Accountability
CREATE CHAMPIONS IN MILLY BEAUTY, BOKANI SOKO & OTHERS
Neque porro quisquam est, qui dolorem ipsum quia dolor sit amet, consectetur, adipisci velit, sed quia non numquam eius modi.
Repost
CREATE CHAMPIONS IN MILLY BEAUTY, BOKANI SOKO & OTHERS
The Candidates’ Comment
The arrest of Miriam Namusokwe known as Milly Beauty by a combined team of Zambia Medicines Regulatory Authority (ZAMRA) and Police stinks of the worst form of suppression of a local entrepreneur who is making a difference in our society today. While Miriam is being arrested, there are several Lebanese, Chinese and Indians who doing the exact things she is doing but no one is arresting them.
Miriam has been doing her business for a very long time but she was not arrested. Why has she been arrested today? Where were these law enforcement agencies all this while, for them to arrest Miriam today, if at all whatever she is doing is illegal?
Of course we know that there are corrupt bandits at ZAMRA who have been blackmailing Miriam in an attempt to extort money from her. These institutions are run by crooked hungry hyenas whose loyalty lies to their stomach above their moral and service obligations. It is not difficult to tell that Miriam’s arrest has nothing to do with engaging in any illegal business but has everything to do with crooks who have been blackmailing her.
This is yet another classical reason why we do not have local champions in Zambia. Whenever a Zambian is seen progressing, we are quick to search for flaws in what they do, in order to use them to kill such an entrepreneur. If the search yields nothing strange, we create something against such people until we ensure that their businesses are grounded. If a Zambian national acquires a contract in government, we are quick to establish rudiments of corruption and we call them corrupt.
Ironically, we heavily support and celebrate foreigners in whatever they do. In fact, we even support such even when they do illegal things which violate our values and laws.
Look at the cruel antagonism people have directed towards a local entrepreneur Stephen Mulenga Mikalile for lending the Zambian Government $300 million. If it was a white man who is not Zambian, we wouldn’t scream blue murder about this but since it is a Zambian, we are quick to antagonize him. Yet, Mikalile has legitimately built his businesses and wealth right from his University of Zambia days when he bought second hand shoes from Soweto and re-sold them to his mates at a profit.
Look at the hate Zambians have directed against Bokani Soko when one if his companies Grandview supplied 42 fire trucks to the government. Zambians were quick to clothe this contract corrupt and spread a false narrative that Grandview was awarded the contract despite being the highest bidder when in fact not. Grandview was not the highest bidder. Grandview’s bid was US$42 million. There was a bid by a United Kingdom (UK)-based company known as Albion Export Services Limited for US$49.5 million. If a United Kingdom (UK)-based company Albion Export Services Limited whose bid was US$49.5 million was given this contract, no one would have raised corruption issues because we seem to believe that a Zambian does not deserve to do business and achieve excellence.
This same Bokani Soko whom you want to bring down won a contract in Malawi worth US$D 2.2 million for the supply of 35 ambulances in that country. If this was Zambia, we would have said the contract was awarded corruptly because we love to see local champions downs. Yet, no one is interested to know the real story of Bokani and how he became who he is. No one is interested to know about the cold days when he slept at Intercity because he had nowhere to go. No one wants to learn about that entire struggle.
Today, a number of foreign entities are getting all sorts of contracts from government because we do not want our own people to achieve excellence.
Perhaps, that is why James Ndambo – the big boy who hired Congolese artist Fally Ipupa to go sing for him at his private residence in Choma – does not do any businesses in Zambia. If James was doing any business in Zambia, we would have said he is corrupt.
We believe – and we know we are not far from the truth that – it is a Zambian thing to see local champions down. Milly Beauty is a victim of our bad attitude and hate towards our own people just like we hate to see Bokani Soko, Mikalile and all other local champions achieve excellence.
While we are like this, it is the people of Nigerian and its government who made Dangote to be who he is. It is the people of South Africa who made Patrice Matsope who he is. Why can’t we produce our own champion in Bokani Soko, in Mikalile or in Milly Beauty and all other local champions?