Levy denounces Musa
Levy denounces MusaBy Brighton Phiri
Sunday June 03, 2007 [04:00]
PRESIDENT Levy Mwanawasa yesterday denounced Oasis Forum spokesperson Musa Mwenye for disclosing their private conversation to the press. President Mwanawasa accused Mwenye of behaving like a lying witness in court during their conversation on the constitution-review process.
And Mwenye has challenged President Mwanawasa to publish transcripts of their discussion in order for Zambians to know the truth. Speaking before his departure for London where he is expected to attend the Africa Economic Summit, President Mwanawasa said if the Oasis Forum wanted to discuss constitution issues with him, it should avoid attracting public attention.
"If they have a point to make and make it publicly, they must be prepared to defend it publicly. When I spoke to Mr Mwenye during part of our discussion, he sounded like a lying witness who had been called in court. People should be able to discuss confidently on the position they had taken and when they are confronted they should not be apologetic about the position they have taken," he said.
President Mwanawasa said he was disappointed with Mwenye's decision to rush to the media after their telephone discussion. "I had a discussion with Mr Musa Mwenye on the Constitution. I telephoned him, this was in my efforts to demonstrate that I am capable of dialoguing. But it seems when I dialogue, I am criticised and when I don't dialogue I am also criticised. I am in a no win situation," President Mwanawasa said.
"We agreed with Mr Mwenye that he should tell me how the constitution-review process should proceed. I wanted him to give me his views as a lawyer to lawyer. We discussed and he was not satisfactory in his contributions."
President Mwanawasa said at the end of their conversation, he agreed with Mwenye to keep their discussion away from the public. "At the end of our discussion we agreed in the spirit of dialogue, we should keep our discussion from the public attention. He indicated yes, but that he would brief the executive committee of the Forum," he said.
President Mwanawasa said he dictated a 10-page letter to Mwenye to ensure that what they had discussed was understood correctly.
"So I thought I should confirm in writing what we had discussed, lest I am misunderstood. So I immediately picked up my dictaphone and dictated a 10-page letter to Mr Mwenye," he said.
President Mwanawasa disclosed that he telephoned Mwenye around 10:00 hours and that Mwenye told him that he was not ready and promised to call him later.
"He did not ring and I was compelled to ring him around 18:30 hours and continued with our discussions until 19: 30 hours. Now instead of keeping our discussion to himself and the Oasis Forum, he went straight away to The Post. That was 19:30 when we finished our discussion and for The Post to report this conversation, it means Mr. Mwenye rushed to The Post immediately," President Mwanawasa said.
"Now in my reply yesterday, I indicated that I was not going to send a copy of that letter to The Post, but if he wanted to write The Post and send the letter, he was free to do so. Now, when I woke up this morning, I saw a headline in The Post on Oasis Forum and they were quoting Mr Mwenye. Now I have decided that the letter, which I wrote to Oasis Forum, should be released to the press. I have instructed Mr Musukuma to release the letter to the press."
But Mwenye challenged President Mwanawasa to publish transcripts of their discussion in order for Zambians to know the truth.
"If President Mwanawasa may recall, I held him for a minute and told him that I shall share what we had discussed with my colleagues in the Oasis Forum. He said it was not good but I told him that he telephoned me in my capacity as Oasis Forum spokesperson and as such it was important to brief the conveners of the Oasis Forum," Mwenye said. "I confirmed talking to him because the matter was of public interest. And I was mindful of the fact that President Mwanawasa is in the habit of revealing secrets."
Mwenye said he restated the Oasis Forum's position that the new constitution should be adopted through a constituent assembly.
"I was categorical with President Mwanawasa that he must do the right thing for Zambians. I told President Mwanawasa that he risked losing what he had achieved," Mwenye said.
He dismissed President Mwanawasa's claim that he dictated a 10-page letter to him saying at no time did he dictate any letter to him.
"Assuming that Mwanawasa dictated the same letter, can it take him over one hour to dictate a 10-page letter? This is one of the most deceitful things that I have heard in my life. President Mwanawasa as head of state should conduct himself with dignity," Mwenye said.
Mwenye reminded President Mwanawasa that information minister Mike Mulongoti and his team, who were going round the country, would be made to account for the public resources they were using.
"Government trips are absolutely unnecessary and amounts to abuse of resources," Mwenye said.
President Mwanawasa last Thursday called Mwenye to intimidate him on the constitution-review process.
Mwenye confirmed that President Mwanawasa phoned him around 12:00 hours and started interrogating him on the statements he had been issuing in the media, saying that the Oasis Forum would continue fighting for the will and aspirations of people until a new constitution was enacted.
Meanwhile, President Mwanawasa said Zambia was bound to benefit from the Africa Economic Summit, as he would use the opportunity to attract potential investors.
President Mwanawasa said he would table before the summit some challenges faced by the country and its corruption crusade.
"I will talk about our anti-corruption crusade and how important it is for a country to deal with corruption in order to develop. I will say we are indeed gratified by certain pronouncements about corruption and indeed to show that a lot of money has been lost to causes that do not benefit the people. I will also talk about the poverty situation," he said.
President Mwanawasa disclosed that the government was monitoring the discussions on the production of bio-fuel from plants such as jatropha.
He said his government declined to offer 10,000 hectares of land to an investor in Mpika because of the potential of mass degradation and displacement of indigenous people.
President Mwanawasa quoted the UN panel discussion paper that stated that indigenous people were being pushed off their land to make way for an expansion of bio-fuel crops around the world and threatening to destroy their cultures by forcing them into big cities.
"In its first major report on bio-fuels last week, however, the UN warned that the benefits of the alternative energy source may be offset by serious environmental problems and increased food prices for poor people in the developing world," read the report in part.
According to the report, many bio-fuel crops require the best land to grow, divert food crops and cause prices for staples such as maize and sugar to rise.
The report further states that the bio-fuel crops demand large amounts of water and environment-damaging chemical fertilisers.
Labels: BIOFUELS, MWANAWASA, OASIS FORUM
posted by MrK @ 9:33 PM
1 Comments:
" According to the report, many bio-fuel crops require the best land to grow, divert food crops and cause prices for staples such as maize and sugar to rise. The report further states that the bio-fuel crops demand large amounts of water and environment-damaging chemical fertilisers. "
Zambia has plenty of land, and plenty of water. Of course, hemp can be grown with barely any fertilizer at all. Plus, fertilizer and pesticides do not need to be chemical at all. There are plenty of organic fertilizers (worm castings and worm teas, guano and guano teas, compost teas), organic growing methods (intercropping of nitrogen fixing green manure crops like legumes), and other methods that add to the soil, instead of taking away from it. And on farm water catchment is extremely important too.
But maybe this is how agriculture in Zambia is being done by the corporations and 'commercial farmers'. Lots of chemical pesticides. But don't claim that this is how it always has to be.
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home