribe inquiry. Next, nicely ask for any other person that can help, if they cant do something in time.
:-?:-\”[-(**==~X(>:/:-@^:)^:-w
Iam impressed with the way the author of the article has articulated his topic. Reading between the lines, I find that he is talking about two philosophical issues which I believe affect everyone in one way or another in our daily lives. Morality and Corruption. These two topics are highly relative as meaning is. Meaning, it is said, lies in its context. Philos is discussing corruption from a Zambian perspective and morality from a general view point. Where does he draw the line to give distive meaning? Due to the limitation of this forum, all I can conclude is that the message Philo is propagating is that Corruption is an evil which impedes development and hardwork, but promoting laziness.
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we are told in the most Holy BOOK—-BIBLE…judas iscariot sold Jesus through corrupt means!!
how i wish it was a course at universities,will spend 15yrs to get a degree in CORRUPTIONALISM!!!
this guy is unbeliveabe,its because of people like this that zambia will never overcome the vice that is corruption. You cant say because its how the system is so i will just go with the flow…you as individual have a moral obligation to do what is right, its about the priciple. Its sad that corruption has become so entrenched into zambian society that there is litereally nothing you can get without paying someone off..God help us
I got my passport with no bribes… corruption is bad…to stop it,start with yourself….at least you will have done your part.
One important tip to avoid corruption is to give things time. For instance, get a passport way before u plan to travel. Drive under the speed limit etc. Insist u do not corrupt. When in a fix, mention to the recipient of the bribe that it is not really yo intention to pay, and that it is only that there is no way out, which in most circumstances would have been caused by the corrupter.
Once we bring home, to a personal level, the issue of corruption, the vice will be minimised to an extent. Eradication is not possible. I believe corruption can only be fought at individual levels better.
Philo is by all means condemning the evil! Despite this, it seems though the writer is inclined to encourage the readers to succumb to the vice. With this malpractice, as one of the bloggers above has conceded,Zambia will definitely no where near salvaging itself from the doldrums of under development and poverty. The unscrupulous will thrive in their ill-gotten “riches”. Its time this was stopped, but not in the next three generations for wishful thinkers!!!
#40 Gumu Gumu, thats true indeed.
Guyz im a council worker studying in states and its true wat that guy has highlighted.you need to appreciate or give something for your things to move.Here in states we have wat they call tips.wat about our brother back home dont they need something to buy lunch?
Any terrorist on the receiving end? Well let me move down to Gaza to confirm
remember Lotti in the Bible. He and his daughters remained pure in the land of immorality. Iam not perfect but I honestly feel it is possible to live happily without being corrupt in Zambia today.
The article lacks moral value and should not have been published in the first instance. This atitude of every one is doing it is killing our nation.I have met corrupt free cops,passport officers and many other pulic officers are corrupt free. LT PLEASE HELP BULD MORALS IS YR ARTICLES NOT THIS CRAP YOU R GIVING US TO JUSTFY CORRUPTION.
Hallo my friend!! Or are you really my friend? Iwe.. nomba chaba shani!! It looks as if you are giving up on some fundametal principles of day to day living!! You may as well say or write “Dictatorship is good for Zambia”!! We want to promote the vital virtues of life. I will mention a few :
1. To feel secure
2. To be heard
3. Not to feel alone
You can not tell me that to obtain the above you have to bribe somebody!! Although some try to buy love because they think they will never find someone who is real.
What I am saying is that OUR GOAL is to build a system that does not allow corruption and at the same time severely deals with those who do not abide!! Imwe ine chitemwiko fye!
#47 Seriously?
I love your point. To to that, every one of us on this blog and out there have poopooed on themselves b4. Imagine ukuinyelawila ati pantu naleinyelawila when I was a baby!! We have to come to a place where we put a stop to it. Twakula nomba. Let’s stop. They are withdrawal symptoms, yes. They r pipo with mental challenges, yes. But Not everyone will be mentally challenged. We can stop corruption. Ok fine, we can minimise it by choice
:o:o:o UYU MUNTHU ALI NA POINT ,SMALL SCALE CORRUPTION ARE GOOD.eg….PAYING TO HAVE CERTAIN JOBS DONE….:o:o:o:o
Edited
Guys corruption is real pa Zed and its even worse now because of poverty. Imagine even at hospitals and clinics its there for you to be given a wheel chair to take your patient to the ward you have to pay a cleaner 20 pin to get that wheel chair or you will carry your patient on your back to the ward. Even for a pregant woman to get blood test at the hospital you have to bribe those people working in the lab for them to do a test or they will keep on telling you to come back tomorrow the machines are down. So to avoid that you just have to pay the money. I am talking with experience.
