Maravi

Rupiah’s govt has eroded separation of power – Sata

Rupiah’s govt has eroded separation of power – Sata
Written by Chiwoyu Sinyangwe
Sunday, April 26, 2009 3:01:37 PM

PATRIOTIC Front (PF) president Michael Sata yesterday accused President Rupiah Banda’s government of having eroded the separation of powers under which the Executive, Legislature and Judiciary operate.

And Sata disclosed that the PF had asked former transport and communications minister William Harrington to petition the Chief Justice to probe Dora Siliya for alleged corrupt activity in the awarding of the contract to RP Capital Partners of Cayman Islands for evaluation of Zamtel assets before privatisation.

Sata told members of the PF central committee and chairmen of other committees that they needed to be more courageous and stronger in view of the correlation among the three arms of government, which are the Executive, Legislature and the Judiciary.

Sata said the absence of separation of powers was the driving force behind the rebel PF Members of Parliament who had continued to be defiant against the party.

He also said deceased former PF chairman Chitalu Sampa was abandoned during his death by the people who used him to cement their grip on power.

"...hypocrisy was exhibited and it came out naked during the burial of Mr Chitalu Sampa because the people who used him did not come for his funeral, with an exception of Peter Machungwa. They used him for us not to do anything against them because of their misbehaviour and indiscipline against the party. When the man [Sampa] was dead, they didn’t care because for the first time in the history of this country, this is the only time we are seeing the three wings of executive [government] working together as one because those people are there because they know they are going to be supported by the Executive, Judiciary and Legislature...but is that the democracy we fought for?...so I commend all of you for the gallant work which you put in and befitting send-off you gave to our national chairman," Sata said.

And Sata also revealed that he intended to file a complaint against disgraced former transport and communications minister Siliya in his individual capacity on behalf of the party.

Sata also said most people in the country were not willing to take risks to fight ills in the government.

"The problem we have in this country...everybody is a democrat. When the need to fight for that democracy comes, they hide and run away. When others fight for them, then they become democrats. For example, when we saw that Dora Siliya breached the Constitution, everybody went under, it was up to you chairmen of committees, members of the central committee who decided to take a risk of which I commend the chairman of legal and the leader of our legal team Mr Bonaventure Mutale," said Sata. "It was not easy. It was a very big risk knowing the situation in which we are...knowing the way the relationship between the Executive, Judiciary and Legislature [is], but on behalf of the people, we took that risk and we were very successful. I was supposed to be the complainant but my 'kitchen cabinet' advised me 'Sir, how can you be complaining against Dora Siliya', people to complain against Dora Siliya must be people who are on the same level with her and that is why we brought Mr Harrington to come and do the complaint on our behalf and comrade [Wynter] Kabimba, Comrade [Bonaventure] Mutale and all the other people, they did a commendable job and now today, if you are seen to be an orphan, you are a loner, when you are unsuccessful, you are a loner but when you are successful, you have too many parents, brothers and in-laws ...have you seen now everybody is jumping on the Dora Siliya...but when there was a fight, we did not see them."

Sata also urged the party membership to remain steadfast as the party prepared for the 2011 elections.

“...because so far we have moved another step forward to protect ourselves. We know the Executive, Judiciary and Legislature are together but we cannot give up. We will have to continue fighting," he said. "They [government] are a bigger team and they have got the money and if you people keep quiet, by the time you come and realise, they will be nothing left in Zambia and even yourselves will be plundered...so we will have to continue fighting and we have managed now to reach a contempt stage for Madam [Faustina] Sinyangwe for committal of proceedings and we are very grateful that the Indian government did not give her a visa because she wanted to go to India to boast."

Labels: GOVERNANCE, RP CAPITAL PARTNERS, RUPIAH BANDA, SATA, WILLIAM HARRINGTON

posted by MrK @ 2:03 PM