Maravi

KK, Chiluba have incurable pride, says Sata

KK, Chiluba have incurable pride, says Sata
By Patson Chilemba and Ntalasha Mutale
Wednesday February 06, 2008 [03:00]

IT is impossible for Dr Kenneth Kaunda and Frederick Chiluba to reconcile because they both have an ‘incurable’ pride, Patriotic Front (PF) president Michael Sata has said. And veteran politician, Akashambatwa Mbikusita-Lewanika has said there is no need for Chiluba and Dr Kaunda to reconcile.

Commenting on veteran politician Aaron Milner’s bid to reconcile the two former presidents, Sata said it was petty for both Dr Kaunda and Chiluba to continue being at logger-heads. He said Chiluba and Dr Kaunda could not swallow their pride because the latter was always attacking while the former was counter-attacking.

He said there was a historical background to Chiluba and Dr Kaunda’s differences. Sata said Dr Kaunda had failed to come to terms that Chiluba removed him from office.

“When Dr Kaunda was in power, he pulled Chiluba from a conference in Livingstone and threw him in prison. When Chiluba went to power, he pulled Dr Kaunda and threw him in cells. Each one has an incurable pride. How will they come to terms when each one has an incurable pride? When the whole thing dries down, Dr Kaunda springs up and he’s always on the offensive,” Sata said. “The old man does not swallow the pride that he ruled the country for 27 years. Dr Kaunda must accept that Chiluba ruled the country for 10 years and if they do, that will help matters.”

Sata said it was unfortunate that Dr Kaunda and Chiluba were always malicious towards each other. He said the problem with Dr Kaunda was that he never thought anyone could remove him from office.

Sata said African leaders must learn to co-exist and observe mutual respect towards each other.

“The old man behaves like Mobutu Seseseko (former Zaire president). Mobutu Seseseko did not want anybody to be equated to that office of his,” Sata said. “The pride is, Chiluba would not allow to be insulted when there is no need for Dr Kaunda to insult him.”

Recently, Milner said he held separate private talks with Dr Kaunda and Chiluba in a bid to reconcile them.

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

But Chiluba said it is impossible to reconcile with Dr Kaunda because the differences between the two were based on fundamental beliefs.

And in an interview, Aka said it was not fair to ask only Chiluba and Dr Kaunda to reconcile because there was much more enmity amongst political leaders.
“What about the other politicians who exchange bitter words? What about the other 11 million Zambians who have differences?” Aka asked.

He said political differences would not be solved if only two people would be looked at to reconcile. Aka said people should not just ask the two to reconcile without finding out the source of their differences.

“What is the meaning of the reconciliation some people are asking for? Is it sending each other flowers, or visiting each other? Or seeing them having a good time together? I think that is impossible to happen,” Aka said. “These differences have not started today. There are a result of the political culture which has been intolerant of diverse views, which has taken opposing views and opposing political opinions. It arises from a failure of coming up with a political leadership that does not embrace a diversity of interests. Chiluba and KK’s problems are a product of a culture where when one loses elections, they are looked at as a failure.”

Labels: CHILUBA, KENNETH KAUNDA, SATA

posted by MrK @ 3:27 AM