Post reporter annoys Rupiah

Post reporter annoys Rupiah
Written by Staff Reporter
Wednesday, April 01, 2009 4:44:33 PM

PRESIDENT Rupiah Banda was yesterday annoyed with Post journalist Chibaula Silwamba's attempt to ask him questions on national issues, contrary to his press aide's instruction that journalists should only ask questions on Zimbabwe and Madagascar.

President Banda told Silwamba that he would not go far in his career if he were like his bosses.

Shortly after his return from Swaziland where he had gone to attend the Southern African Development Community (SADC) extraordinary heads of state summit, President Banda proceeded to the VIP lounge at Lusaka International Airport where he addressed journalists on the deliberations and resolutions of the summit on Zimbabwe's economic recovery plan and Madagascar's political upheavals.

After the President's address, his press aide Dickson Jere announced that President Banda would only answer questions on Zimbabwe and Madagascar.

A reporter from Times of Zambia asked President Banda a question about Zimbabwe and after he answered that question, he demanded more questions, saying he did not want newspapers to start writing stories that he refused to answer their questions.

However, no one raised their hand to ask a question.

At that point, Silwamba asked President Banda if he could be allowed to ask a question on local issues in Zambia but before he could finish making his request, the head of state got upset and started rebuking him.

Below is a verbatim of what transpired:

President Banda: There was only one question, we can have another one because I don't want you to go and write in the paper that I refused to answer questions.

Did anyone of you ask me to answer a question when I was going, when I was leaving? Did you? I am asking the press! You can speak! Did anyone of you ask me any question and I refused?

Silwamba: Some of us were not here when you were leaving.

Jere: But you wrote a story that His Excellency refused to answer questions.

President Banda: So how did The Post come to the conclusion that I refused when I didn't? Nobody asked me. You are all my friends here.

[Silwamba did not cover President Banda's departure for Swaziland. However, the security personnel had told journalists that the President would not answer questions from journalists before his departure].

Silwamba: Your Excellency, probably on a local scene...

President Banda: No! You are fond of that and sometimes, I have a lot of sympathy for young journalists because I think that sometimes you try your best, you write what you see here and what you observe but that when it gets to your bosses, they distort it so that you can have Rupiah in it. But sometimes I begin to wonder whether people like you are not like them. And if you are like them, I can assure you, you won't go very far in your career. Let us learn to do things in a proper manner and to respect each other. There is no need for you to...you have been told that we are going to discuss Zimbabwe. Aren't you interested in Madagascar or Zimbabwe? That we must go back to the same boring subjects, which is of interest to only one or two people?

I am sure even your colleagues are not interested; they will never ask those questions. I asked you: 'were you there to say that I refused.' You said you were not there. So how could I refuse somebody who wasn't there?

Earlier, President Banda said the Zimbabwean government presented a US$10 billion [about K55 trillion] bill to the SADC heads of state for it to rebuild that country's economy.

President Banda said the unity government of Zimbabwe had worked out a bill of what it would cost them for the Zimbabwean government to rebuild their economy.

"The bill comes to US$10 billion [about K55 trillion at yesterday's exchange rate]. This meeting was convened among other things to find a way of raising some of these funds. First to try and get some pledges from the members of SADC countries such as ourselves and secondly to see if we can mobilize an international programme to try and get other countries such as Europe and America, Asia and the Middle East to join in, in this," President Banda said. "With regards to the member countries of SADC like ourselves, we were given a fortnight within which to discuss with our ministers of finance and see what we can give to our sisters and brothers."

He said Zambia and other SADC countries promised to try their best to help Zimbabwe with funds.

"But we also pointed out that each one of our countries were facing economic and financial problems as a result of the international financial crisis," President Banda said. "Everybody expects that we will make a donation of some sort but not as much as we would like because of our own internal problems."

President Banda said with regard to international efforts, the first part would be to sensitise the rest of the world on the need to support Zimbabwe.

"We believe that now we have reached the point where the leaders themselves are sitting together; therefore we would like to prevail on our cooperating partners to lift the sanctions, which were imposed upon Zimbabwe. Hopefully that will give them a chance to rebuild their country," President Banda said. "In the case of Zambia, all our ambassadors and high commissioners all over the world will be instructed to work on that goal. All other countries of the SADC have confirmed that they will do the same."

On the situation in Madagascar, President Banda said all SADC member countries refused to recognise the new President Andry Rajoelina and his government.

"We think that that was a coup d'état contrary to the policies and principles of SADC. We are very much opposed to military takeovers," President Banda said. "All the countries of SADC have reaffirmed their condemnation of the military takeover and the violence perpetrated by the armed forces against the innocent people of Madagascar. We have called upon them to re-instate the legitimate government and to return to the normal constitutional way of governing that country."

And responding to a question from a Times of Zambia reporter on what SADC would do if Rajoelina did not comply with the resolution of the regional body, President Banda said SADC would find ways of compelling him to do the right thing.

"We discussed that as well. We try to give everybody a chance...but if they won't follow what the other Africans are saying we will meet again and find other ways to compel them to do the right thing," said President Banda.

Rajoelina took over the presidency last month after he led strikes and street protests against democratically elected Marc Ravalomanana.

After weeks of protests which left over 100 people dead, president Ravalomanana bowed to pressure and resigned.

Ravalomanana handed over power to the military generals but they declined, and instead asked 34-year-old Rajoelina, who had already moved into the presidential palace, to become President. Madagascar's constitutional court approved Rajoelina's presidency and he was later sworn in.