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Explain VJ's DRC trip, Machungwa asks Levy

Explain VJ's DRC trip, Machungwa asks Levy
By George Chellah
Tuesday April 10, 2007 [04:00]

Luapula PF member of parliament Peter Machungwa (in white T-shirt and glases) watching VJ's video footage at Post Newspapers' offices yesterday. From Machungwa's far (r) is reporter George Chellah, Post managing editor Amos Malupenga and Post IT specialist Andrew Chiwenda - Picture by Abel Mambwe

LUAPULA PF member of parliament Peter Machungwa yesterday asked President Mwanawasa to state whether or not chief government spokesperson Vernon Mwaanga's statement on Moses Katumbi was the message he sent him to deliver to DRC President Joseph Kabila as his special envoy.

And Machungwa said Mwaanga's case was a serious matter for Parliament to take up because it was obvious that he lied to the House.
Commenting on the latest revelations over Mwaanga's recent trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Machungwa - who raised the point of order in Parliament over the same matter last week - challenged President Mwanawasa to tell the nation the truth on the matter.

"I think we have a serious problem here. Honourable Mwaanga travelled to the DRC as a special envoy of President Mwanawasa. VJ is one of the most experienced and seasoned diplomats this country has produced. So for him to go and speak like this means something," Machungwa said. "Maybe there is something President Mwanawasa is not telling us. Unless the President says VJ, for reasons unknown to him, went and spoke in this manner. Just recently the Vice-President confirmed that the Task Force are still interested in him (Katumbi). He said if he was to come to Zambia they would arrest him. So is this the mandate President Mwanawasa gave VJ to go and mislead Moses Katumbi?"

Machungwa insisted that President Mwanawasa should tell the nation the truth over Mwaanga's trip. "This is extremely unfortunate and as Parliament and Zambians, we need to know what's behind this since VJ travelled as a special envoy of the President. Maybe that's the message the President gave him to deliver," Machungwa said. "This is extremely serious because VJ is in government, he travelled as a special envoy and he is the chief government spokesperson and also the chief whip so what he says carries a lot of weight."

Machungwa wondered whether Mwaanga's statement was part of the strategy in the fight against corruption.

"We want to know... so that we know that some cases in this fight on corruption, if it's decided for political expedience others may be dropped because they are powerful and the like. We need to know," Machungwa said. "Maybe let us wait and see what transpires."

On Mwaanga's address to Parliament over the matter last week, Machungwa described it as unfortunate. "This is a serious matter. Under Cap 12 of the Act under which we operate as members of parliament, you can't deliberately mislead or give falsehoods. I have seen and listened to the video and the questions he was asked, what his answers were and what he presented to Parliament and the questions he doctored," Machungwa said. "It is obvious and clear that VJ was not telling the truth, that's a serious matter for Parliament to take up. VJ is currently one of the longest serving members of parliament and he should know better."

Mwaanga has denied saying that the Zambian government owes DRC's Katanga Province governor Moses Katumbi US$7million for the maize he supplied in 2001. He claims that his statement was distorted.

But according to the video transcript obtained by The Post, Mwaanga in no uncertain terms stated that the Zambian government has nothing against Katumbi. He said all he knew was that Katumbi had sued the Zambian government for the US$7 million owed to him for the maize he supplied in 2001.

Mwaanga further advised the Congolese people never to pay attention to what is published in The Post because the newspaper fabricated and exaggerated issues just to strain the good relationship currently obtaining between the DRC and Zambia.
Below is part of the video transcript of Mwaanga's interview with journalists in Lubumbashi.
Question in French:...

Translation:...

Answer: It is unthinkable for us as Zambian government to consider a distinguished and senior member of the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo as criminal...that is totally out of the question. The Zambian press and particularly the private press...

Question: Especially the newspaper called The Post...

Answer: The Post is a private newspaper. I would like to urge you not to read too much into what The Post says because when it reports on these issues there is an element of exaggeration. There is an element of blowing issues out of proportion with a view of creating misunderstandings between us and the government of Congo. Governor Katumbi is a senior member of the government of President Kabila and the two governments enjoy very warm relations of brotherhood and fraternity which have withstood the test of time in the past and I would like to urge you that in the laws of Zambia there is a... the justice system in Zambia is based on the presumption of innocence until proven guilty. As far as government is concerned, there is nothing that I can attribute to governor Katumbi. All I can say is that governor Katumbi has sued the government of Zambia. He is owed money by the government of Zambia and he has sued the government for US$7 million for maize which he supplied to the Zambian government in the year 2001. And this matter is in the courts of law in Zambia as I speak to you now. So I would encourage you not to read too much into what the newspapers are saying. And I can say that with confidence because I am a former editor-in-chief of the Times of Zambia myself. I was editor-in-chief of the Times of Zambia and I am very familiar with newspapers and as Minister of Information and Broadcasting Services and chief government spokesman, I know what happens in the newspaper business and I would invite you not to take too much notice of what appears in the newspapers because there are a lot of exaggerations and distortions.

But this transcript is in sharp contrast with what Mwaanga presented to Parliament last Thursday as the correct version of his interview in the DRC.

Mwaanga's explanation followed a point of order by Machungwa who sought an explanation from government following Mwaanga's statement in DRC to the effect that government owed Katumbi US$7 million.

Labels: DRC, Moses Katumbi, VERNON MWAANGA

posted by MrK @ 3:41 AM