Corruption is a real evil in our society. I do not support it at all because it deprives the masses of their privilege and right to a good living.Anyone who is sane and morally up right will condemn it big time. FTJ’s introduction of brown envelopes and ‘nichekeleko’ business has landed Zed in this current crisis she is facing. One act of corruption is indeed very detrimental to the next person and the country as a whole.
Civil servants are not in the sense corrupt but circumsatances have made them victims of this vice. Low salaries and poor conditions of service make them ‘ask’ for ‘iya lunch’ or ‘iya drink’. The time it takes to have documents processed in the GRZ ministries is the other
Bulaya used to think like u, where is he? Singogo thought like you, where is he. Many others who thought like you are really worried at the turn of events because they can smell the jail. Chiluba and his wife will be next. The courts are giving custodial sentences nowadays. So if you still think there is nothing immoral about corruption, try it out!!!
THE AUTHOR IS MISLEADING US. Quote: If you are a company, open a special “oil and grease account” and make it very fat because the higher up the food chain you go, the more rusty bureaucrats and other decision makers are. If you do not agree, get the hell out of Zambia.
And precisely thats what we did. We left to go to civilized countries. If we nip corruption in the bud at the top, it is easy in a country of 10 million to get rid of it. The reason we can not rid of it is the same reason why we fail to feed a population of 10 million. We are a sick society and we should not even contaimplate what this author is saying. He has hit the wall but not all of us
MONEY IS THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL!!! >:)>:)>:)>:)>:)>:)>:)
contd
The time it takes to have cdocuments processed by the GRZ ministries perpetuates this vice as well. Most people working in these minstries like attending meetings/workshops for the simple reason of the allowances. This leaves alot of work pending in the trays and eventual loss or misplacement of the files.
In short to curb corruption, we need a multifaceted approach. We need to revisit our work culture and improve the workers conditions of service. Social amenties need to be accessible to the ordinary zedian. Ministers should stop going to the airport to welcome HE but work in their ministries. Cut down on workshops in GRZ ministries. Regulate accommodation rental charges etc
What the writer has said is the reality in Zambia but with such an attitude,the fight against corruption will fail,i find it really hard to believe that Lusaka Times would even allow such a crap article to be published,it shows how insensitive,shallow & immature the Editors of this site are,this is pure african mentality.
This makes me laugh ” I have been the victim of it many a time during government tender procedures in which a three-month-old company is awarded the contract despite my company being vastly superior and more experienced.” Doesn’t the writer know that it does not matter if you’re experienced or bigger,a tender will be given to the most competitive company.
# 54, very sharp you are indeed. Corruption should not and must never be condoned. I am a victim of tribalism and corruption. I left the country and I am even happier than those whop tried to victimize me and my family because I was not ready to bribe anyone let alone reduce my dignity by succumbing to the evils of tribalism for the sake of a small position where you get no money at all. Even if you got it, because of corruption, the Kwacha has eroded to a point where it vaporizes in one instance and you have to be bribed to live again. SHAME!!!! Even the nichekeleko, its usually 10 pin or less to very ignorant sometimes very educated people who have little knowledge about real mon
#52, ‘Culture’, you are getting it wrong about tips. Corruption in its simplest terms is to elicit a favour from some one by in most cases offering financial benefit. It has a motive. A tip is nowhere near a corrupt act. Tips in America and other Western countries is mostly at restaurants and hotels and it is to an extent an element of appreciation. Anyway for countries like Australia, Tipping is not a common practice. Please do not mislead people by implying that a tip is the same as corruption. If you say corruption is a tip, then I wonder where our educated, of which I would like to deduce you are are going to teach the unknowlegeable. No wonder corruption is so rampant in local govts.
#54 I think you missed the spirit of this article and I commend LT for publishing it. Clearly you can sense the author’s frustrations about corruption and how Zed has sunk into it. Sometimes you need to clearly define the problem before you can solve it. If you live in a shell, you will never know these things happen. If you try to do something serious in Zed, then you realise how low Zambia has sunk. This is a true picture of anybody trying to achieve anything big. This is a serious social problem and we need the best minds to get Zambia out of this trap and it requires acknowledgement that we have a problem. Just like we have done with HIV/AIDS. No denial theories here. Let solve this.
