Maravi

Mpundu questions Levy, Sata's deal

Mpundu questions Levy, Sata's deal
By Masuzyo Chakwe and Lambwe Kachali
Wednesday June 04, 2008 [04:00]

LUSAKA Archbishop Telesphore Mpundu has questioned the reconciliation between Patriotic Front leader Michael Sata and President Levy Mwanawasa, asking them to tell the nation what they discussed before reaching their reconciliation. But Sata said Archbishop Mpundu was not the only one who was confused about his reconciliation with President Mwanawasa because even his party members did not understand it.

In an interview on Monday, Archbishop Mpundu wondered what kind of reconciliation President Mwanawasa and Sata attained without explaining the issues surrounding their reconciliation.

"You people are talking about political reconciliation. What are you talking about? Are you talking about a one-party system? I don't understand, and I cannot comment on something that I don't understand. If you are talking about reconciliation where we do away with political parties, then for me this is very strange. So what kind of reconciliation? Have you ever asked Michael Sata what he discussed with Mwanawasa?" he asked. "'No, we are reconciled', on what? On what?"

Archbishop Mpundu said political parties were not enemies but that they simply differed on ways of bringing about development in the countries.

"Everybody is agreed, we have to bring our country forward but how do we do it? We differ and that's how we have political parties... so what kind of reconciliation? We have never been told what kind of reconciliation. We still have a manifesto for MMD and manifesto for PF, manifesto for UPND, so what are you talking about when you are talking about reconciliation? Don't confuse people," he said.
Archbishop Mpundu said if President Mwanawasa and Sata's reconciliation meant that Zambians should not oppose whenever they saw something wrong then he had nothing to do with their kind of reconciliation.

"I for one, I am not speaking on behalf of the Conference Zambia Episcopal Conference, but I am speaking on my own behalf. What kind of reconciliation is there? So I refuse to comment on that because I have never asked Sata what he discussed with Mwanawasa, 'what did you reconcile with Mwanawasa about'. We are political opponents not enemies so there is no need to reconcile. If we have our manifesto, your manifesto is different from mine, and if we put them together, there is no opposite then we can as well forget about opposition. If this is the kind of reconciliation we are talking about, then I say too bad, too bad for democracy," Archbishop Mpundu said.

When contacted for a comment, Sata said everybody could be confused about his reconciliation with President Mwanawasa and that Archbishop Mpundu was not exceptional because even his own party members did not understand.

Sata maintained that the reconciliation was between President Mwanawasa and himself and they meant well.
"Let us not confuse others who understand the importance of this reconciliation because not all people were the same. Others understand and others will not but this reconciliation is for the benefit of the nation," Sata said.

And Archbishop Mpundu condemned the attacks on foreigners in South Africa.
He said people were one whether they were Zambians or not.
"People's lives are sacred because life comes from God. It is a gift from God and no one has the right to take it. I don't even have a right to take it away from myself. Killing is wrong; even if it is done by an individual, group or government, it is wrong," he said.

Archbishop Mpundu said laws should be open to the people of foreign countries.

"What we are referring to is what is happening in South Africa, this has been going on all over the world. I am not condoning what had happened there, it was wrong and it has to be condemned in the strongest terms.

The only thing is that we have to be balanced in our outlook on what is going on. What are the circumstances that led to this. What is the immediate cause of that? I think when we share ideas, compare notes, we cannot but conclude that the spark or the last straw that broke the gun is what has been happening in Zimbabwe," he said.

Archbishop Mpundu said due to the situation in Zimbabwe, a lot of people had been trekking to South Africa for either business or job opportunities.

He said South Africa was not alien to migrant labour and that its economy had been built on that kind of labour.

"From as far as 1900 people were recruited from neighbouring countries. The economy of South Africa has been built on migrant labour. There has been a shortage of labour because of the growth of the industrial activities, and it is still going on and why xenophobia all of a sudden? So many migrants went to South Africa not only from Zimbabwe but other countries after the break down of apartheid.

Hundreds of thousands, you have to understand, for the South Africans, it was difficult to access quality education, so those migrants that come especially from Zimbabwe, with the education could get access to jobs which many South Africans could not access because they didn't have the same amount of professional qualifications," he said.

Archbishop Mpundu said it was for South Africans to judge if the fruits of democratic governance in that country were being fairly distributed in terms of jobs and education.

"We have a situation on our hands in Zimbabwe. What is wrong in Zimbabwe is governance; something has gone wrong bordering on the collapse of a government. If a government doesn't protect its citizens from serious human rights violations, then that government is failing in its duties.

Came the recent elections, everyone was wondering what kind of elections they were where results were delayed and then when our SADC leaders came together, some of them said there was no crisis in Zimbabwe but later on they changed the tune and said the crisis was manageable. But how can you manage a crisis which is not there?" Archbishop Mpundu asked.

He said the leaders then met at continental level and they did not see any problem.
Archbishop Mpundu wondered why SADC leaders supported South African President Thabo Mbeki's quiet diplomacy on Zimbabwe.

"So the situation continues... so the brothers and sisters are saying, look we have all these people coming in because of a crisis across the border and our leaders are not doing anything and yet we are getting poor and poorer. So I am giving you background to give the people a balanced story. I do not condone xenophobic attacks whether they happen in South Africa or here in Zambia or anywhere else. Yet understand the circumstances that led to this," said Archbishop Mpundu.

Labels: MWANAWASA, SATA, TELESPHORE MPUNDU

posted by MrK @ 3:29 AM