Maravi

Rupiah is walking a dangerous path

Rupiah is walking a dangerous path
Written by Editor

Friendship and support from friends is something which is a source of tremendous inspiration always and to everyone. It is said that those who are ready to join hands can overcome the greatest challenges.

We are what we are, both as a result of people who have respected us and helped us, and of those who did not respect us and treated us badly.

Over the last few weeks or days, we have received a lot of solidarity messages from different sections of our nation and across the width and breadth of our country. There are individuals who have come out openly in the media to support us even before it became very clear what Rupiah Banda and his friends were up to against us and how far they were willing to stretch themselves.

We have no right to be ungrateful for this support, kindness and love from our people, from friends.

But although we cherish this support, we know the risks our people and our friends are taking to openly support us under a regime that is increasingly becoming intolerant and tyrannical. We can only say to our friends and all our people that when it comes to supporting us, do whatever suits your immediate financial and other interests. We know that right now, most of our people depend on government jobs or government-connected jobs, government contracts and business and Rupiah and his friends get frantic at the idea of anyone expressing support for us. We don’t want anybody to have any difficulties on account of us. We don’t have that kind of problem, and Rupiah and his friends have run out of ways to make things more difficult for us. We think this is the best way to show our sincere and selfless policy. Each individual or organisation should handle the issue of how they relate to us or support us in the way that best suits their circumstances and the solution of their most pressing personal or financial problems. That is our position.

For all that is going on around us, we are very much at peace. And this harmony inside us arises from the fact that we have not done anything wrong; we have not engaged in wrongdoing or criminal activities, we have not stolen from anyone. It is said that if you are in harmony with yourself, you may meet a lion without fear, because he respects anyone with self-confidence. It is also said that there are few trials in this world that you cannot turn into a personal triumph if you have the iron will and the necessary skill. We should follow the dictates of our conscience irrespective of the consequences that might overtake us for it.

We greatly respect all those who have stood up for us. And we will never in any circumstance betray their trust by pretending or claiming to have done no wrong when we have committed crimes, when we have stolen. We welcome this support because we sincerely believe we are innocent and we deserve it. And we are confident that no single person who is today supporting us will be embarrassed tomorrow by waking up to discover that we had actually pocketed US $30 million from state institutions as Rupiah claims, or that we have stolen over US $1.7 million from National Airports Corporation as they are trying to accuse us. Yes, we agree that in today’s world where one cannot get food or any necessities of life without paying for them, money is important. But it is not everything to us. There are more important things in life than money. But Rupiah and his friends seem to think money means to us what it means to them: everything. Yes, to them money is everything because with it, they can buy power and even some weak souls. Regardless of how many limitations and defects, in this regard – in regard to money – we are infinitely superior to them. There is no comparison between us and them, and the dignified way we deal with money that is not ours. For us, there is much more to happiness than money, material things because these things alone don’t make for happiness. A sense of justice, dignity, self-respect, respect for others and love for your fellow human beings have a great deal to do with happiness, as have moral principles; the feeling of being free, equal, and respected and of taking part in the battle for the progress of one’s country, the world you live in; and working like beavers, shoulder to shoulder with the rest of your people.

Those persecuting us have a lot of money at their disposal. We can’t compete with them in the matter of money. Yes, they have money. But we have something more powerful than money, and that is consciousness. That’s why we today appear more powerful even when we don’t have much in our pockets, because we are not for sale, we have a conscience while they have money, nothing but money.

We believe in solidarity and we teach our staff: help others even if nobody helps us. It is simply a moral duty, a matter of principle, of conscience. To contribute to others, to humanity even if others do nothing for us. We believe that one who can’t fight for others will never be able to fight for himself when the time to do so comes.

If we had stolen a ngwee, we would not have accepted the support of anyone. If you have stolen, how are you going to account for the support that is being given to you on the basis that you have not stolen and in the end evidence is laid bare of your theft?

Our policy has been always to fight for ourselves without expecting anyone to come to our rescue.

We know it’s difficult for Rupiah and his friends to understand and believe what we are saying because they are nothing but proponents of politics which have nothing to do with the real interests of our people, they are simply there for personal aggrandisement.

Of course, we have another type of critics. But in all ages and under all circumstances, there will always exist abundant reasons for some people to run away from engaging in progressive struggles. And when they do so, they will always try to criticise those who do in an attempt to hide their cowardice and sometimes complicity. But their political cowardice and their internal lack of action will survive to evidence their own stupidity. The most honest thing they can do is to remain silent in the face of The Post’s gesture, defending its ideas with courage, led by the noble ideal of redeeming our country, will always be the greatest proof of what willpower and honest can do.

However, more often than not, an epoch creates and nurtures the individuals who are associated with its twists and turns.

As for Rupiah’s intolerance and hatred for us, we can only say to him that the greatest lesson of our time is that no regime can survive if it acts above the head of the ordinary citizens of the country. On his insinuations that the editors of The Post twist stories written by reporters to add his name, there can be nothing more dishonest, more of a lie than that. He thinks what they are doing with the state media is what everybody who produces a newspaper does. Our editorial staff are never asked or encouraged to report untruthfully about anyone, including Rupiah himself. Everything that they have reported on Rupiah has been published as it was.

Yes, sometimes mistakes are made by those who design and lay the pages out; they sometimes get the gist of the story wrong and come up with incorrect headlines. But whenever mistakes are made, they are always corrected when they are recognised or brought to our attention. Dishonesty or malice is not part of our editorial policy as it is part of Rupiah’s politics.

Rupiah’s hatred for us is becoming dangerous. If he doesn’t moderate himself, he is bound to do something in regard to us that he will regret for the rest of his life. It’s this type of intolerance, hatred that leads to tyranny and atrocities.

We have advised Rupiah time and again that the exercise of power must be the constant practice of self-limitation and modesty. It is the lack of this self-limitation and modesty that is making Rupiah accuse the editor of this newspaper of having stolen US $30 million from state institutions without any evidence whatsoever to that effect. And fearing embarrassment, humiliation, they are today forcing Police, Drug Enforcement Commission and Anti-Corruption Commission officers to find something, some money that Fred M’membe has stolen. But the officers can’t find anything and that’s why today, they have come up with the most stupid accusation, legally or otherwise, that M’membe, as agent of National Airports Corporation, has stolen US $1,793,982 million in the collection of passenger service charges.

It is Rupiah’s desperation, hatred that is leading to such ridiculous actions that will only serve to undermine the standing of the police, DEC and ACC. He has turned these institutions into personal ones and put them to his service for harassing those who oppose him, those who denounce the corruption and tribalism of his league.

To those who have supported us and continue to do so, we say thank you very much – people are loyal to those who are loyal to them, people are kind to those who are kind to them and people respect those who respect them.

Labels: MMD, RUPIAH BANDA, THE POST

posted by MrK @ 3:57 PM