What Zambians must learn is to shame those who solicit for bribes,the press can play a major role in all this,people should feel free to go to the press & report that such & such an officer was soliciting for a bribe,i don’t know if Zambian cops have badges that show their staff number but most countries do,you just note down the number & report straight away & often if the officer stopped you for something you’re guilty of but you reported them for soliciting a bribe,you will be let off without paying the fine.It is entirely up to us as africans to say no corruption even at its lowest,why should i pay an officer to look for my passport which is certainly not lost.
Lets fight corruption by saying NO to it.RB should lead the way by getting rid of all those he paid for supporting him by giving them jobs…
Don’t worry people, RB is on top of the game. Have you seen how the conviction rate of plunderes has picked up since he took over. We are dealing with the big fish first and then we shall come for you small fishes to clean up the system.
The Economist is in charge, see how he stirs this troubled ship out of the dangerous waters it has found itself in.
This is the same crap that happens all over africa,i ship vehicles to africa via the port of Durban,when i send a car that has got an alarm system & there’s no one to collect it the day the ship arrives,port workers ”lose” the key & remote control,this means for my agent to take the vehicle,they either have to fly to London pick up the spare key from me or they pay a bribe for a company to ”make another key & remote ctrl” so what i do now is as soon as i buy a vehicle for export,i send the spare key/remote to my agent so that if the port workers hide the original,the agent simply uses the spare & starts the car,one guy will emerge from the office to say we found the original!
What is really sickening is that the so called very educated are the ones who have allowed their minds to be permeated by streetism, tribalism and corruption. Some of these lunatics even use their titles in vain. People even respect hoodlums like that because they are intimidated by their titles. Instead of being in the fore front and living decent lives and being role models, they are there busy propagating rural nonsense i.e. tribalsim, corruption and theft. What a shame!!!! “Zambia and indeed Africa, tubeleleko uluse” GOD WHAT DID WE DO TO DESERVE THIS? This author must also apologise for even suggesting that if you do not agree, get the hell out of Zambia. BUTUTU!!!!!
corruption cannot end unless the word is removed from the dictionary.examples of corruption food distription during the just ended elections.reduction of commodities during elections and after elections the commodities raise again.printing of exra ballot papers is also corruption.Salary increments by some people in govwrnment when miners are losing jobs.
#71 Jigga, You are interesting, just like me ..you wrote “i find it really hard to believe that Lusaka Times would even allow such a crap article to be published,it shows how insensitive,shallow & immature the Editors of this site are,this is pure african mentality.”
Yes you are debating frociously about this topic and even bringin in your own experience. Does that not gloryfy imature author of this story. What happened to I will not dignify this question with an answer :d
Don’t worry I understand you because I felt the same
Guys, please get it right. We are not saying that corruption is good. all we are saying is because of the poverty(poor conditions of service for most workers),people are forced to bribe in order to get what they want. Corruption is bad but under the circumstances in Zed,it has become our daily life.
# 52, tips in restaurants especially in the USA were designed to offset human vices such as waiters and waitresses can use food as a weapon if they are frustrated and indeed thats true, they can kill you as a customer making noise to them in their fatigued moments. And they are preset at about 2 % maximum of your total bill. Now such a tip is very different from the “RURAL, INHUMAN, ABHORENT, IGNORANT, PERVASIVE, UNPALLATABLE, EXCRUCIATING, HORRENDOUS” act called corruption and the poverty related that you find in Zambia. I mean people will do anything to make K1000.00 from you, even plot to kill you. Isn’t that sick really? For 0.0002 cents, people can do that? ABSOLUTELY SICK!!
What a predicament!! Corruption is immoral no matter how you define it. Treating corrupt practices as part of our everyday lives implies conceding defeat. It is fabricated stories like these that give great significance to issues of corruption. Yes, I can agree that corruption is part of the Zambian/African culture as stated in the article, citing Nigeria. But then again culture is a social issue that is dynamic and changes with time. It is never too late to fight corrupt practices. All we have to do is to keep on fighting against it. Someday, our children will grow up in a society that dwells less on corruption.
