Maravi

Banda, Chiluba have similar habits – Sata

Banda, Chiluba have similar habits – Sata
Written by Lambwe Kachali and Patson Chilemba
Tuesday, March 10, 2009 9:14:53 AM

PATRIOTIC Front (PF) president Michael Sata yesterday charged that Frederick Chiluba is supporting Rupiah Banda and the MMD because they have similar habits. Commenting on former president Chiluba's backing of President Banda's recent attacks on The Post and other critics, Sata said Chiluba was supporting President Banda for convenience so that the corruption cases he and his wife Regina are facing in court could be dropped.

Sata said Zambians should judge Chiluba's morality for supporting the same party he despised a few years ago.

"He supported PF for convenience so that he could draw support for the many cases that were against him. The same way he supported PF for convenience, today he is supporting MMD for convenience to get help from Rupiah Banda so that he could drop his cases," Sata said.

Sata said the manner in which President Banda was guiding the country was not different from the way Chiluba ran the affairs of the nation.

"Chiluba is saying [of President Banda's attacks on The Post and his critics] 'that is being President', because that is how he arrested Dr [Kenneth] Kaunda on Christmas Day without we in Cabinet knowing. Even when he declared a state of emergency, us in Cabinet did not know," Sata said.

He said Chiluba should not use the church as an umbrella for dishonesty.

"Jesus does not agree with dishonest people, that's why on one occasion, Jesus whipped thieves in the church. One of the Ten Commandments in the Bible, says, 'Thou shall not steal'. The church in which Chiluba is trying to hide now did not come after him. It was there before the colonial era," he said.

On Chiluba's statement that he was a founding father of MMD and could not cling on to PF, which he did not found, Sata said PF did not beg Chiluba to denounce MMD and associate himself with PF.

"We know that at the moment Chiluba is trying to play on Rupiah Banda's mind so that he can pardon him and his wife," he said.

On Chiluba's statement that he and his wife were prison graduates, Sata said Chiluba was misleading himself by claiming that they were prison graduates.

He said prison graduates were the ones who went to prison for the liberation of their countries and other just causes and not those who were imprisoned for committing criminal offences.

Sata also advised Chiluba to be careful when dealing with President Banda because he was vindictive.

"Chiluba should remember how Rupiah treated the late Simon Kapwepwe when Kapwepwe differed with Dr Kaunda. Chiluba might have also forgotten how Rupiah treated people in Petauke district during umodzi kumawa. Rupiah told people of Petauke that 'aba niba munjila [these are just people you meet in life]. So the same can happen to Chiluba," he said.

Meanwhile, Sata challenged the government institutions that Zambian Airways owes money to publish the debt so that Zambians could know the truth.

He said President Banda had exaggerated the figure that Zambian Airways owed some government institutions.

"PF has its own forensic investigation department, which comprise lawyers, officers from Drug Enforcement Commission [DEC], Anti-Corruption Commission [ACC], the police and officials from other government institutions," revealed Sata.

"Our investigators have revealed that Zambian Airways owes National Airports US$2.3 million, Development Bank of Zambia [DBZ] US$3 million, Zambia Revenue authority US$1 million and National Pension Scheme Authority [NAPSA] US$230,000 dollars. So in total the amount Zambian Airways owes the above institutions comes to about US$7.5 million.

"So Rupiah should quantify the US$30 million he is claiming because he is misleading the nation. In fact, the State is the largest debtor."

Labels: CHILUBA, RUPIAH BANDA, SATA

posted by MrK @ 9:14 AM