Zambians have not misunderstood Mwanawasa’s threats – Miyanda

Zambians have not misunderstood Mwanawasa’s threats – Miyanda
By Brighton Phiri
Sunday October 14, 2007 [04:00]

ZAMBIANS have not misunderstood President Levy Mwanawasa's threats, Heritage Party president Brigadier General Godfrey Miyanda said yesterday. And Chikondo Foundation president Bishop John Mambo said President Mwanawasa's threats were against the spirit of give and take, which was necessary in the constitution-making process.

Reacting to information minister Mike Mulongoti and Attorney General Mumba Malila's statements that President Mwanawasa's statement at the airport was exaggerated and misunderstood, Brig Gen Miyanda asked President Mwanawasa to apologise for his outburst instead of using his officials to clarify his statement.

"Zambians are not so dull that President Mwanawasa's minister and Attorney General can be imagining that they did not hear or see President Mwanawasa speak at the airport," he said. "At this stage, it is wrong for anyone to clarify President Mwanawasa's statement rather than Mr. Mwanawasa himself."

He said President Mwanawasa's angry statement suggested that some could have misinformed him about what was happening while he was away.

"I do not remember any individual, political party, or NGO that can be classified as having said what these two government officials are using as an excuse to justify Mr. Mwanawasa's outburst at the airport," he said.

Brig Gen Miyanda said Zambians should remember that the honour bestowed on President Mwanawasa in the United States of America was a joyous event and that he was expected to enjoy with them upon his arrival.

"Instead he launched a vicious attack on the imaginary offenders. I think the two government officials who are speaking are merely covering up for a serious blunder by the President," he said.

"This outburst, however, has confirmed why some of us are worried about the way some provisions in the NCC Act are framed. For example, he boasted that he has powers to dissolve the NCC.

Why haven't his ministers clarified this very threatening statement which confirmed that he is ready to use his emotions as the basis for dissolving the NCC?"

Brig Gen Miyanda said if the government had realised that President Mwanawasa's statement was in bad taste, they should offer an apology instead of pretending that all Zambians who heard the statement were either dull or not intelligent enough to understand it. He wondered why the government had kept quiet on President Mwanawasa's threats that all those not in agreement with him on the NCC should not walk the streets of Zambia.

"Why haven't they clarified this? Are they simply supporting it?" he asked. "How can Zambians go to a conference while these threats have increased? How can my fellow Christians keep quiet and keep on praising Mr. Mwanawasa with his statement?"

Brig Gen Miyanda said President Mwanawasa's threats were a deliberate government strategy to intimidate the people so that they should not speak freely at the NCC.

Bishop Mambo said President Mwanawasa's statement at the airport was in bad taste.

"I do not think that is the best we can hear from President Mwanawasa. I do not think that his threats give us the spirit of give and take," Bishop Mambo said.

"We must remember that we succeeded at Cathedral of the Holy Cross in 1991 because there was the spirit of give and take by both Dr Kenneth Kaunda and Dr Chiluba led groups, which President Mwanawasa was party to. We are known to be a peaceful nation. One General once said even in times of war we must live in peace."
He said there was no constitution or law, which was not subject to criticism.

Bishop Mambo said treason was not the best weapon to resolve the current differences over the constitution-making process.
He asked President Mwanawasa to accommodate not only the passengers and those interested in allowances, but also Zambians with divergent views.

"We should not go back to those days when people were rounded up on unfounded treasonable offences," he said.

Bishop Mambo asked the Church to take its stance and lead the way instead of allowing some people to take peace for granted.

Malila on Friday said President Mwanawasa's statement that he would arrest and charge with treason all those daring his government on the constitution-making process, had been misunderstood.

He explained that President Mwanawasa in his statement was referring to people who wanted to cause violence during the constitution-making process and all those wanting to make it difficult for the government to govern and those who wanted to resort to unconstitutional means to change the government.

And Mulongoti said some people had exaggerated President Mwanawasa's statement.

Addressing scores of MMD cadres and government officials at Lusaka International Airport soon after his arrival from London, President Mwanawasa said all those fighting the government over the NCC would be arrested and charged with treason.

President Mwanawasa warned that anyone daring the government over the NCC was committing treason and risked being charged with treason.

"NCC is now law. This law is now embodied, for those who did not know, in the NCC Act. I want those who are daring government to know... those who are still doubting that this is not the law and those who want to fight the government and make governance impossible, that they are committing treason," President Mwanawasa warned.
"I have come back a changed person.

Let me hear no more nonsense bordering on malice, they are going to be arrested and charged with treason and bail is not available to treason."