#74. MMD Chief Bootlicker
I can’t understand what u’ve typed but i feel u got yourself twisted with my posts,i have added inverted commas/quotation makes to mark what the original author of this article wrote & i have also said my Shipping agent in SA told me that each time i send cars without sending spare keys,he’s had to bribe in order to get the original key as he has often been made to spend the whole day at the port as the key couldn’t be found as it was hidden so i cut out the crap & sent the spare keys straight to the agent before i even ship the vehicles that way the port officials don’t get any bribes at all.
I will never support any idea that justifies any wrong-doing.
‘Wrong’ is never upgradable to ‘right’ by the wrong circumstances that cause or force someone to do it, however hash the causes might be.
There is nothing like being forced into corruption. However the cricumstances surrounding you, there is always room to do the right thing.
The writer is corrupt who has been guity many times but he wants his conscience to be justified.
This is what i have always stood against, justifying ‘wrong’ because it suits you.
And by bringing this kind of thinking what is the writer trying to achieve; is it not to clear his conscience, while he wants at the same time to polute minds of the simple?
nice article,sir……you just hit the nail .on it’s head!
Rashid Jones, please go to church. There are no circumstances in Zambia that justify people to begin living like animals. Corruption is simply animalism. It is not poor conditions of service, not at all. People have lived dignified lives in villages, herding goats, cattle and fishing to put fod on the table for ages. And what is very anoying is that the turn around came in 1991. God, its like thats when money came to Zambia. What a shame. It simply means that something was not done correctly that flipped people’s minds to animalism and even families began to break down. Your own relative will try to extort money from you in broad day light. SHAME!!!!
#78 I had some typos wrong in my post. Basically I was try to say that in your earlier post in #68, you showed total disgust for the author and I did not expect you to camp on this thread but walk away and move to other mature threads like Zambian Airways, but instead you seem to have fan here and have even made posts of your encounter with corruption in Africa. So your action really do not support your words that this is an immature article and thread. As in what are you doing on an immature thread? That is what I meant.
l-) The hour is working
When i was still in Zambia & went to apply for my NRC,i was about the 10th person in the queue so when they started issuing the cards,i thought i wouldn’t be long as there were only a few people in front of me but to my surprise,people were coming from all over the place & the security guy & one govt official were ushering them inside & they came out smiling & holding their cards,i stood in the scorching sun & heat for several hour & said i had enough,i left the queau & started shouting at the officers at the door that how come people that came a few minutes ago had their cards in a sec so an officer from inside came out asked what was going on so alot of people in the queau joined in ..
contnd from 83
to echo my sentiments,we all had enough & i told the senior officer that i was gonna report them to higher authorities so the security guy was asked to live & a new official placed at the door to control the queau only so shortly after that i was issued with my card.
#31, I got my passport within seven days, I did not paid off anyone, infact I got it earlier than the people who bribed officers and in the end the people they had paid to do their passports quickly, never showed up and their phone were off. They had to apply through the normal procedure again. I think we are to be blemed for all this coz we have that thing in our minds already that if you don’t brib someone then you wont get your passport ontime..
😮
LT can you be responsible in the stories you publish.
This kind of publishing is highley irrisponsible. Even if it is true, you are encouraging corruption. What do you think the youth who read this article will think ? that corruption is unavoidable ?
What the author has written is true and is the reality of life not only in Zambia, but also elsewhere in the world, especially in third world countries, particularly Africa. This december holiday, I drove home to Zambia from RSA where I am based. I actually went through the Botswana route. Just before I reached Rustenburgy in north west of RSA, I was caught by police after exceeding the speed limit. I had to folk out R200 to the police officer instead of getting a fine at R800. This was so that I continue with my journey without being disturbed, delayed or inconvenienced. Coming back home, the same happened but this time in Botswana. Not that I am corrupt, but for the sake of my journey I
For the sake of my journey, I had to folk out money to police. I am not condoning corruption. But judge for yourselves.
I knew for sure that Mwanawasa’s govt was more corrupt than Chiluba’s govt. Thats’ he was covering it up by trying to punish those who served with Chiluba.
#67 Papa J u r the one who missed the jinx of the article. ” companies should open an oiling account” Is this suggestion in good faith from which ever manner of logic ?
