Maravi

Desperate

Desperate
Written by Editor

It is very clear that we are dealing with a very dangerous government. It is very clear that there is what one may call a state capture where those in government are now starting to use state machinery to protect criminality and hound anyone that they view as a threat to their criminal enterprises and wrongdoing that they want to protect.

We say this because it is difficult to imagine that a normal person, fully functioning and running government can do the kinds of things that we are seeing today. We have been asking ourselves: what wrong have we done? Why are we being targeted? We have tried to review everything that we have done to see if any of it was done wrongly, was contrary to the law or even simple morality. We cannot see this. We have also tried to see why the Zambian Airways story has become so important to the government. Why the lies? Why the desperation? These are legitimate questions that need to be addressed.

We know that The Post’s editorial position has everything to do with it. Zambian Airways would never have been an issue if Rupiah Banda and his friends did not see an opportunity to score political points against The Post. This is what is driving them. We have spoken to representatives of the banks that Zambian Airways borrowed money from. We have spoken to people who have served on the board and management of National Airports Corporation. We have also spoken to law enforcement officers.

We have spoken to many lawyers in the country, just in case the little law we have learnt is not enough and is misleading us. We have difficulties finding one person who believes that the allegations being made make any sense in law.

Probably, the only person who came near to what makes sense is a law enforcement officer who told us that this matter has nothing to do with whether or not something wrong was done at Zambian Airways; it is politics and we should accept it as such. He went on to say that no matter how silly their allegations may be, they will still take them to court, they are determined to do that.

If this is so, which we think it is, then this is frightening. And this is what happens when hatred and ambition blind people from seeing the truth. When one is led so much by hatred of another, any allegation or negative thing about that person will go as gospel truth no matter how ridiculous it may seem. There is nothing today negative about us that can be passed to Rupiah without being accepted.

If today Rupiah was told that the editor of this newspaper, Fred M’membe, robbed a bank last night, he will accept it because that’s what he wants to see – the destruction of an individual and anything associated with him. It is this attitude, this spirit that explains Rupiah’s accusation or claim that M’membe has pocketed US $30 million from state institutions when even all the liabilities of Zambian Airways to state institutions do not come anywhere near a third of that amount, it is just above US $6 million. But still, Rupiah wants to believe and make the whole nation believe that M’membe pocketed US $30 million from state institutions.

And he has gone to try and mobilise public hatred for M’membe on account of that. He was ready to see M’membe crucified, stoned to death for stealing US $30 million. That’s what hatred can do. And as a result of this, it’s easy to understand why Rupiah’s agents, the so-called investigators from the Police, Drug Enforcement Commission and the Anti-Corruption Commission can today come up with a warn and caution statement accusing M’membe of having stolen over US $1.7 million in unremitted passenger service charges as an agent of National Airports Corporation. To everyone else, this may look ridiculous, crazy or silly. But to Rupiah, it is a solid charge that he is prepared to arrest M’membe on and take him to court.

And what is surprising or puzzling is that there are so many people around Rupiah who can advise him, who can tell him the truth that there is nothing here, we haven’t stolen anything, but they are not doing so.

We sympathise with Rupiah. He has gone too far. As a president, he cannot say he was wrong. This could only happen if Rupiah was humble, if he was the kind of president ready to accept that he has made a mistake, he was misinformed. But this is not the only reason why Rupiah can’t admit that he was wrong. He has another problem. Rupiah cannot accept that we cannot be found with any wrongdoing for which he can nail us to the cross. Absolving us of wrongdoing is not something Rupiah will accept, will stomach. Something has to be found, real or imaginary. If it is not there, it has to be created. This is the predicament those around Rupiah and those he is using in this matter find themselves in.

So it should not surprise anyone that today they are coming up with all sorts of silly accusations, allegations that don’t make sense at all. They have to find something, they have to come up with something – whether it’s there or not. They have been told to arrest and prosecute us. That’s an order or directive they have to obey and they will obey it whether or not there is any reason for obeying such an order. It doesn’t matter what they find or don’t find, they will still have to arrest and prosecute us. And it doesn’t matter whether their arguments will make sense in court or not, they will still do it. The reason, as we have stated before, is not to secure a conviction but to punish and humiliate The Post and its editor in the hope that after that, its influence will diminish.

