LETTERS - Chiluba, Consumer Protection
Chiluba's threats on HHBy Concerned citizen
Monday May 28, 2007 [04:00]
Please put pressure on the government to act on Judge Smith's judgment. Chiluba is thinking that nothing will happen, and that's why he can even threaten HH with a suit. If the man's appeal in London has been rejected, it means the decision stands and it will have to be executed.
So far the courts in Zambia have shown to be too slow and if we wait, the whole Chiluba issue will just be academic. Chiluba thought he could disregard or belittle English justice, he deluded himself.
Chiluba was excited to learn that the proceedings were so fair, after he read Judge Smith's blasting of Hamunjele. All the judge did was to comment on Hamunjele’s competence and performance, not to dispute facts or to say Hamunjele did not adduce facts before the court. Chiluba's defence would have explained to the court what had transpired. Mind you, they did not need to prove beyond reasonable doubt.
Chiluba thought that the court sessions in England were peanuts. Let him take HH to court tomorrow (Tuesday) and the matter should be heard in the afternoon. Chiluba must attend the court and give evidence and state his ailment.
http://www.postzambia.com/post-read_article.php?articleId=27122
Fight against corruption
By Pepino C Kashishi
Monday May 28, 2007 [04:00]
The sentiments attributed to former president Chiluba’s spokesperson, Emmanuel Mwamba, in the lead story of Wednesday May 23, 2007 are just too annoying not to be commented on even by some of us who had hitherto adopted the “don’t cry over spilt milk” approach to the London High Court ruling confirming the thefts that our former leader committed alone and together with other named persons. Mwamba is challenging that those that had spoken against Dr Chiluba, including The Post, civil society leaders, some top legal brains in the land, high profile personalities like our beloved KK etc, have no representative capacity of the Zambians.
Mwamba goes on to state that there are people who were with Chiluba only that they did not want to be seen siding with him. This is utter nonsense! Let me assure Mwamba that all sane Zambians are annoyed about what has been revealed by the London High Court ruling. No sane Zambian would support a person in whom we had entrusted our entire destiny as a nation stealing on such a scale and in such a manner from the very people that he ruled as has been revealed.
Many Zambians simply have the habit of watching things, even those that are hurting them, from a distance. They prefer to put on an indifferent attitude and carry on with their lives, however miserable such lives are.
Second, The Post is currently the most representative paper in our country. In every town you go, the paper that people wait for and are anxious to get is The Post.
The Post truly represents the people’s feelings and aspirations. It also inspires us in that it speaks for the silent masses. The Post has also fought many battles on behalf of Zambians including exposing the murk that existed under the Chiluba government which inevitably spilt over into the Mwanawasa government and which is still eating away at the core of our society, especially that the fight against corruption is being waged in a lopsided manner, selectively and with no consistency.
How I wish Mwanawasa could listen more and accept what the people were saying on the fight against corruption and the constitution-making process which are interlinked in a way.
The only people that may side with our former president can fall under the following categories:
Those that were either ‘eating’ with him and/or were stealing with him. And there are quite a number among the influential figures in the country, some still in the corridors of power and others pretending to struggle for the Zambian people in some opposition parties;
The naive. These are in the majority. Due to high levels of illiteracy in the country, many Zambians have simply not understood or they simply do not know what has happened. This is the type that is easily misled and this is the one Chiluba and his spokesperson aim to confuse in their unfortunate reactions to the London ruling. This is the type that is easily manipulated and deceived at every general election we have held in the recent past.
I can assure Mwamba that apart from these groups, I find it difficult, if not impossible for any sane Zambian to side with our former president on the thefts that have been revealed. And mind you, there are many more of such cases not on board yet, including those relating to abuse of office and corruption, the latest being the vulture funds saga whose details we are yet to know.
The only way forward in this case is to allow the full circle of judicial process to take its course. In this way, our society will try to cleanse itself of this past, the lost decade of the Chiluba regime.
http://www.postzambia.com/post-read_article.php?articleId=27085
Let's protect consumers
By Muyoyeta Simasiku
Sunday May 27, 2007 [04:00]
The reported case of Rhoda Nsama of the Patriotic Front (PF) taking Spar Arcades Supermarket management to task for allegedly selling expired foodstuffs is a sad testimony that our consumer protection watchdogs have gone into a slumber. I would like to praise Rhoda and her team from the PF for their gallant courage to confront the management of Spar in the interest of consumers. But why should it take members from a political party to act?
Where are the consumer protection organisations such as the Zambia Consumers Association (ZACA), Zambia Competition Commission (ZCC) or the local council themselves? Have they gone to sleep, waiting for consumers to report such cases? It is their duty to investigate and discover such cases in order to protect the unsuspecting consumers.
I reported South African Airways to the Zambia Competition Commission for denying me my confirmed flight because they overbooked passengers by 10 per cent, and then arrogantly refusing to even just pay for my accommodation. I missed my scheduled flight and reported late for work, thus putting my job in jeopardy. It's been a month now since I reported them to ZCC but up to now I haven't heard from them regarding the progress of their investigations, if at all, they followed the issue up.
We are doomed as consumers if we cannot be protected by organisations assigned with the responsibility of protecting us. We all know that all these businesses around have only one interest: to make money and huge profits by any means necessary even if it means killing someone with food poisoning.
Spar Supermarket have risked many lives of innocent Zambians.
It's high time we showed seriousness with the value of people's lives. Hard evidence is already there, please move in and protect Zambians from the negligence of Spar supermarket and others.
http://www.postzambia.com/post-read_article.php?articleId=27125
Levy's successor
By Concerned Citizens
Monday May 28, 2007 [04:00]
In reference to Laura Miti-Banda's article in The Post dated 26th May 2007, in regard to Mwanawasa's successor, we agree with her opinion that in MMD the people who have intentions to take over from President Levy Patrick Mwanawasa, are referred to as incompetent dead wood, or not credible.
As responsible citizens, we urge President Mwanawasa, as Laura Miti Banda puts it, if possible to look far away from MMD for his successor who without doubt have proved themselves worthy of public office.
posted by MrK @ 3:22 PM
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