Corruption can end with or without the word appearing in our dictionery. we do not need to erase the words of exticnt creatures from our dictioneries coz they do not exit any more. equally so for corruption having the world in the dictionery does not justfy the act.
88. LEON
What do you mean for the sake of your journey you had to bribe,that is wrong man,in the first place you should have stuck to the speed limit coz you would have killed either yourself or someone else because of your speeding,so it’s better to accept a speeding ticket & pay R800 than bribe some cop,it’s either on the spot fine or go to court where u can ask to pay in instalments,doesn’t the South African govt accept instalments,here in the UK you can pay in instalments,everything is negotiable even fines in court,no one can force someone to pay what they cannot afford,that is a directive from the govt,your welfare & that of your family come first.
90. Chani Fishman
What are you talking about,you think we are kids.
Let me quote first,”if you live in an immoral system like Zambia,where you have to bribe people to get things done something which is not your fault, stop feeling guilty about it and start playing the rule of the system” End of quote. Iwe write wa article,You decided to write this article telling us to be corrupt. This man is corrupt,you should have told as how we should strive to curb the Vice.Ala kwena Zambia nayonaika .You should be sent to jail like Singogo you also,because you are mis leading the masses here. People like Maestro,Engine block,Munyono, Undertaker, Free market capitalist,Patriotic Zambian and others will take your advice.
**==
Ilyashi lyakosa!! its a factual vice & i sense from the tone of some postings,its very emotional….
shushushu…..
Before u say anything, read the story again and try and see the message the author is trying to deliver.
87. shushushu
I agree totally.
I think LT needs to be more responsible in their reporting.
There are many things said, heard, communicated, and done. But not all can make news; only what will meet the values of the reporter should do so.
This is why LT is expected to do their homework before offloading on this site what they see, hear, come across, or are given.
#97, I agree with the writer. This is the reality of life in africa. Certain things have to be talked about before you come up with the solution.
Corruption is payment in cash or in kind to a person who is not entitled to that payment but receives it to circumvent the due process. If you are caught speeding, you are fined but paying the cop instead of the government may be convenient but it is corruption. If officially it takes 10 days to get your passport, but you get it in two days on payment of a fee stipulated by government, that is express service. However, payment of this same fee to an individual at the office to get the same service is corruption on your part and theft by public servant on his/her part. In short, one corrupts, the other steals!
#96. Zambian in Anguish,
However you look at it the thought of the writer is wrong.
The writer’s point is that our systems are corrupt and therefore people end up engaging into corrupt practices because they are forced to do so by the corrupt system.
He then tries to conclude by saying that it is justified and therefore not wrong that people end up being corrupt as they are forced by the system.
We are saying, for whatever reason of pressure or force on anybody to do wrong, the ‘wrong’ does not become ‘right’.
Mentalities like that are retrogressive and unprogressive.
That aside! Am hungry :-<
Iwe Ka Chewe, why do you always resort to malice by making silly references to other bloggers. You are always passings comments towards others that are quite often offensive. Are you 10yrs old or a child that needs moral guidance. Grow up and discuss issues like everyone else. What is wrong with you? And if it is any consolation, the leve of your analysis questions your intellect. You always have a say on most issues and most of the time you talk crap. If you have nothing sensible to contribute, shut the F…up!!
#88 Leon
It is the theft part that is never highlighted. The cop who gets your money and lets you off is a thief. The Judge who gets your money and hands you a lighter sentence is a thief. The politician who gets your money in order to grant you a government contract is a thief. This is the same as buying something from a thief. You bought convenience from the cop. If you are corrupting anyone you are an accomplice to theft. Call it what you like, excuse it in any way you like it is still wrong. God hates unjust scales> You shall not steal. You shall not covet your neighbour’s goods. You shall not lie.
Whats the difference between an appreciation and a bribe?:-?
:-w
No wonder it is not possible for everyone to support one political candidate,similarly this story lyashi lyakwakaleya tabwache coz everyone is right in his or her own way depending on their experiences and philosophies.Nice debate though
The spelling of ‘appreciation’ and ‘bribe’ are at least different!!
Happy New Year #104.
#104
its the same thing
Baby C what do you want for lunch? I wil send okay.
I want :o)chops + salads.
The differnce is as follows:
To the reciepient its Appreciation!
To the Observer its a Bribe!!
Get It ? :d/
LT next topic please. This has already been discussed at length.
