‘HH dissolution of ACC board a ruse´— Harry Kalaba
…time for the President to declare assets
18.07.24
President Hichilema´s action to dissolve the ACC board is a ruse aimed at covering up a bigger crime, not fighting corruption says Citizens First president Harry Kalaba.
Kalaba said if the ACC is as ´ rotten ´ as President Hichilema believes to the extent that it warrants total dissolution, it must say a lot about the character of the President himself since it falls under his office.
“When Mr Hichilema assumed the presidency, he acted with haste to place the ACC and DEC among other crucial offices under his direct supervision,” Kalaba said, “the reason he did so was to ensure total clean oversight so if the institutions are corrupt, it means the President is either corrupt himself or complicit to the corruption.”
Kalaba said he is certain, “nothing happens, goes in and out of ACC or DEC, without President Hichilema knowing. Therefore, forcing the DG Thom Shamakamba to quit and dissolving the Musa Mwenye led board is cosmetic and grandstanding perhaps he is hiding something.”
The former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Zambia said, “If President Hichilema wants to prove to Zambians that he is serious about fighting corruption he must do the following in three simple words—declare his assets.”
Kalaba said short of ´declaring his assets´ as called for by the citizens and the US embassy at an ACC event last December in Livingstone, the head of state is paying lip service to the corruption fight. Mr Hichilema is playing to the gallery.
“There is NO way Mr Hichilema will fight corruption without declaring his assets and opening himself up to greater checks and balances…it’s a total mockery to tell Zambians and the western donor community that you are fighting graft when you are hiding your assets.
” Man up and declare your assets,” Kalaba urges HH.
The CF President expressed suspicion that Mr Hichilema decided to sack the only ´whistleblowing´ board which sends fears to other oversight bodies such as DEC that they will be dissolved if they blow the whistle.
He said constituting a new board is like, “covering bandage on a festering wound, it doesn’t treat the wound and in this case without declaring his assets, Mr. Hichilema is like the wound himself.”
Kalaba said the graft that has been exposed in ACC is but a tip of the ice berg that reflects the leadership of the office of the president because the commission falls under him.
He added that in terms of diversion and saving face, the cosmetic dissolution of the board is effective but does not fool many astute and intelligent Zambians. Why dissolve a ´whistle blowing board?´.
Why throw Dr. O´Brien Kaaba under the bus instead of giving him a medal? What message is the President sending to whistle-blowers?
Signed: Harry Kalaba
President.
Citizens First
Even if he declares now, it is too late. He could have already made hundreds of millions of dollars in the 3 years in office. Trouble is that he would want even more wealth. All this money being hidden outside the country will never come back home. The money FTJ stole is still in London. So that money in Panama will remain in Panama.
Vote wisely in 2026.
But ECZ was given the records on how much he had by that time BUT ECL failed to declare his accumulated wealth AND YOU CAN’T CONDEM HH NOW.
Anderson the man you are speaking to is a PF zealot. Nothing you will say to him will make him reason. He is beyond that.
@Mulenga you are Right. Indigo Tyrol is a PF Zealot…!! Who supports a president who WAS NOT EVEN ANOINTED BY THE CHIEF JUSTICE.
ECL made history in Zambia. All presidents HAVE ALWAYS BEEN SWORN IN BY CJ.
He his a candidate for prison.
Harry, declare yours first…otherwise your statement is a result of envy, and simple politics. When you where in office already new that HH was as rich man through active businesses….which have continued today. Dissolving the board is the right thing. You can just be criticizing all the time. I almost joined your party but can’t because of always playing to trending news.
He who comes to equity must come with clean hands…
Can a leopard change its spots? It can’t, so are the thieves. Even if HH declared his assets today, it won’t change anything, thieves will still remain thieves and will continue stealing. Fighting corruption is not for the President alone, it’s a responsibility for all the well meaning Zambians to join the fight. Corruption came in just after UNIP lost power and has been there up to this time. So something that has been there for nearly forty years cannot be stopped in three years, you need to be realistic bane. At least Mwanawasa tried to tackle it but when PF came, all the gains Mwanawasa had made were fastly lost, instead, corruption was officially authorized. Ubomba mwibala era was worse than what we are seeing now. Those who still want HH to declare his assets should wait for 2026 otherwise he had already declared his assets in 2021. Records are there at ECZ for everyone to see, so where is the problem? There is no law in Zambia which compels the president to declare his assets twice and none of his predecessors had ever done so.
