Maravi

VJ's mission to DRC is suspect - Miyanda

VJ's mission to DRC is suspect - Miyanda
By Brighton Phiri
Wednesday April 11, 2007 [04:00]

THE appointment of Mwaanga as President Mwanawasa’s special envoy to President Joseph Kabila is suspect, Heritage Party president Brigadier General Godfrey Miyanda has said. Commenting on information minister Vernon Mwaanga's visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) recently as well as on Mwaanga and Attorney General Mumba Malila's subsequent conflicting statements on Katanga governor Moses Katumbi, Brig Gen Miyanda said both Malila and Mwaanga's statements confirmed a pattern of potential cover-up by the MMD government.

"Once again I cannot resist to comment on a matter of public interest regarding conflicting pronouncements emanating from the Zambian government. It would appear that government has permanently adopted the policy of hide and seek with the public. This is because the government knows that the public are not privy to a lot of information," he said. "This is the reason why all concerned and genuine Zambians should put on their boxing gloves because they have been taken for granted."

Brig Gen Miyanda said government officials were in the habit of misconduct because they knew that no matter how much they misbehaved, Zambians would continue singing praises for the very people who were abusing their assets. Brig Gen Miyanda said Zambians should recall that soon after the MMD came into power in 1991, a foreign national Issa Galedou was deported after threatening to expose some MMD senior officials for not honouring certain undertakings to him.

"Dressed only in shorts, Galedou was deported...The Zambia Intelligence Security Services (ZISS) have records of those named by Galedou if they have not destroyed those records," he said. "And soon after the 2001 presidential elections, Mr Moses Katumbi, owner of Chani Fisheries, was threatened and abruptly left the country in a similar fashion like former ZISS director general Xavier Chungu."

He said it was high time Zambians demanded for the truth on the Katumbi saga. Brig Gen Miyanda wondered why Malila denied the existence of Katumbi's claims when the matter was on records at the Ministry of Finance, Attorney General's office and the Supreme Court of Zambia.

He said the genesis of Katumbi's claim was that in 2001, the Zambian government entered into a contract with Chani Fisheries for the distribution of maize and cheap mealie meal to the Zambian public.

"At the time, the maize prices were ranging between K37,000 and K40,000. Chani Fisheries was to reduce this price to K15,000 for a 25kg bag of mealie meal. There are records showing that government paid three installments under this contract as advance payments.

The first installment paid around June/July was K2.5 billion, the second paid to a South African based company Southern Pacific amounting to US$2,267,000. We all know that Southern Pacific had business links with Chani Fisheries. And the third installment was paid directly to Chani Fisheries's account in December, 2001 for the local purchase of maize," Brig Gen Miyanda said.

"If the Attorney General has forgotten or not accessed the records at the Ministry of Finance, at least his office has access to presidential petition case records which reveals details and documents in the maize saga."

Brig Gen Miyanda said the manner in which Mwaanga's statement was handled in the House invited a lot of questions.

"The Right Honourable Speaker is very meticulous and thorough to a point of almost being regimental. But on that day after calling on Mr Mwaanga to give a ministerial statement, following a very well put point of order by Honourable Peter Machungwa, the Speaker didn't allow MPs to ask points of clarification...what happened? Was this an oversight? Or the Speaker decided to let Mr Mwaanga off the hook? If the Speaker had allowed points of clarification, Mr Mwaanga's lies could have been exposed instantly by the House," he said.

He wondered why the Speaker rushed to challenge the media to give Mwaanga's statement wide coverage and almost accused The Post of publishing a false article.

"How does the Speaker feel, now that more revelation on Mr. Mwaanga's trip is coming out?" he asked. "With due respect, the Speaker should be slow to appear to be taking the side of the government."

Brig Gen Miyanda questioned the criteria for Mwaanga's choice as special emissary to President Kabila.

He said given Mwaanga's background, Zambians had the right to question President Mwanawasa's choice of his emissary.
He said it was interesting that The Post newspaper, in its anxiety to defend itself, had in its possession the video on Mwaanga's trip to DRC.

"Lest Zambians have forgotten, there is or there are supposed to be at ZNBC studios another video showing the genesis of the Chani Fisheries maize saga.

The video shows the MMD public rally in Kitwe, which was attended by among other former president Chiluba, President Mwanawasa and top MMD leaders," Brig. Gen. Miyanda said. "This was a campaign rally where president Chiluba introduced the incumbent President as MMD candidate. The video was produced as exhibit P27 in the presidential petition."

Brig Gen Miyanda said the video showed Chiluba addressing the gathering on the issue of millers and announcing that he was going to engage Paul Steele and Katumbi to bring into the country cheap mealie meal.

"How then can the government deny the initial truth told by Mr Mwaanga in DRC that government owe Mr Katumbi money for the maize contract?" he asked.

Labels: GENERAL MIYANDA, VERNON MWAANGA

posted by MrK @ 5:10 AM