Yaba. Its lunch already? Good reminder #101. Naya ku subway. Hope I wont have to BRIBE someone to jump the line. For the sake of the meal. We need to offer training and strengthen institutional frameworks that reward whistle blowers. The cycle is perpetuated by kalijo. One day your workmate walks in all pimped up. You cant report coz he is “connected” with the boss right up to the Ba PS! Pa last your wife wants to leave you coz bana xyz has a plasma. “Bwuka iwe”. If we had structures to protect and facilitate in-house reporting, the business of kalijo is solved. Nipped in the bud. Not watered and fertilized. I sense guilt then self justification in this article.
#104 Based on your analysis in reference to #104, how would one categorise ‘payment in kind’ i.e. sexual favours? :-w
Baby C if I buy you Lunch, you will appreciate but they will all call it a bribe if you were working for the Passport Office and I needed mine Quick.. 😕
Jamaco
How is Nine Chale :d
Jamaco
It all depends on how you hand it over to me….
He just call me but am at Work and so I will call him later. He sounded fine at the time. I will pass my greetings
Mingeli Palata has come in many different names and shapes to ridicule his country without offering solutions.
ACC should not just be about catching and prosecuting those involved in corrupt activities but they must have a wing that examines systems and recommend ways to keep systems working.
For now Zambia has moved forward in gigantic leeps fighting corruption. The international index on corruption says so. I wish Palata could be more responsible in his search for controversy.
Jamaco
You are naughty!!!! :d . Are you not NC??? C’me on, am your friend remember….
No am not really!! But the guy is my Brother in Stuggart and I am in Cologne !!
well it’s clear to me that u r contradicting yourself though u’ve said u r not!!i do agree with you that corruption in zambia as almost became the way of life.first of all i don’t knw what mesures the govt has put in place to fight corruption but as long as govt has not improved the services to the people corruption will never stop..services like getting a passport!
@ Baby C
I am not Nine Chale!! He is actually my brother in Stuttgart and I am based in Cologne !! Why should I change my Identity !! Jamaco and Nine Chale are two Brothers!!
Corruption has been institutionalised in Zambia. Here is a true story: Some drunken guy was nabbed by a cop for urinating in public and the cop demanded that he pays k40,000 or he gets locked up in Police cells to be taken to court for the charge of public nuisance. For fear of the cells and court, the guy handed the cop a K50,000 note and demanded K10,000 as change and the cop said “Iwe zuziba ati boma ilibe change, tunda chabe futi uko!”
Ba Jamaco,ifi ifilya ifibana ifyalekula no ku pumwa sana kuma parents.
Hey Chewe !! Mulishani bakalamba?
At Chewe!! I did not get your point 😕
@ Chewe !! Takwali ifya Child Abuse Ime !! Fyonse chitemwiko fye 😡
It is true you can’t legislate morality but bribery and corruption are evil and wrong in every society because if they weren’t immoral why don’t people practice them openly, they always hide even in the most corrupt societies. The fact that they hide is a sure sign they still have a conscious to know it’s illegal, wrong and sinful but you really can’t blame a sinner for sinning because a sinner’s greatest problem is not sin, it is his/her sinful nature. There is only one way of solving the sinful nature of man and that is through the blood of Jesus Christ.Billions of people can testify to this testimony about Jesus Christ changing them.
Hi Jamaco,am gud hope you are too. Am just joking boyi.I have liked your consistency so far.Not Chi Maestro,chena kupontela fye Sata inga cha monekela.After that chaya pa blogg pati na tondolo.Anga cha isa ninshi miponto fye pali ba Sata.
@ Chewe !! Naumfwa bakalamba.
No. 25 Gumu Gumu, Reference to Chalala that its Civil Servants who are corrupt is baseless and unfounded. Just work hard and progress, dont give us lame excuses coz of your laziness. Are you aware that 01 bottle of cattle costs a minimum of K 6,000.00 which is equivalent to 02 Concrete blocks. Others maybe corrupt but every Zambian. Some of us have sacrificed totally to an extent that we deny our selves a bottle of castle.
Not every Zambian is corrupt. (In reference to No 132)
LT should not have published this article. Its misleading to people who have weak minds and the youth. I do agree with #87 Shushushu and Chewe #94. Corruption is an evil that kills society and should not be encouraged.
