Maravi

Chihana challenges Rupiah to clear his name

Chihana challenges Rupiah to clear his name
Written by George Chellah
Thursday, May 07, 2009 3:27:28 PM

INTERNATIONAL Fellowship of Christian Churches (IFCC) president Bishop Simon Chihana yesterday challenged President Rupiah Banda to clear his name in the scandals that have already cost some people jobs. And Bishop Chihana wondered where the country was heading in light of the scandals that are emerging.

Bishop Chihana stated that the Church was wondering how a man like former Zambia National Tender Board (ZNTB) director David Kapitolo, who served faithfully under the leadership of the late president Levy Mwanawasa was fired for defending the procedure of procurement.

"We are also wondering how the Vice-President strongly defended Dora Siliya before the nation and yet, the Vice-President himself a highly learned man, whom I have personally admired in the course of years of practice as a brilliant lawyer, could not stand his ground. This to us indicated that His Excellency the President was fully aware and possibly behind the procurement saga," Bishop Chihana stated.

"The leadership of the President is at stake because of the conduct that seems not to be pleasing to the citizens. Our President must be above accusations of dishonesty and moral blame. We want to see him performing his duties beyond any gross negligence and reports of misconduct. Our President must clear his name in all these accusations and allegations so as to rebuild confidence in the electorate, failure to which he will be perceived as a possible candidate of impeachment."

Bishop Chihana stated that the current situation in the country was too serious to be ignored.

"Our country is facing the challenge of morality and integrity in the current government of Mr Rupiah Banda. The situation is very grave to be ignored by any leader, be it in church, political world, private and public sectors or even civil society," Bishop Chihana stated. "What other people are speaking out...proposing an impeachment for the Republican President is because it's just too much that it cannot keep silent in the midst of a moral battle.

"We are wondering as a church as to where we are heading to as a country with all these scandals emerging in the leadership of Mr Banda who has only been in the office for a very short time."

He stated that Dr Kaunda and president Mwanawasa maintained discipline in their administrations.

"The current President has served and must have learnt a lesson or two from these honourable statesmen of Africa. After the late Mwanawasa, the Zambian people's hopes were that whoever was going to take over should be equaled to him or much better in taking the nation forward than backwards to untold sufferings due to early mismanagement and misconduct of our leaders. Maybe this is why our Catholic brothers like [Ndola Diocese] Bishop [Noel] O’Regan are calling for change in the leadership of the nation," stated Bishop Chihana.

Labels: DAVID KAPITOLO, PROCUREMENT SYSTEMS, RUPIAH BANDA, SIMON CHIHANA

posted by MrK @ 2:29 PM