Katele should be removed from chairing ZCID - Sata
Katele should be removed from chairing ZCID - SataBy Brighton Phiri
Tuesday July 03, 2007 [04:00]
PATRIOTIC Front (PF) president Michael Sata has insisted that ruling MMD national secretary Katele Kalumba should be removed from his position as Zambia Centre for Inter-Party Dialogue (ZCID) chairperson. And Sata has said that President Levy Mwanawasa should brace himself for more humiliation and embarrassment if he continues to undermine the wishes of Zambians over the constitution making process.
Sata disclosed yesterday that the PF had directed its newly appointed representative at ZCID, Given Lubinda, to challenge the election of Kalumba as ZCID board chairperson.
Sata said PF as a stakeholder in ZCID would fight until a neutral person was given the task of bringing together all the stakeholders on the constitution making process and not Kalumba.
"We need a neutral and eminent person who can bring the Oasis Forum, other civil society groups and politicians together and resolve our differences, and not Katele Kalumba," Sata said.
"It is against this background that we are demanding for a neutral person to chair the ZCID deliberations. We have nothing against Katele Kalumba as a person, but we are against MMD's corrupt way of running the affairs of the country."
On Saturday, ZCID spokesperson Newton Ng'uni said the board of the centre met last week on Wednesday and unanimously resolved to maintain Kalumba as its chairperson.
Ng'uni said Kalumba was not guilty of any corruption charges he was facing in the courts of law and that he had not done anything wrong to warrant his removal from his position.
He warned Sata to stop 'insulting' ZCID board members.
And reacting to President Mwanawasa's statement that he was saddened with Sata's intention to embarrass him during the launch of the ZCID last week, Sata said President Mwanawasa should allow Zambians to cross-examine him on his proposal for a constitution conference if he must avoid being embarrassed and humiliated publicly.
"Mwanawasa can still avoid being embarrassed by providing answers to all the questions surrounding his proposed constitutional conference," Sata said.
"Mr. Mwanawasa should not be scared of being embarrassed if he means well on his proposal."
Sata said his party was keen to cross-examine President Mwanawasa over his proposed constitution conference.
"It was not right for the other parties to celebrate after Mr. Mwanawasa made his proposal because we need to have more details of the constitutional conference. We missed an opportunity to cross-examine President Mwanawasa on his proposal," Sata said.
"Remember this is the first time Mr. Mwanawasa has come out in the open to commit himself to the constitution-making process."
He said it was high time President Mwanawasa took an active role in reducing tension in the country.
Sata reminded President Mwanawasa that the British colonialists' arrogance brought the Cha Cha Cha uprising and that Dr Kenneth Kaunda's stubbornness yielded countrywide food riots.
He said it was wrong for President Mwanawasa to think he would achieve much by using politicians to drive the constitution-making process.
Last week, Sata disclosed that he wanted to embarrass President Mwanawasa during the official launch of ZCID, had the organisers of the event allowed him to speak.
In response, President Mwanawasa said Sata was free to attack him, but reminded him that he (the President) would be irrelevant in 2011 as he would just be a voter.
Sata said politicians should accept to be ruled and guided by people without political interest if they were serious in their service to the people.
"It is a storm in a teacup...if our colleagues see it the way we see it, we shall achieve a lot in reducing tension in the country," Sata said.
"Zambia is not short of eminent persons to guide politicians."
Sata said any action by the politicians that went against the wishes of the people risked being defeated by the people, who were in the majority.
He said politicians should not cheat themselves that they could easily hijack a people-driven constitution-making process.
"We politicians, in time immemorial, have not recorded any success in liberating the people...it is the people themselves that have fought battles and defeated their enemies," Sata said.
"We should not bury our heads in the sand and cheat ourselves that we can dribble the people on the constitution-making process."
Labels: GIVEN LUBINDA, KATELE KALUMBA, PF, SATA, ZCID
posted by MrK @ 3:56 AM
3 Comments:
"Zambia is not short of eminent persons to guide politicians."
In many ways Mr. Sata is right but why can't others see it that way. Sata may not be everybodies cup of tea but in this particular case he has a point which should have and should be clear to all right minded people.
Perhaps I am missing something somewhere and I'd appreciate some guidance.
The first time I read about Sata's pull-out, I was alarmed and disappointed, but when one looks at the way the whole process is being manipulated one cannot help siding with Sata. Sata's intellegence "machinery" must be very active and effective. This man must have gotten wind of MMD's machination long before anyone, not even the "Post" which explains why he was itching to "embarass Levy". Katele Kalumba lacks the integrity to sit on the Forum tracing the road map on The adoption of the Zambian Constitution. We are talking about the Republican Constitution here and not some mini-funfair fund raising committee. Katele is still being probbed and hasn't yet been cleared of theft charges brought against him by the government. Zambia has a hive of intellectuals of high integrity to chair this important "Constitutional Conference". Katele's inclusion is highly unconstitutional! For once I concur with Sata's sentiments but disappointed with his total or is it partial pull-out!
Talking about integrity a scandal ridden politician was recently nominated Super Minister by the French President Nicolas Sarkozy to the disgust of many concerned citizens. This was long before the elections and some of you know what happened. The people simplified the embarassing task of the President by voting the said-minister out of office. He had no choice but to give up his ministerial appointment and government ranking. Before elections he ascended to N° 3 in the government, a real supersonic ascention but the ordinary people brought him down to a thundering crush through the ballot box! Katele will be silenced by his masters, the ordinary people of Zambia!
slm
"Zambia is not short of eminent persons to guide politicians."
In many ways Mr. Sata is right but why can't others see it that way. Sata may not be everybodies cup of tea but in this particular case he has a point which should have and should be clear to all right minded people.
Perhaps I am missing something somewhere and I'd appreciate some guidance.
I too think that there is no reason to limit the constitution making process to government and opposition politicians. Is this why Sata dropped out?
He is also right - there seems to be a dearth of thinktanks, professional advisors, etc. when it comes to politicians.
There is so much that could be done, if only the top ranking politicians could get a-political, professional advice from highly experienced professionals.
And I do just mean advice, because if they themselves don't know how to sift good advice from bad, we might as well let some Platonic elite run the country.
But that is always the dilemma - how much influence should advisors have, as opposed to the elected representatives who rely on their opinions.
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