Maravi

Miyanda backs levy, sata deal

Miyanda backs levy, sata deal
By Speedwell Mupuchi
Monday May 19, 2008 [04:00]

THE Michael Sata and Levy Mwanawasa episode must mark a point of no return in Zambian politics, Heritage Party president Brigadier General Godfrey Miyanda has said. Commenting on President Mwanawasa's call on him and other opposition leaders to reconcile with him following his reconciliation with Patriotic Front president Sata last week, Brig Gen Miyanda said dialogue must be a way of life.

"Yes, presidents Sata and Mwanawasa must reconcile to sort out their perpetual mudslinging over non-issues. The nation knows what these two have been doing to each other for a long time, a most unbecoming display for national leaders," he said. "I have not been and I’m not in that league. I am afraid the two have set a bad example of politics in this country, although I am not saying which one of the two is guilty or provocative as this is irrelevant."

Brig Gen Miyanda said he prayed that Sata and President Mwanawasa's public statement would also be a permanent record and pledge not to subject the nation to any more of their emotional outbursts.

"We can practice politics without demeaning one another. I say that the Sata/Mwanawasa episode must be the crossing of the Rubicon in Zambian politics. I made this appeal a few years ago in The Post newspaper for us to start afresh," he said.

Brig Gen Miyanda recalled approaching former president Frederick Chiluba at ZCCM Lodge in Kabwe to talk over the violence that preceded the MMD convention in 2001 at Mulungushi Rock of Authority but he refused to talk to him.

He said he believed President Mwanawasa was aware that Sata knew more intimately what the underlining strategy with regard to the orderly succession in the MMD was at the time.

"President Chiluba, my president whom I served loyally and loved as a brother in the Lord, refused to talk to me as I stood seeing his profile through the transparent window," Brig Gen Miyanda said.

He said some of his colleagues were abused, beaten and humiliated in a carefully planned strategy to prevent an orderly succession. "President Sata is likely to know the finer details of that Mulungushi Rock strategy which was the opposite of dialogue.

President Mwanawasa is aware of this dark political history which can never be erased. I understand that the President said that he hoped that I had learnt something from his much publicised encounter with president Sata. I too hope that the President has learnt something from the Mulungushi history that I have recited briefly for which there has never been any apology by anyone," he said. "But what I have learnt over the years is that reconciliation and forgiveness are preceded by contrite apology. It is my sincere hope that such contrition prevailed during the Sata/Mwanawasa come-together."

However, Brig Gen Miyanda said the use of the word ‘reconciliation’ with regard to him and President Mwanawasa might be a wrong choice of word and could be misleading to the public.

"I am not one of those who have been insulting him President Mwanawasa, neither have I been insulting other people whatsoever," Brig Gen Miyanda said. He recalled Chiluba in 2001 even congratulating his party for practicing mature and disciplined politics devoid of insults.

"We have not changed from inception and our record is there for all to see. So I do not need to reconcile with the President on this score," he said.

Brig Gen Miyanda said the notion that people could only talk when they reconcile was misplaced because dialogue must be a way of life. "It is healthy and therapeutic to talk. Talking helps to resolve disagreements and remove misunderstanding," he said.

He said President Mwanawasa was quoted saying he did not understand what had gone wrong between them.
"I hope he was quoted correctly. My answer to this is that we are not in touch - full stop.

When people are not in touch they rely on rumour and innuendo and misinformation. We must have dialogue that is genuine and purposeful. It must not be for purposes of gaining a vantage point but to resolve an issue. For this type of dialogue I am available and will do what I can to ensure it takes place," he said.

Brig Gen Miyanda said he had always been for dialogue although he did not subscribe to the suggestion that after Sata, the President must start calling individuals to State House for reconciliation.

"This would be a recipe for further misunderstandings and fresh suspicions about the President's motives. There must be a specific agenda for these meetings. I would advise the President to avoid the temptation to apply this questionable strategy. I am certain that those who will be going to State House under this proposed scheme will be doing so for other reasons other than reconciliation," he said.

Brig Gen Miyanda said if he were to take up President Mwanawasa's invitation, it had to be not for public relations but to discuss substantive issues.

"To this end I will soon communicate with State House to establish exactly what is required of us and make the necessary preparations if necessary. I intend to give this 'Olive Branch' the benefit of doubt as it seems to have been made in good faith," he said. Brig Gen Miyanda reminded President Mwanawasa that they reconciled in 1994 at Government House.

"There was a reason to reconcile and he set the agenda for that meeting which put an end to the sad patch in our relationship. But to reconcile with someone does not mean you cannot raise pertinent issues that arise as time goes by," Brig Gen Miyanda said.

He also said on October 4, 2007, he wrote President Mwanawasa a letter requesting a meeting to discuss the National Constitutional Conference (NCC) Act but that the President rejected the request by instructing his special assistant, Darlington Mwape to merely thank him for the letter.

Brig Gen Miyanda hoped President Mwanawasa would remain committed to ideals of a multiparty society. He said there was reason for reverting to the multiparty system.

"The reason is that if the policy for which the people voted failed, there has to be a fall back position of the alternative leadership in the opposition. This system is in-built in our current political arrangements and Constitution. So it is a fallacy to criticise opposition parties who criticise government. According to the views doing the rounds, the opposition must work together with the government.

The question is, what is the meaning or definition of 'opposition parties working together with the government'? In the Bible we learn of people who were working together to build the Tower of Babel; they never finished it because first their language did not resonate and secondly their motives were not noble," Brig Gen Miyanda said. "It is naïve to believe that you can only have development if you reconcile or if you all say yes to everything.

This is not only naïve but wrong and a path to the one party state. I am amazed that even certain church groups have fallen for this 'One World' concept where the whole world will have one view and hence one Constitution."

Brig Gen Miyanda asked President Mwanawasa to create an atmosphere where all citizens could start feeling they were part of the nation. He said such had nothing to do with a new law or writing a new constitution but a change of heart and practicing what "we preach". Brig Gen Miyanda said the starting point could be access to the public media.

"It is important that dialogue continues not just in privacy but in the public media. I will go so far as to say that even those saying what may seem to be foolish political things must be given the forum to be heard so that they may display their foolishness publicly for people to judge them.

Can it be a coincidence that the faces of Miyanda, Sata, Nawakwi Edith, FDD president, Hichilema Hakainde, UPND leader, etc cannot be seen on TV for eight years of President Mwanawasa's tour of duty? Do these people not have anything to say about their country? Do they not want to promote their organisations? I do not believe that," he said.

And Brig Gen Miyanda urged President Mwanawasa to urgently review the policy placing responsibility on him to decide whether a patient should be evacuated or not.

"Why must it take the President to authorise the saving of a life? This must be left entirely to the doctor's professional judgment in a given circumstance. Even if the excuse would be because of the impounded passport, why must the President get involved in the issuing of passports? Good as it may appear to be, the system is not progressive. Health should not be politicized. What if the President is not in the country?" asked Gen Miyanda.

Labels: GENERAL MIYANDA, MWANAWASA, POLITICS, SATA

posted by MrK @ 5:38 AM