‘DISGRACED’ MABUMBA – A POLITICAL ‘LIABILITY’

‘lacked political importance’

By Mabvuto Phiri

It seems as the country adjusts to living under the new normal, we have normalized the failure to account for public resources at the expense of private fulfillment.

This is where I feel that there is something fundamentally wrong in this country. Is it not baffling that an individual whose personal activities but serving as a Minister of Education, David Mabumba has been shown the exit door while those who fail to account for the source of their wealth are still roaming the corridors of power with impunity?

Are we serious as a nation? That private matters done between two people can attract a whip while the public coffers continue to be mutilated without the attention of the whip-crackers?

As much as l personally agree that issues of pornography and corrupt morals surround videos such as one involving the disgraced former Minister are in public domain, l however, find it ironic that a high profile official accused of stealing public resources is shielded on the ‘presumption of innocence until proven guilty.’

Since it’s a moral issue, allow me to remind the nation that every year, the President addresses Parliament on the Application of National Values and Principles, are these the results of these addresses?

Not long ago, Honourable Lawrence Sichalwe was a distributor of obscene materials on social media platform contrary to the laws of Zambia and although he was not an architect of the purported content, nothing has ever been done even by the police or any law enforcement agency. This is truly a ‘mockery of justice.’

Therefore, is Hon. Mabumba a sacred cow or sacrificial lamb? With that presidential reaction at supersonic speed in dealing with Hon. Mabumba, I am now made to conclude that the fired minister had no ‘political significance.’ Hon. Mabumba never showed caderism type of leadership throughout his tenure, which saw the reduction of school fees and expansion of schools among other successes. He has never uttered any tribal remarks to any tribe like those others who are untouchable.

Honourable Mabumba did not need disciplinary action but counselling from his leader President Lungu. Bwana Mkubwa’s Doctor Jonas Chanda, the new appointee at the Ministry of Water Development, Sanitation and Environmental Protection is also equally an embattled and soiled character whose private conversations involving a lover allegedly emerged last year online. So how different is he from Mabumba?

Now it seems they just wanted to get rid of him and seemingly his fate was sealed by the Presidency through Wednesday’s action.

In biblical times, David was the anointed King of Israel, in whose root Christ was actually born, yet he committed the most terrible sin.

Living in the ‘new normal’ indeed.

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