Citizen, to a certain extent you are right but the truth is the president appoints people he thinks can carry out his agenda. What we are seeing and witnessing is that , the president has appointed many people who either hail from southern, seconded by Western and last North western provinces.
People who hail from the south have become the president and there is little fear of boasting that ‘ it’s their time .’ The president will ultimately not know everything that is happening as many holding these positions have no interest whatsoever in protecting the president and will act with impunity.
Recently a police constant in Central division wrote and reported his supervisor for giving him a warning letter dor not reporting on duty without permission to the DGI. Claimed he is Tonga they are targeting him , it’s his time and so forth. It’s This kind of behaviours that are making the president unpopular. Everyone is a president or a small government on his or her own. People like these have no respect or empathy towards the president because he is the president of all Zambians whether they voted for him or not, where the hail from or social status. Too many people are seeing the same things that People close to PF used to do and they will not report because the are scared of the repercussions
Please stop this behaviours and help the president it all our time to help regardless of political affiliation. There is only one Zambia and one people
You have articulated very well this truth you have delivered. But for pointing out the obvious, as I do, you will be called a tribalist.
During PF, I campaigned tirelessly about tribalism, and I whole heartedly campaigned to have then removed from power. And we succeeded. Now I am calling out even bigger tribalism by Hakainde, and these same people I used to defend are calling me a tribalist. Yet I employ so many Tonga and Lozi people in my businneses in all capacities, including general manager. I do not care what tribe they are. But I do care about the tribalism Hakainde is practising. He thinks voters are stupid.
Vote wisely I’m 2026.
Some leaders are a very big dissapointment, instead of using logic on national matters, they use emotions. Which law requires the president to declare his assets while in office or every year which president HH should use? So Mr. Kalaba wants the president to act outside the law just please him but he will be the first one to cry foul if the president acts outside the law on other issues that Mr. Kalaba may not like. Can these opposition leaders be serious and speak things that can inspire people to vote for them because so far none of them say anything that can inspire at all.
“Can these opposition leaders be serious and speak things that can inspire people to vote for them because so far none of them say anything that can inspire at all.”
The above statement represents the best description in relation to nearly all opposition parties in Zambia.
B Kalaba, you are saying HH’s dissolution of the ACC board doesnot fool astitute and intelligent Zambians, which by implication includes you.
I would have thought that someone as intelligent as you would not bother appealing to the culprit to make public his assets and liabilities. I was hoping that you would tell Zambians that you are going to test the access to information law by prevailing on the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) to give you the assets and liabilities the President declared as part of the requirements of the electoral process.
And while you are at it, get Mr. Lungu’s details as well and make BOTH public. That is what checks and balances is all about. Just be careful because this is a double edged sword. You might get your UKWA alliance partner Mr. Lungu in maningi trouble by your revelations.
BOTH the President and Mr. Lungu must publicly declare their assets and liabilities so that we know how much Mr. Lungu amassed during his presidency and we can monitor HH.
I never knew Kalaba you are such dull man. You were the first ti resign friend ecl’S government sighting corruption as the main reason for resignation. You have gone to bed with devil you resigned from. Kalaba you a small boy born yesterday finishi mwingatweba imwee? Ata ka kalaba mwaice iwee?
KALABA FOR PRESIDENT
Kalaba is an envious jealous little man who talks without thinking. Not presidential material at all. Him and the other politicians think that mud slinginging HH and accusing him unjustly will get them onto the top seat.
Ba Kalaba, has already missed that chance of becoming the president. Had he joined upnd just after leaving the corrupt PF, no doubt about it, he would have been the president in waiting after HH, manje Pali ko ka pride kalya, e kalebashupa fye. Right now he is busy condemning HH but he left PF because of corruption and is sleeping with the same corrupt PF.