Chiluba’s Acquittal
Jubilee Centre September 1st, 2009
There is something wrong with the way the justice system works in Zambia. How do you prosecute a theft case of $500,000 for eight years? Justice is not being served in our nation. We just heard of similar cases in UK of British MPs who were abusing parliamentary privileges. Their cases took weeks and those who were found wanting paid back what they took while others resigned their positions. Restitution has been achieved, forgiveness has taken place, and the country is moving forward.
We have argued in the past that we should have adopted the South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) model to address corrupt activities of the Chiluba and Kaunda era. The TRC model would have been swifter, cheaper and would have provided room for reconciliation, restitution, and redemption. The route we took has moved us back to despotism and has exposed little about the alleged crimes.
No ordinary Zambian can argue that our country’s suffering is not largely due to the plundering of our resources by our leaders. One has just to look at how the life styles of individuals and their immediate families change after they join politics. This group regards political power as their prerogative and government as their property. Can’t you see how this group provides for itself? The government pays for all their funeral expenses. The government builds them houses. It buys them television sets, vehicles, and refrigerators while paying for the education of their children.
If we had adopted the TRC model, it would have provided for the accused to make full disclosure of all the relevant facts related to the offense for which official pardon was being sought. It would also have provided for ordinary citizens to give testimonies of corrupt activities by the leaders knowing very well that they would be protected by the system. The TRC model would have helped bring healing to a deeply divided nation and would have moved our country forward with honesty and compassion. Lessons from the TRC model would have provided input to the National Constitution Conference on the use of excessive power by leaders.
As Christians, our concern is not so much as to whether the law was applied properly, but as to whether justice was served. When justice is served there is reconciliation, restoration, and redemption. Sadly none of these have been achieved in this case. We are back to ground zero. The ordinary Zambian taxpayer and the donor community have nothing to show for all the millions of dollars paid to private prosecutors in Zambia and London. Solomon prayed for wisdom in view of the great task that confronted him. We too need leaders whose wisdom is not a self-serving kind but one that starts with the fear of the Lord. If this wisdom, which comes from above, is present, our leaders will rule with justice, compassion, and care and they will be models of integrity, honesty and transparency.
Lawrence Temfwe