I strongly agree with the writer. Sometimes you may truly be arrested for not commiting a crime. So make sure you look at the scenario and ensure you do not bring confusion by playing by the rules.
Awe nomba fwebashaishibe noba twaishiba ifya kuchita next time.
Jesus, the Christ, should have bribed the Roman authorities and soldiers to avoid his suffering and death, man that would have changed world!
137.
I bet you are a pagan.
Number 52, I know you.You are Ze Roberto.
CORRUPTION IS CORRUPTION AND IMMORALITY IS IMMORALITY IN WHICH EVER WAY YOU LOOK AT IT.YOU CAN CONINCE YOURSELF AND DO WHAT EVER YOU THINK IS OK AT THAT TIME BUT THE SITUATION REMAIN THE SAME CORRUPTION IS CORRUPTION AND IMMORALITY IS IMMORALITY PERIOD.
Years ago, I was caught by the speed trap at the curve into Kabwe, from Kapiri. I guess a number of you have been trapped by these made-to-catch traps. We queued upto pay the office sitting under a tree. When my turn came, I began to count the money to give him the official K56,000 in those days. He stopped me when I got to K10,000 saying that’s enough. That’s how the matter ended. I had no receipt of course. I guese both of us were happy. But I really did not mean to pay less.
#104. ??????????
Appreciation: Rewarding for someone who has done their job well.
Bribe: Rewarding so that someone does not do their job well.
As the article by the esteemed Edem reads, Mwanawasa was the most corrupt misleader Zambia has ever had. Consider the evils surrounding his acquisition of the UNZA land, now called Palabana Farm. The tribalism that he perpetuated to the detriment of qualified Zambian languishing on the streets or migrate South. If for sure Mwanawasa was not after Chiluba’s blood, how can one explain the appointment of Vera to a Ministerial position. Mwanawasa did not fail Zambians alone, but himself too. He was so engrossed in nailing FTJ that he forgot about even a mere treadmill for his health. He never thought Zambians hence the conditions we see today. Chiluba never forgot were he came from.
143. Kalos2020
Let bygones be gone.
Let sleeping dogs lie.
Forget what lies behind and press on to the future.
We have enough of ‘yaCity of Lusaka’ slogan… ‘Sembe…!’
It is over. What do we do NOW?
Kalos2020 # 143, You are a shame to yourself. And ignorant too. UNZA land is not in Palabana. LPM gave up that UNZA land when controversy began. You have also forgotten that Vera stood and won an election, making her eligible to her appointment. How do they host such a sloth in the USA?
94. Chewe, on your “People like Maestro,Engine block,Munyono, Undertaker, Free market capitalist,Patriotic Zambian and others will take your advice,” I seriously advise you to take #102 Zedian’s advice to you seriously which he wrote “Iwe Ka Chewe, why do you always resort to malice by making silly references to other bloggers. You are always passings comments towards others that are quite often offensive. Are you 10yrs old or a child that needs moral guidance. Grow up and discuss issues like everyone else. What is wrong with you? And if it is any consolation, the leve of your analysis questions your intellect”.
This really made my day and thanks 102 Zedian for being a REAL Zambian.
146 continued.
Clearly this Chewe character is a terrible dissapointment to the Zambian especially Bemba Community world over.
I have normally avoided to related to him and all the story in the Holy Scriptures that have a good lesson to him, but I will do so now in the following comments.
====
LT 2008 Award Winner. =; for Zambia in 2011.
#145 Zebra, winning an election is not license to Ministerial position. You should question yourself how you are being hosted wherever you are, probably Palestine. Unfortunately you think UNZA land is only on Campus. What kind of ignorance is that? When you believe you know something but you don’t know you will as you have done attack even those that know. One definition of insanity is to believe that you can be keep doing what you’ve been doing and get different results. Read others opinions and learn to research issues before you utter your nonsense.
130. Chewe, on your “Hi Jamaco,am gud hope you are too. Am just joking boyi.I have liked your consistency so far.Not Chi Maestro,chena kupontela fye Sata inga cha monekela,” the following will be my consitstency to you and the rest of this world:
Luke 23 + KJV Bible:
23:32 And there were also two other, malefactors, led with him to be put to death.
23:33 And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left.
….
149 continued.
23:39 And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us.
23:40 But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation?
23:41 And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss.
23:42 And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.
23:43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.
