Our message here is that the point of journalism is to hold people in positions of power accountable! Should HH disregard the Constitution to hide corruption?
Lusaka, Oct. 3 – At Woodpecker’s Digest, we address both our leaders and their followers through a very versatile but factual approach, putting news into some perspective that is easier to relate to in the context of our day to day struggles to make ends meet.
To begin with, let’s once again agree on this fundamental principle that the point of journalism is to hold people in positions of power accountable not to write what they want to read. And that because we know that all progressive leaders are readers, we reach out to them through our well selected stories reflecting what’s truly obtaining on the ground!
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On our plate today, is the public debate why some Zambians still expect the new dawn government to respect the rule of law when the Attorney General is the one in the forefront asking Members of Parliament to disregard the Constitution to ensure that HH’s preferred candidate for the position Auditor General, who does not qualify due to a Constitutional provision, can illegally be squeezed in.
From the aforementioned, we can confidently state that either HH is not getting proper legal advice on key national issues because both the Attorney General and his Special Assistant for Legal Affairs have failed to remain professional in the manner they execute their duties.
Or that the Attorney General who should have told the Head of State, in the first place, what the Constitution says on the appointment of the Auditor General, did, in fact, do that but has been made by State House to justify an illegality at all cost.
The latter sounds more plausible looking at the number of illegalities outside of the public eye that State House has presided over. Let’s not talk about the sausagegate scandal as that is too obvious.
But maybe let’s shift our attention to how the former Inspector General of Police, Mr. Kajoba, lost his job for reporting about the corruption at State House by HH’s Special Assistant for Legal Affairs, Christopher Mundia.
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But probably for now, let’s leave the breach of the Constitution on the Appointment of the Auditor General because that’s meant to legimise HH’s future corruption scandals.
Let’s, instead, discuss how the new dawn government is already in breach of the Constitution of the Republic of Zambia, which clearly states when the Audit General’s Report has to be submitted prior to the National Budget presentation.
“The Auditor General shall not, later than nine months after the end of the financial year, submit an audit report to the President and National Assembly on the accounts of the Republic audited in respect of the preceeding financial year.”
This is what the Constitution of the Republic of Zambia that HH swore to uphold and defend dictates. The word here is SHALL!
Is the new dawn government that stupid to fail to understand that it’s in breach of the Constitution on this issue? Of course not. State House wants the Auditor General’s report cleaned of anything that led to the unceremonious removal of the former Auditor General, Dr. Dick Sichembe, that can clearly show how corrupt HH’s government is. Here’s what the former Auditor General wrote…
“I know why they have done this. It is because of the Ministry of Defence audit, the Alpha Commodities fertiliser audit at the Ministry of Agriculture, and the Teachers’ recruitment programme,” read, in part, a statement by Dr. Dick Sichembe. “All this was supposed to be in the September 2023 report of the Auditor General to Parliament, and I was the one to sign it. People will be arrested one day, and I will speak one day. They really broke me down so that I resign. But in auditing, a paper trail always remains.”
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It does not end there, even HH’s Principal Private Secretary, Bradford Machila, is believed to have corruptly drawn close to US$250,000 in per diem in the last two years. But before Dr. Dick Sichembe was forced to resign, he had started auditing State House and Bradford Machila was supposed to be questioned on how he drew per diem of more than US$250,000. And this is, Dr. Dick Sichembe’s voice, the paper trail in auditing that always remains.
To our honourable Members of Parliament, how can debate the next budget without clearing the previous one using the Auditor General’s Report. How will you tell that the 2024 budget is not the same money that was previously allocated but has been abused? You should not even waste time debating the budget. It is prematurely before you. You need to have the Audit report first!”
We shall leave it here for you to reflect on how HH is fighting corruption. We know that our analyses and commentaries may not make us State House’s cup of tea but we equally wish to stand by our strong belief that one does not go into journalism to become rich or popular. It is our job to seek the truth and put constant pressure on our leaders until we get answers.
We can promise you that we shall be patriotic Zambians and this means that we shall not always stand by the President or any other public figures. It is patriotic to support the President in as far as he efficiently serves the country. It is unpatriotic not to oppose him to the exact extent he fails in his duty to stand by the country.
Should we be praising public figures who do the opposite of what they promise to do? Would that not make us not only unpatriotic but also a special kind of intelligent people?
Gain new perspectives by following Woodpecker’s Digest! To make well-informed and thoughtful decisions, one must be able to see things from perspectives other than one’s own. Reading does open up a world of possibilities!
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