TRANSPARENCY International Zambia (TI-Z) has challenged the new dawn government to put their pronouncements on the fight against corruption into action, saying enough rhetoric has been made.

In an interview, Wednesday, TI-Z executive director Maurice Nyambe said Cabinet Ministers’ failure to fully comply with the parliamentary and ministerial code of conduct Act on the declaration of assets and liabilities was something which people did not expect the new administration to struggle with.

“There is no doubt that the fight against corruption in these first few months of the UPND administration has appeared to be haphazard and lacking a proper direction. The fact that we have not seen much in terms of results is something that has also given rise to doubts about the efficacy of the UPND administration’s approach to fighting corruption. Unfortunately, the UPND appears not to have harvested even the low hanging fruits that are available,” Nyambe said.

“For example, the failure of cabinet Ministers to fully adhere to the provisions of the Parliamentary and Ministerial Code of Conduct Act vis-a-vis asset and liability declarations was something that we did not expect the new administration to struggle with, and is a low hanging fruit that they have failed to harvest. While many pronouncements about commitment to the fight against corruption have continued to be made by the administration, TI-Z is of the view that enough rhetoric has been made and the time has come for the country to see action.”

Nyambe challenged the government to put their pronouncements on the anti-corruption fight into action.

“We commend President Hichilema for the appointment of Mr Musa Mwenye SC as chairperson of the Anti Corruption Commission (ACC), as well as other capable individuals such as Constitutional Lawyer Dr Obrien Kaaba to serve as Commissioners, because we believe it will give greater impetus to the fight against corruption. However, we urge the UPND administration to go beyond these measures to give real support to the ACC. For example, the ACC has been struggling with the issue of inadequate resources for a long time now, and our expectation is that the new regime will take practical measures to address this and other challenges,” said Nyambe.

“In effect, we are challenging the government to put their pronouncements on the anti-corruption fight into action. We continue to urge the UPND regime to develop and start implementing a comprehensive country strategy to provide direction and a basis for the fight against corruption. In the absence of such a strategy, the fight will continue to appear haphazard and lacking in focus, and allegations that it is being used to settle long standing political scores will continue to be made.”