Rupiah, Chiluba possess dubious character – Sata

Rupiah, Chiluba possess dubious character – Sata
Written by George Chellah
Monday, July 27, 2009 12:30:22 PM

PATRIOTIC Front (PF) leader Michael Sata has said President Rupiah Banda and former president Frederick Chiluba possess a similar dubious character. Commenting on President Banda's statement that Chiluba was a damn good president and that if he were ever convicted, he would not be a leper, Sata said President Banda wanted to pave way for his own plunder as well.

"Chiluba and him are birds of the same feathers. He has found out that the going is getting tough, that's why he is saying that. Now, he wants Dr Kaunda to assist him. By the way why should he talk about court cases?" Sata asked. "Rupiah is talking like this because he is preparing for his plunder, the plunder of Zamtel. Rupiah and Chiluba have the same character, which is very dubious."

He said it was good that President Banda knew that Chiluba was a possible convict.

He said President Banda's message was strategically delivered to prepare the minds of the people of Luapula Province on what lies ahead in as far as Chiluba's judgment was concerned.

"Chiluba has already been convicted of corruption, Rupiah is just bluffing the people of Luapula. He already knows the judgment. Rupiah knows the judgment that's why he is suggesting that he will stand by him," Sata said. "Rupiah is only preparing the people of Luapula now that his new friend is a possible convict, he wants to stand by him. Anyway, it's good to have a President who is also the Chief Justice to be talking about court cases in public like that."

He said he wished President Banda and Chiluba good luck in their new-found friendship.

"He has been in office for eight to nine months now but this is when he has seen that he needs Chiluba and Dr Kaunda. In any case, that is not news because which Zambian doesn't know that the two former presidents campaigned for him last year," Sata said.

"It’s common knowledge that they campaigned for him so if he has now realised that he needs them now that's his problem. He has just realised that Chiluba is now in trouble he is now going to prepare the minds of the people in Luapula."

He said looking at the manner in which President Banda was conducting himself, the much talked about Zamtrop plunder might end up looking like a child's play at the end of the President's tenure.

"Rupiah is a very honest person to his pocket alone and to people with the money. He is also very tribal...Kaunda fired him as minister of foreign affairs because of criminal and intolerable tribalism. I challenge him to say no," Sata said. "And since he was sworn in if you look at all his appointments its worse than what he was fired for by Kaunda. By the time Rupiah leaves office the damage to Zambia will be difficult to reverse."

Sata mockingly apologised to education minister Dora Siliya for attacking her over the RP Capital Partners deal on Zamtel.

"She was only her master's voice in that transaction. She was just playing a song for the master. That's why Rupiah went out of his way to defend her. But now, Rupiah has come out in the open and announced how he intends to dismember Zamtel," he said.

He said selling 75 per cent stake in Zamtel to a strategic equity partner was unacceptable.

He said government should have considered the Zambian people first in the transaction, warning that the PF government would reverse the transaction once in power.

"Zambians have suffered enough because of privatization. ZANACO was taken away on a silver plate. Rupiah wants to have a share by plundering Zamtel. The shares in Zamtel will go to account holders and not foreigners. In fact, who is that same equity partner whom we don't know? Zamtel wouldn't be in a position it is in today if it wasn't being abused by the MMD," Sata said. "It's clear that Zamtel was sold when Dora was minister of transport there are already dubious faces in Zamtel. Rupiah has already received money on Zamtel through his children. Rupiah's plunder will be worse than Chiluba. Rupiah is abusing his sons, my nephews through his dubious deals."

He said President Banda was an interested party in the Zamtel deal.

"ZANACO is gone, Zamtel will go and next it will be Zesco. The Zamtel deal is more dubious; no wonder Dora was tongue tied and Rupiah was quick to protect and later on reappoint her. With all the dubiousness that surrounded the RP Capital Partners sagas, what better deal were you expecting on Zamtel?"

Featuring on a special programme on Radio Yangeni in Mansa last Friday, President Banda described Chiluba as having been a damn good president and that if he were ever convicted, he would not be a leper.

President Banda said Chiluba deserved to be respected for his contribution during his tenure as Republican president.

"First of all, Mr Chiluba is not my enemy and is not a very good friend of mine... Mr Chiluba is my former president, your former president and the former president of every Zambian. I didn't elect him," President Banda said. "As a matter of fact, I belonged to another political party which voted against him. But I know that [Luapula Province minister] Dr [Borniface] Kawimbe fought for him to be president. The majority of your people here supported him. He is former president; you have to accord certain respect that he deserves. I did not make that law or that custom of respecting elderly people.

"And in any case, I am not the court, I am only President. So, if you and Dr Kawimbe here have a quarrel, I don't take sides in that matter. President Chiluba is in courts, the courts will decide. I can even go further than that and say it doesn't mean that after he has been convicted, he becomes a leper, that I should not be able to talk to him. That I should not be able to invite him. The prisoners...our own people who are in prison here is Mansa and in every town in this country, in every village; they are still Zambians. They are still human beings and they have to be treated with the dignity of a human being."

President Banda said he would continue to respect Chiluba and invite him to state functions.