It is clear that other people associated with Zambian Airways are going to be dragged in the mud simply because of Rupiah’s very passionate desire to destroy The Post and its editor. Everything that they have done so far points to this. Rupiah has vowed that he will make us pay the debts of Zambian Airways – whatever that means.

Rupiah can never accept that as a newspaper, we have an obligation to inform the nation. We are not there to be anybody’s praise singers. Rupiah has enough of those. When government resources and activities are being hijacked to fulfill personal interests as was the case in the Selex and RP Capital scandals, our duty is to expose them. When Rupiah and his friends begin to behave as though they run an absolute monarchy, we have a duty to expose such excesses. This is the problem Rupiah has with The Post. It’s got nothing to do with what happened at Zambian Airways. How can investment and an attempt to create jobs be a criminal offence? How can the borrowings of Zambian Airways be a criminal offence?

Rupiah is pushing us back to the dark ages where people were sent to prison for failing to pay commercial debts. Borrowing and failing to pay is not a crime under the laws of this country and of all civilised nations. Can Rupiah stand up and face the nation and tell us that Zambian Airways is the only company that owes state institutions money. How many companies owe Zambia Revenue Authority? Indeed, how many companies owe NAPSA? And how many companies have failed to pay their debts to the Development Bank of Zambia and other banks or financial institutions in this country? And we ask: how many banks have failed in this country with depositors’ money and indeed government funds? And how many of the shareholders or directors of those banks have been subjected to the same treatment as those of Zambian Airways? In saying this, we are not in any way insinuating that if a wrong thing was done in the past, if people had stolen money from state institutions using their collapsed businesses, then we should also be allowed to do the same. No. If we have committed a crime, if we have stolen money, we deserve to be arrested and prosecuted. However, we say this with utmost honesty and sincerity that we have not stolen any money from anyone. And even Rupiah can testify to this because despite ceaseless searches, his investigators have failed to come up with any evidence whatsoever of any money that has been stolen at Zambian Airways.

Zambian Airways has faced economic misfortune and became a victim of political recklessness. Anyone who has been following the developments will know that in September last year, Rupiah and his supporters decided to start attacking Zambian Airways and continued to do so until the airline suspended operations. And as a result of their attacks, there was a run on the airline and its income dropped by almost US $2 million per month during the period of those attacks. These are matters that can be verified from the records of Zambian Airways.

Zambian Airways was targeted for destruction and its death will never be said to be a natural one, it’s an assassination. And in the same manner they have destroyed Zambian Airways, they think they can repeat it with The Post. Well, let them try; they are dealing with the wrong institution at the wrong time. The Post is not Zambian Airways. Its business is not selling seats on a plane. The Post is not in the business of selling widgets. It is in the business of talking to the people, informing them and projecting their views. The attacks that Rupiah and his friends are directing at The Post will not help them. Arresting M’membe on trumped-up charges of stealing money from National Airports Corporation will not help them much in their evil intention to destroy him and The Post. Their evil scheme has been laid bare for all to see it for what it is – a criminal political scheme.

We know that in their desperation to get M’membe, they are attacking people like Mutembo Nchito and others associated with Zambian Airways in the hope that somehow they will find a way of destroying and if they fail, at least discrediting The Post. We know that Rupiah will not stop abusing the investigating officers and our country’s prosecution system. We may be the first to test his malice but we will certainly not be the last.

orporation will not help them much in their evil intention to destroy him and The Post. Their evil scheme has been laid bare for all to see it for what it is – a criminal political scheme.

We know that in their desperation to get M’membe, they are attacking people like Mutembo Nchito and others associated with Zambian Airways in the hope that somehow they will find a way of destroying and if they fail, at least discrediting The Post. We know that Rupiah will not stop abusing the investigating officers and our country’s prosecution system. We may be the first to test his malice but we will certainly not be the last.

Labels: CORRUPTION, MMD, NEOLIBERALISM

posted by MrK @ 2:57 PM