Harry Kalaba writes UK, USA, EU
…to raise concerns about the silence over corruption, tribal cleansing, governance lapses being perpetuated by the UPND administration
Lusaka, Sunday, May 21, 2023 ( Daily Nation Zambia)
HARRY Kalaba has written to foreign missions in Zambia raising concerns about their deliberate silence on a range of corruption, governance lapses and tribal cleansing taking place under the UPND administration.
Mr Kalaba, the president of Citizens First has written to the British High Commission, the American Embassy and the European Union (EU) to raise concerns on their failure to call out the UPND government on the many corruption scandals, governance lapses as well as harassment and persecution of the opposition political leaders.
In separate letters dated 16th May, 2023 addressed to Nicholas Woolley, the British High Commissioner to Zambia, Michael Gonzales, the United States Ambassador to Zambia and Ambassador Jacek Jankowski, the Head of the European Union in Zambia, Mr Kalaba said there were a lot of corruption scandals, governance issues as well as the tribal cleansing being perpetrated over which foreign missions in Zambia were being agnostic about.
Mr Kalaba is citing the ZCCM-IH shares reclassification scandal, the tribal cleansing at the Ministry of Finance, the single-sourcing procurement ills, and the awarding of contracts to companies associated with President Hakainde Hichilema as some of the corruption and governance issues over which the British High Commission, the American Embassy and the EU had elected silence instead of challenging the new dawn government.
He also listed the failure to follow the law in the awarding contracts to private auditing firms to conduct audits in the Zambia Defence and Security Wings and manuevours aimed at the removal of the Auditor General Dr Dick Sichembe, who has since been arrested by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).
He explained that it had been under President Hichilema and UPND government that the opposition political party leaders had suffered several arrests for no discernable reason other than political harassment and persecution.
“You will agree with me that if countries such as the United Kingdom, the United States of America and the European Union elect silence over the many governance vices taking place under the UPND government such as the scandal at ZCCM-IH, the tribal cleansing with particular interest at the Ministry of Finance and the single-sourcing in the procurement process and the awarding of contracts to companies associated with President Hichilema, then you would be creating an impression to Zambians that your interests are with the UPND and not with the citizens of the country,” Mr Kalaba said.
He stated that it was the view of the Citizens First party that the position taken by foreign mission in Zambia not to speak out and condemn the growing corruption and governance lapses was not only a demonstration of biasness by Zambia’s long-standing partners.
Mr Kalaba said deliberate failure by the foreign missions to Zambia to call out and censure the UPND administration on its crusade to divide the country on tribal grounds by promoting nepotism had the potential to cause the opposition political parties in the country seeking alternative voices.
He said Ambassadors and High Commissioners to Zambia including the head of the EU delegation should have voices that represented Zambians as opposed to siding with the party in government.
“As Citizens First, we seek to pursue a Non-Aligned policy that Zambia has maintained from independence and it is against this background that we maintain a position to work with all those partners who seek to support the welfare of our country as well as the citizens,” Mr Kalaba said.