By Gray Soko
He has been called “Man of Action” promising swiping changes “Within 90 days” just as John F Kennedy was called “Man of all seasons” with his “Hundred days of dynamic action”. The euphoria surrounding the election of Sata may be comparable to that of JFK in 1960 in the support he got from the youth and the hope that the “good guys” have at last come to power. Expectations are indeed high that the “Man of action” will deliver to the people’s desires.
Sata has already declared himself “allergic to corruption” which apparently started to sprout again following the demise of Levy Mwanawasa. To many people the decisions of the RB administration to scrap the Task Force on corruption, remove the abuse of office clause from the law, refusal to appeal the acquittal of FTJ by the High Court on corruption charges, failure to register the London Court ruling on FTJ and findings of the Denis Chirwa Tribunal were signs of a weakening stand on corruption.[pullquote]Those who ride the back of the tiger will truly find themselves inside in due course.[/pullquote]
The “Man of Action” has already set up commissions of inquiry to probe ZRA, ERB, ZESCO, NAPSA, RDA etc where corruption may have been going on. He has also called for reforms in the judiciary, army and air force.
The question that comes to mind is why do governments that come to power on the platform of fighting corruption, transparency, integrity and democracy find themselves in the same very vices?[pullquote]What will stop these unhealthy appetites is the vigilance of the people[/pullquote]
Towards the end of his two terms in office FTJ tried to maneuver a third term but the people’s resolve stopped him. Other countries succeeded and some leaders stubbornly refuse to relinquish power after decades in office against the wishes of the people or the general good of their countries. It is as if they would prefer to die in office. This appetite for self preservation and aggrandizement of the ruling elite has tended to pervert the otherwise professional institutions and if left unchecked the country finds itself firmly in the grip of corruption. The number of professionals from various fields that were taken to court on corruption charges alongside FTJ testifies to this.
When corruption thrives, it can be expected that the judiciary can become compromised denying people justice, the police and security wings abet the wrong doings of the ruling elite, public institutions function for their own existence or that of the well connected rather than the good of the country or the ordinary citizenry. At this stage the country is truly on the sliding slope to a failed state status in which everybody becomes a loser.
What will stop these unhealthy appetites is the vigilance of the people. It is to the credit of the free press and communication technology that such vices cannot be hidden from the people for ever. The Freedom of Information Bill is therefore a welcome step in empowering the people fight corruption. Those who ride the back of the tiger will truly find themselves inside in due course.
The last guy to have backed corruption in the Chiluba regime is now the President of the land. What a shame!!! . This President doesn’t even understand his direction so far. He’s shooting in all directions. I just wonder if he has any advisor. Watch the space. Zed is headed for distruction with this colonial policeman at its helm.
The reason why that “policeman” is in office and you’re not is because HE has a vision that 1.1 Million people agree with…all you have is an Opinion…Cow!!!
# 1 u ar useless, guess u ar a finished cadre rite. Ba stupid mwalibele ukwibila abantu for 20 yrs and u thot u will continue. By the way do u watch R4M. if u do u can nt condemn him. Thats y there is change that is if at all what u vomitin is true. Those guys on R4m hav changed and u can not tell me that pipo will continue callin them names whn the see good behavior in them. Pliz leav the President alone. He is extremely doin a good job. Am one of those who pay high tax hence it pains me alot to see hw u ba pompwe wer buzy pocktin tx payers money. I knw u do nt work at all inchito kwiba fye basakala nyongo.
Nice article.\:d/Some people talk too much and then deliver less while others talk less and yet achieve more.
i don’t get it
Lets not be swept away in this euphoria.Lets keep our eyes and ears open.It was during a similar europhoric period like this that Chiluba dribbled us.Sata and his team are not saints and also have skeletons in their closets.Be vigilant Zambians.As much as we love Sata he also has to abide by the rules and deliver on election promises- Talk is cheap
I cannot understand this article
Started well but just phased out into something else. More like in developed countries 12 years ago when they would divert traffic,signs put up nicely and suddenly they just stopped.
Because there was no SAT NAV, you got lost! Aha!
This artcle is a riddle. Your’re telling us how Sata shall fall in the same corrupt practices. The platform is conducive to fight for Information Bill now or never. Guys just be vigilant on this issue and do not speak in shadows. The media do’nt push it hard, no honey in the cup.
On “why do governments that come to power on the platform of fighting corruption, transparency, integrity and democracy find themselves in the same very vices?”
