Fr Bwalya faces MMD bloodshed

Fr Bwalya faces MMD bloodshed
Written by Abigail Chaponda in Ndola and Mutuna Chanda in Kitwe
Sunday, April 12, 2009 3:52:37 AM

THE MMD Ndola district executive on Friday warned of bloodshed should Radio Icengelo station manager Fr Frank Bwalya go ahead with his press conference and public meeting in Kitwe. And Fr Bwalya has cancelled tomorrow's public meeting scheduled for Kitwe’s Garden Park Stadium following police’s insistence that the meeting should not go ahead and the incessant threats by members of the ruling MMD to disrupt it.

MMD Ndola vice publicity and information secretary Alex Mubanga warned that Fr Bwalya should not step his foot at Buchi Hall or Garden Park because MMD members would beat some ‘sins out of him’.

“Fr Bwalya wants to see the colour red and on Monday, we are going to give him blood because on Monday there is going to be bloodshed and no one is going to stop us, not even the famous PF and I am talking on behalf of the MMD district,” he said in an interview. “And we want the nation to know that we are not threatening but we are assuring anyone who is going to stand in our way that blood should be shed on Monday. We are tired of people insulting our President; he is our leader and should be respected by everyone.”

Mubanga said some opposition political parties and Fr Bwalya had ‘insulted the president’ enough and that they should be taught a lesson.

“We have prepared ourselves adequately and we are ready for war. This Fr Bwalya should be taught a lesson because he has belittled our President. We have been trailing him and we know where he is and we are not afraid of him,” he said. “Fr Bwalya is a small boy. He is a mosquito that has been troubling us and this time around we are going to teach him a good lesson that he is not going to forget in his life.”

Mubanga said the MMD on the Copperbelt was unstoppable and that if people thought its members were joking about the bloodshed, they should wait and see what would happen should Fr Bwalya hold his press conference.

He said not even the police were going to contain them because they did not want Fr Bwalya to be influencing people.

“Fr Bwalya thinks that MMD is a party to play with. The Bembas say uwatuka imfumu atuka bonse (he who insults the king insults everyone in the community); he has insulted our President and we are not happy about it,” said Mubanga. “Fr Bwalya chibobosha (a loud mouthed person) who needs to be shut. He has been talking too much and it’s about time we put an end to it.”

Commissioner of police Willies Mangimela said he was not in a position to comment on the matter and referred all queries to Inspector General of police Francis Kabonde.

“But the truth is we advised Fr Bwalya not to go ahead with the press conference and gave him reasons why but he does not want to listen to us,” said Mangimela.

When contacted for a comment, Kabonde asked this reporter questions instead.

“But since you have called me what is your issue. Is it about Fr Bwalya? Since you are a journalist and I have always said that the police and reporters should work together, I want you to tell me what your advice is to this issue,” he said.

But the author told him that the MMD in Ndola were warning of bloodshed should Fr Bwalya go ahead with the press conference but Kabonde insisted on getting an answer to his question.

“Answer my question, since when have you heard that a Catholic priest is supposed to hold press conferences? And what you are going to answer me is what you are going to write and tomorrow I will read in the paper,” he said.

Kabonde said it was unheard of [for a priest to hold a press conference] and asked why Fr Bwalya was going ahead with the press conference when he was told not to.

“Is Zambia not liberated?” asked Kabonde, adding ‘write what you are answering me’ before hanging up.

But Fr Bwalya, however, stated that he would still address the issues that he intended to deliver during the public meeting live on Radio Icengelo beginning at 10:00 hours tomorrow.

“What has clearly come out is that the police have infringed upon my constitutional rights to associate with other people and impart knowledge upon them by way of exercising my freedom of expression,” he stated. “However, what is regrettable and highly retrogressive is that political authorities have prevailed over the police service in enforcing a clearly unconstitutional and illegal political decision. This development is another sad reminder to all Zambians that we are governed using draconian laws such as the Public Order Act. Such laws are not only rotten but against the spirit of democracy and a free open society.”

Fr Bwalya stated that police wrote to him last Thursday warning him that he would be held responsible for whatever would happen at the public meeting if he decided to go ahead with it.

“Police wrote to me yesterday (Thursday) warning me that if we continue with our meeting, we shall break the law and the police will be there to maintain law and order meaning to break up the meeting,” he stated. “In the same letter, they further warned me that I would be held responsible for whatever outcome of my insistence to go ahead with the meeting which is tantamount to breaking the law. One thing is clear that the law the police are referring to is a bad and oppressive law and they know it. However, the police are not to blame. They do not make the laws, they only enforce. Moreover, I have information that some people, among them security officers have planned to undertake activities at our meeting that may create violence. As such, I have decided to postpone the meeting. I have decided to retreat but not surrender and it is because the safety of my flock is in danger from the very people that should protect us all. I will seek to take this matter to court and seek legal redress not just for me but other Zambians who will soon be caught up in the same web.”

Fr Bwalya regretted that the police had been highly politicised.

“The police are fully aware of the correct interpretation of the law. They articulate themselves very well on various fora,” he stated. “It follows that if given the environment to apply the law fairly, they would do it in a professional non-partisan way. Unfortunately, our police service has been highly politicised to the point of turning them into a kind of domestic servants for the ruling party. The foregoing reinforces our message that we have come to the crossroads and the song in the air is ‘Change or Die Zambia’. It is clear that we need to undertake a ‘New Liberation Struggle’ to free ourselves from a political system that promotes injustice and all forms of inequality. We have in our midst ‘New Colonisers’ that want to colonise our thinking and control what we say and the manner in which we say it. It is time to for everyone in Zambia to comprehend this new slavery and fight it with all our being.”

Fr Bwalya stated that the police did not think independently on issues of governance that bordered on politics.

“They are just given instructions and they have to follow the instructions regardless of how ridiculous they may be,” he stated. “Against this background, the public is aware that the police have failed to caution people who have publicly said they would organise law breakers to disrupt my meeting.”

He also stated that given the ëbad lawsí relating to the country’s governance, Zambia had a de facto dictatorship.

“As such, given these bad and rotten laws that we have in Zambia, one would be accurate to say that our government is a de facto dictatorship that promotes a kind of animal farm where those that belong to the ruling party are given preferential treatment.”

Fr Bwalya however appealed to people to remain calm.

“I know that people were geared and well prepared to come to my meeting and hear for themselves what I had for them,” stated Fr Bwalya. “As such, this announcement to postpone will cause anger and frustration. My appeal to all the people that believe in ‘Change or Die, Zambia, New Liberation Struggle’ is that do not resort to violence. But speak out and denounce the injustice that has been done to me and to you. Nevertheless, do not give an opportunity to the enemies of change and liberation to attach the tag of violence to you.”