Maravi

Chiluba introduced rigging, charges Sata

Chiluba introduced rigging, charges Sata
Written by Chibaula Silwamba and Maluba Jere
Wednesday, November 05, 2008 6:02:49 AM

Patriotic Front (PF) leader Michael Sata yesterday charged that former president Frederick Chiluba introduced rigging of elections in Zambia.
And Sata challenged the European Union (EU) to prevail over the judicial system to allow the recount of results of last Thursday's presidential election.

Meanwhile, Sata instructed his lawyers to file a petition in the Supreme Court demanding a recount and scrutiny of voters in 77 constituencies.

Speaking when a team of EU election observer technical team visited him at his Rhodes Park residence in Lusaka to get his opinion on the electoral procession and outcome of the elections, Sata observed that during the 1991 election there was no rigging but Chiluba changed things when he came to power.

“In 1991, there was no rigging. Frederick Chiluba introduced rigging and because Chiluba has gone with Rupiah Banda, you Europeans, you are all embracing that and you are not condemning that. That is not fair,” Sata complained.

Sata showed the observers an invitation letter to the inauguration ceremony of President Banda, which he claimed was authored by Secretary to the Cabinet Dr Joshua Kanganja long before the presidential election on October 30.

Sata said the EU had contributed a lot of money towards the conducting of elections, hence they should intervene to allow for the verification of electoral results.

“Without your investment, for which we are grateful, this election would not have taken place. So because of your investment, you have a right to intervene at every point including the judicial point,” Sata said, asking: “Have you invested in vain? Did you invest for the elections to be rigged? You invested to enhance democracy and if you invested to enhance democracy it is important…We have nothing personal against Rupiah Banda, but it is important that people decide which party should govern them. The only way you can help is to prevail on the judicial system here; they allow us for a recount, which right we have got.”

Sata complained that there were a lot of irregularities in the electoral process, which would have easily caused conflict in Zambia, just like what happened in Zimbabwe and Kenya where post-election violence was experienced.

“If we were not mature, what was happening in Kenya and Zimbabwe would have happened in Zambia but because we are mature, we don't want to spill blood and we know we can't survive on bloodshed,” Sata said. “Rupiah Banda, you were here, European Mission you were here and the so-called experts you were here. From day one he [President Banda] was pronouncing himself winner. When he was in

Nakonde on 14th [October]; he was congratulating us for having won Kanchibiya parliamentary seat and he expected us to congratulate him when he wins the elections.”

Sata said it was sad that the EU seem to do nothing about some of the electoral irregularities.

“What did you the so called experts and European Union do? Is it not shameful for the American Ambassador to say these elections were very transparent? You can have the American ambassador say, 'yes it's very nice, transparent elections.' Oh! Mr. [Donald] Booth,” Sata said. “Is it not shameful for the British and Americans going very heavily against Robert Mugabe when what was happening in Robert Mugabe's Zimbabwe is happening here in Zambia? What kind of human beings are you when you are displaying double standards in broad day light?”

Sata observed that President Mugabe did not declare himself winner like President Banda did.

“Mugabe's army commander did not come in the open and say 'anybody who is going to bring anarchy, we are going to attend to them'. Mugabe's Inspector General of Police did not go on TV and start using force and sending military trucks in townships intimidating people,” Sata said. “In Mugabe's election, there isn't even one polling station where there were more voters than the population in the area but here you have Rupiah Banda, when they started declaring there were areas in Western Province which had more votes than the population of the area.”

Sata also wondered why President Banda's inauguration was rushed.

“What was the rush of inauguration at night, two hours after the election has closed? And why go in the hidden place because that is similar to what happened in 2006,” Sata said. “Normally, all the previous elections, presidents are sworn in front of the Supreme Court. Why [this time] go and hide? And European Union are there smiling because you think that we Africans are so primitive, you think we are still in the old age, dark days where we can't see what is happening. It's very saddening. You saw it with your own eyes that the elections were not free and fair.”

Sata wondered why the EU and other donor community members did not raise concern over the electoral malpractices.