The answer simple: the longer politicians stay in power, the more vulnerable they become to corruption. The temptation of believing that they are the only ones who can rule becomes their greatest weakness. This is why democratic change is inevitable.
It takes leaders with integrity and a calibre of humility to know when it is time to step aside. The best examples were Julius Nyerere and Nelson Mandela.
Mr. Sata will have great respect from Zambians if he respects the rule of democracy and does not resist change when it is time to leave. Meanwhile, it is good to see that he is working hard and delivering on his promises.
@8 what are you trying to explain? explain in your own words, don’t plagiarize someones writings.
Another reason, I think, is that when they steal, there is the fear of the next regime sortng them out, so holding on to power becomes a necessity to stay out of jail.
A pointless, redundant article stating the obvious in a very insipid way. LT, if there is nothing worth reading, please do not afflict us with mediocrity. You should extend your editorial scrutiny or peer review to a few other people with an impeccable writing record
Cant get anything from the article.
The article is a metaphor from the aphorism of ‘he that rides the tiger will never get off’. From what I get from the article once you start sweeping changes you can never just change into a corrupt leader because that will destroy you. Just like the way if you ride a tiger and get off it will kill you. The same vices that make Sata popular may be his downfall from what am getting from the article. We are still in his honeymoon stages of his election so it’s hard to judge maybe in about 2 years we will see what he is about because now I think he is trying to impress as much
So are you saying that it is better to begin one’s rule with corruption then later become “un-corrupt”? You do not make sense. try to go fishing.
Seven people out of ten have got sense out of the article. What does it mean so far?
You need depth to understand this article.I like the phrase ‘those who ride the back of a tiger will truly find themselves inside in due course….Power is sweet like riding the back of a tiger, but the longer you ride that power the easier it is to succumb to corruption- (the inside of the tigers mouth)
As Zambians, not regarding any political affiliations, we MUST not forget our past. President Sata has made some good appointments and some leaves much to be desired, eg Chalwe Mchenga. Let us learn to be supportive of Zambia, an not an individual. If the president makes a good decision, he should be hailed and should he make a wrong one, he should be corrected. FTJ started very well and I personally cant forget how he betrayed us in the end with Sata at the helm of his clinging to power. Zambia is bigger than Sata, UPND, PF or MMD. I know some shallow bloggers, especially Bembas will call me a Tonga tribalist ( I am not even Tonga) or whatever nonsense for this comment, but thats the objective truth. Let us not support a government blindly.
Happy new gorvernment !!
The time has come for the cobra to rise up and reveal him self.
Thank you, our best days are not behind,but in front of us. I breath a new
Wave. Of faver on you as of now…….yeah !
eyes on the ball
IS SOKO SAYING WE MUST STOP FIGHTING CORRUPTION? I THINK THERE IS NOTHING SPECIAL ABOUT SATA. THE MAN JUST MADE A COMMITMENT TO FIGHT CORRUPTION. IF BECOMES CORRUPT HIMSELF, WE SHALL CHUCK HIM OUT UNCEREMONIOUSLY LIKE WE DID WITH RB WITH ALL THE MONEY HE WANTED BUT BEDEVILED BY A WICKED GOVERNANCE. WE ARE WATCHING SATA VERY CLOSELY BUT REALISTICALLY HE GOT 5 YRS TO ACCOMPLISH HIS PROGS.
People should not let their guard down just because of the positive signs that the PF government will fight corruption. It is infact the vigilance of the people that will make PF achieve. Complacency on the people’s part will make the unhealthy appetites talked about in the article start to grow again, if we have learnt anything from the past.
mY mbuya Soko your article stinks, cook more mbewas
The author seems to have confused the whole article. He could have done better by coming out squarely and not the way he’s done it.
The author is brief which in itself doesn’t do justice to the article and this cumbersome topic with many external areas to cover. The author saves face though by concluding that the people will be the judges of this whole process. In contrast, the real litmus test for the Sata government is not how they will bring all those culprits from the previous regime to book but how they will react when one of their own top brass is caught red handed with his/her hands in the till. Will they close ranks or will they gauge public opinion before they feed him/her to the wolves?
The article is Mr Soko’s opinoin.I would encourage him to re-write it.He started off on the RIGHT then went to the LEFT,but unfortunately failed to find the balance.SORRY.DONT GO FISHING,TRY AGAIN!!!