Embracing Chiluba is against Levy's Legacy, says Rev Masupa

Embracing Chiluba is against Levy's Legacy, says Rev Masupa
By Patson Chilemba
Thursday September 25, 2008 [04:00]

INDEPENDENT Churches of Zambia (ICOZ) chairperson Reverend David Masupa yesterday said incorporating former president Frederick Chiluba in the MMD campaigns would be going against late president Levy Mwanawasa’s legacy.

Commenting on MMD campaign committee chairperson Mike Mulongoti’s statement that Chiluba still carried a lot of influence and any wise political party would want to have him around, Rev Masupa charged that MMD should not claim to uphold president Mwanawasa’s legacy on one hand when on the other, they were courting Chiluba. He said it was shameful that Mulongoti had opened up a debate to incorporate Chiluba in the campaigns in a bid to win the October 30 presidential election.

“We want to express our disappointment over the conduct and attitude of MMD who are advocating to continue on president Mwanawasa’s legacy but are paying a blind eye to his legacy on the fight against corruption,” Rev Masupa said. “We don’t feel that if president Mwanawasa was around, he should have advocated that Chiluba be involved with the campaign team.”

Rev Masupa said late president Mwanawasa constantly emphasised that although Chiluba was his friend, there would be no sacred cows in the fight against corruption.
“Now that president Mwanawasa has died, people have disowned him by going back to what he condemned,” he said.
Rev Masupa said even in his will for the nation, president Mwanawasa insisted on the need to carry on with the fight against corruption.

On Monday, Sata revealed that he had received reports that Chiluba was being courted by Vice-President Rupiah Banda’s campaign team, seeking his support during the October 30 presidential election.

And when contacted for comment, Mulongoti - who is also information minister - said Chiluba was a citizen and free to join any political party of his choice. Mulongoti said that while Vice-President Banda had not met with Chiluba, there were people in MMD who felt that Chiluba should support the Vice-President.
But MMD national secretary Katele Kalumba said it would be a sad political judgement for Chiluba to get involved in the MMD campaigns.