“Even if you say what are we going to do with the court, what do you expect from the courts? You already know the answer which is going to come from the court because [the government] controls the courts here,” Sata said. “We have gone back to old slave age where we have no day in our own country and I wouldn't be surprised if the western countries were involved in the rigging of this election because we didn't see anybody protesting.”

Sata alleged that international observers did not go to various polling stations to see the malpractices on their own.

“How do you monitor elections from Intercontinental Hotel and you declare elections free and fair?” Sata asked.

Sata complained that PF had written several letters to Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) chairperson justice Florence Mumba but they had been ignored.

“Those letters have been ignored with impunity and they have not even acknowledged receipt of those letters because the whole rigging of elections was done by the ECZ using tax payers' money to rig elections,” Sata said.

“In 2006, the total registered voters were 3,941,229. Between that time and now, there has been no voter registration exercise but in this election, the total registered voters is 3, 944, 135. The figure is not very insignificant, it's 2,906, but that in an election means a great deal. Where did that figure come from because there has never been continuous registration of voters?

They are doing it as if they are treating children who can't read because between 2006 and now, if anything, that number if they were verifying should come down because of the dead people, but how does it go up?

“You mean dead people increase or those who did not register increase? These are some of the difficulties which you have to look at when you are spending money.”

Sata further said it was strange that ECZ chairperson justice Mumba denied Anti Rigging Zambia accreditation.

“Florence Mumba cannot be excluded from this rigging. Why did she refuse to accredit the Anti Rigging Zambia Limited? They wanted to be accredited but she refused them, and yet she is just coming from The Hague,” Sata said. “What was she hiding? What was she afraid of?”

Sata also said ECZ needed reconditioning and a complete overhaul. He said PF would openly fight against the National Constitutional Conference (NCC) because it was not inclusive.

In his introduction, European Commission head of operations, counselor Eric Beaume told Sata that they would not respond to his statements because they were just technical experts.

“We are here on a technical level; we are trying to well understand how the process was conducted and well understand your views on the elections for us to have a full picture on the electoral process,” said Beaume. “We are not in the position to comment.”

Beaume was accompanied by Benoist Bazin, EU election expert mission to Zambia members Francisco Cobos and Mirian Gabriel.

And in a letter dated November 3, 2008 and addressed to lawyers Bonaventure Mutale, Robert Simeza, Wynter Kabimba and Company, Edgar Lungu and Mumba Kapumpa, Sata stated that last Thursday's presidential election was characterised by fraud and manipulations, rendering the said election not to be free and fair.

“The electoral law and regulations were disregarded with impunity by director of election, director IT at Electoral Commission of Zambia, commander Zambia Army, Inspector General of Zambia Police and Mbita Chitala and Rupiah Banda,” Sata stated. “I am therefore instructing you to commence a petition in the Supreme Court of Zambia praying for the following; recount and scrutiny of the voters in the following constituencies…”

In another letter addressed to the British High Commissioner to Zambia dated November 3, 2008, Sata expressed disappointment at the failure by the British High Commission to condemn what he termed as acts of intimidation towards the electorate following Zambia Army Commander General Isaac Chisuzi's statement that the army was ready for anyone who would threaten violence.

Sata stated that the British government was on record in condemning the government of Zimbabwe under President Robert Mugabe for such acts of intimidation towards the electorate.

“To our dismay, no such condemnation has been leveled against the Zambian government,” Sata stated. “These are no doubt double standards in your government's policy in ensuring the elections in Africa are held in an atmosphere free from coercion and intimidation.”

Sata noted that Zambia had had no evidence of violence or anarchy during elections from 1991 to date, saying the army commander's statements was therefore uncalled for and that it only led to voter apathy during the election.

“On 29th October 2008, during the 19 hours main news bulletin on the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation, the army commander General Chisuzi announced to the nation what clearly sounded as a political pronouncement that the army will not allow anarchy during the election the following day,” Sata stated.

“This pronouncement was followed by the deployment of armed soldiers in the townships, an atmosphere which greatly intimidated our people in general and would-be voters in particular. We would be obliged for your official position in this matter which is of great concern to our democracy.”

Labels: ELECTIONS, PF, SATA

posted by MrK @ 6:04 AM