Following this scriptural passage, I would like to inform you all that I am like the malefactor in verses 40 – 42. I have participated in sin before…
150 continued.
…including some of the corruption that the Authour of the above Article so-called Philos Zambianos though not the passport issuance and some more.
I have clearly indicated form day to day that I am a Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) who has changed my mind as testified to my non-insulting behaviour and standing on TRUTH here on LT.
I dont mock Jesus Christ or God, the owner of everything, as Chewe wants to make it appear in his usual habit of insulting. In fact, Chewe there is a lesson for you on the behaviour of the man in verse 39 of #139. This is perfect opportunity for you to change your behaviour once and for all.Mind you the man in verse 39 above lost it,but u’ve chance.
151 continued.
This is my friendly and free advice to you Chewe, my fellow Zambian or Earth Citizen.
Change your attitude before it is too late my man. At 29 years old, your behaviour is expected to be above that of a 16 year old girl or boy alike.
Please, please Chewe. You can do better than what you are currently doing. The KJV Bible record below is for you, Chewe, to consider: James 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
#148 Kalos2020: What kind of skunk doesn’t know that the disputed UNZA land was between Kalingalinga and Great east campus? And that same skunk is unaware that in that year, LPM appointed nearly all the eastern MPs to cabinet positions because that’s all he had. And what do you mean that Chiluba never forgot where he came from? Have you been to Musangu village? You are drenched and soiled by corruption my friend! You probably made your way to USA corruptly.
money talks and bulls**t walks a thousand miles! 3:-o3:-o3:-o
#153. Thank you for your display of ignorance. In your belief UNZA only had Kalingalinga land and the land at Palabana never existed. Efyo ukukana belenga kwaba. Don’t ever be afraid to admit you were wrong. It is like saying you’re wiser today than you were yesterday. Accept that you have learned something apart from the Kalingalinga conflicted land.
# 155 Kalos2020. I know more of UNZA land than you do. There is a reason. We are discussing the piece of land in which a fifteen room house was built and still stands today. Don’t put words in my mouth. You have failed to justify why and how you are in the USA at that level! Neither have you justified how Chiluba never forgot where he came from.
On “So the crux of the matter is this. If you live in an immoral system like Zambia where you have to bribe people to get things done (something which is not your fault), stop feeling guilty about it and start playing by the rules of the system,” my Holy Bible in 1 Corinthians 10:13 records otherwise “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God [is] faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear [it]” which is the best any human being can apply always in all situation by seeking God’s guidance.
155. Kalos2020. The issue about the UNZA is real and serious. I just dont have the necessary details at now to effect legal proceedings. Let us wait and see what will happen in the future.
#156 It will be very unfortunate if all of you had to justify why you are were you are right now. Your contentions was that Mwanawasa did not get that land from UNZA, but now you are shifting goal posts. My brother in Christ Maestro(I am SDA) has said it right. I am SDA but never espoused that to my friends or workmates or classmates for that matter. I believe religion like sex is personal and at times private, unless you’re a tasinta. So, why should I justify my being here while in fact it is you who didn’t know the truth about UNZA land? Remember anyone who has made a mistake and doesn’t correct it, is making another one. So, bbambo, correct yours now.
159. Kalos2020 great stuff and keep well.
Over and out.
corruption in zambia isn’t a crime it’s a system.the end always justifies the means. :):):)
This person is being mocking Zambia as a Country but at the same time, he has given us food for thought. I have only two questions for him though:
Does he want zambia to maintain the status quo or does he think Zambia can recover from this trend that was made part of our lives by the crooked FTJ. In UNIP, no leader could own businesses without facing the leadership code. But Chiluba removed all that all politicians became businessmen at the expense of the masses. Who do we blame? Chiluba the man who should be locked up while we clean the mess.
I understand where you are coming from but your arguments for corruption not being immoral are weak. Just because a system forces you to be immoral it doesn’t mean you should succumb to it. A man without principles is as good as dead, you’d be willing to do anything to be alive. The corruption in Zambia is so rife because some people are willing to accept it saying “that’s the way things work” and that’s the mentality people carry around. The question you should be asking is why accept corruption? We need a social and conscious revamp, none of the leaders in Zambia are capable of it. Weak article I think.
Pa zed, ine nalisula.
Philos u r so right but u should all get the hell outta Zambia, esp. if u have the means otherwise u love it – u r immoral