Maravi

It's impossible to reconcile with KK, says Chiluba

It's impossible to reconcile with KK, says Chiluba
By Brighton Phiri
Sunday February 03, 2008 [03:00]

IT is impossible to reconcile with Dr Kaunda because our differences are based on fundamental beliefs, former president Frederick Chiluba said yesterday. Reacting to veteran politician Aaron Milner's call for him to apologise to the nation before he could reconcile with Dr Kenneth Kaunda, Chiluba - who spoke through his spokesperson Emmanuel Mwamba - refused to succumb to calls for him to apologise over the crimes he is alleged to have committed while in office.

"Dr Kaunda is not my enemy. We have got political differences but there is no bitter hatred between the two of us," Chiluba said. "There is no urgent issue between us that requires reconciliation because our differences are based on fundamental beliefs."
Chiluba said Dr Kaunda portrayed himself as a humanist and socialist while he proclaimed himself as a democrat. He said there was no need to reconcile these two ideologies. Chiluba said

he practices as a born-again Christian without any tolerance to other religion while Dr Kaunda is a traditional Christian who is open to other religions.

“These are fundamental differences. How do you reconcile the two?” he asked.
Chiluba condemned calls for him to be punished for the crimes he committed as outlined in the London High Court judgment because he did not recognise the jurisdiction of the same court.

Chiluba wondered why The Post had continued to call for his incarceration based on the London judgment when he had contested the same judgment. He said The Post must respect his right to his innocence until proven guilty by a competent court. He wondered why there were selective calls for him to apologise for the crimes he committed while in office instead of also asking Dr Kaunda to apologise to the nation for the crimes he committed. He said it was public knowledge that there were serious allegations levelled against Dr Kaunda, himself and President Levy Mwanawasa.

“There are many things that Dr Kaunda did. Remember in 1971 he detained 1,000 people without trial because they wanted to form UPP,” Chiluba said. “He detained Faustina Lombe for four years without trial. There are serious allegations against Dr Kaunda’s regime and yet we have not heard Dr Kaunda apologise for such crimes. We have not even heard the civil society ask Dr Kaunda to apologise instead they are asking Chiluba to do the same. If Dr Chiluba has to apologise, then Dr Kaunda should also be asked to apologise.”

Chiluba said he recognised that The Post had fraternal and brotherly relationship with Dr Kaunda such that the newspaper had been in the forefront of boosting Dr Kaunda’s public image.

“It is expected, each time there are differences between Dr Chiluba and Dr Kaunda, The Post quickly sides with Dr Kaunda’s views,” he said, in an apparent reference to The Post’s Friday editorial comment.

Chiluba said he was reluctant to respond to Dr Kaunda’s statements against him because he regarded him as a founding father of the nation.
And Mwamba confirmed that Milner last year held talks with Chiluba in a bid to reconcile the two former presidents.

Milner, who served as home affairs minister in the UNIP government, disclosed that he begun talking to Dr Kaunda and Chiluba last year on the need for them to reconcile and begin talking to each other.

Milner asked Chiluba to swallow his pride and make up for his mistakes by apologising to Dr Kaunda for everything that he did wrong against him.

Labels: CHILUBA, KENNETH KAUNDA

posted by MrK @ 2:46 PM