Maravi

Zamtel deal compromises Zambia’s security – Miyanda

Zamtel deal compromises Zambia’s security – Miyanda
Written by George Chellah
Friday, July 31, 2009 3:47:13 PM

HERITAGE Party (HP) president Brigadier General Godfrey Miyanda yesterday warned that the Zamtel deal compromises the country's national security system.
Brig Gen Miyanda said President Rupiah Banda had opened wide the door to Zambia's bedroom for a few pieces of silver and that at this rate there would soon be no Zambia.

He said breach of security was worse than corruption because a thief is eventually caught and punished but when security is compromised chances are that the enemy who has penetrated your institutions not only takes over these national institutions but also puts his own people who may include compromised Zambians. Brig Gen Miyanda said the 75 per cent privatisation of Zamtel must be opposed outright as a betrayal of the people of Zambia.

"The attacks by the President on those who had been in government before is not a good argument because even himself was at one time in the longest-serving regime of UNIP which lasted for 27 years! He should not vilify [former finance minister Ng'andu ] Magande because he knows what happens in that so-called collective responsibility," Brig Gen Miyanda said.

"Let him come up with better arguments and defences for the betrayal of the Zambian's trust and confidence. I call upon all Zambians, including the workers affected, to stand up against the usual manipulation of information and statistics for eventual delivery of killer punches that have been orchestrated by the hidden hand over many years."

He wondered whether the service chiefs advised President Banda, who is also the Commander-in-Chief of the defence forces, over the deal.

"What about Zanaco? While in government a few of us resisted and refused for Zanaco to be sold on the grounds that it was our own independence baby; it was viable and at the time it had a lot of assets and a reasonable balance sheet even in foreign exchange. Some powerful minister wanted Zanaco to merge with Meridien bank; we implored Dr Chiluba to refuse and he obliged. After we left government the idea was revived; I was one of the opposition political leaders who joined the unions in a march and demonstration that ended at Freedom Statue with a petition to President Mwanawasa," Brig Gen Miyanda said.

"The late president changed his intention to sell though later he again went back on his word. Zanaco went for a song; Zambians were at it again. President Banda should not speak against those who were in government; some of us have continued to be patriotic and will criticise him if does things that are not in our national interest or national security. The President is the Commander-in-Chief of our Defence Force. Have the Service Chiefs advised him that it is in order to compromise our national security system? I would be very shocked and ashamed to be one of them if that is what they have advised him.

"Remember how Ian Smith paralysed our communications system and kept our air force glued to the ground without taking off and coming on their frequencies and cheekily announcing 'This is Green Leader, we are not after you Zambians; we are after ZIPRA. Stay on the ground and you will not be harmed'. President Banda are you paying attention or you think only money matters?"

He said his heart was heavy and he was crying for the day when Zambians would wake up and put a stop to this perennial fraud promoted by electoral nonsense which does not assist in identifying leaders who love their motherland.

"No one else can ever end the plunder and rape of our resources except the people themselves. The cheating at elections will not stop because the people are not stopping it; they are tacit participants. That is why I cry, crying for a time when the people will realise that no foreigner comes to help you, they come to help themselves," Brig Gen Miyanda said.

"Zambians must realise that no one donates to you; no one gives you a grant; it is all a form of business and you must earn it and pay back if you owe. Hence Zambians must retrace their steps back to the village, revisiting the principles that helped our forefathers to survive the most devastating economic conditions."

He said listening to communications minister Professor Geoffrey Lungwangwa recently on MUVI TV he could not help but conclude that there were traitors in the government masquerading as leaders of the people.

"These are agents of foreign interests and pushers of personal agenda. A traitor is one who betrays a friend, a cause, or his or her people or country. Minister Lungwangwa and his friends have betrayed the cause of independence. Through their conduct they have demonstrated that they do not deserve the trust or confidence of Zambians. Workers' union leaders must be slow to support this treachery until they have fully examined the full impact of what the government scheme is all about. The workers must not just look at the immediate pay cheque but think of the long-term outcome. When Jesus Christ was betrayed, Judah's Iscariot kissed him while the vultures were watching as he identified his prey," Brig Gen Miyanda said. "Minister Lungwangwa and his President have been kissing Zambians with sugar-coated words and phrases about development because they know that Zambians are docile and always ready and willing to be deceived and they seem to enjoy and forget who was manipulating them. They are willing partners in these never-ending hide and seek games. Politicians seek and hide the wealth of the nation, and the people wake up and come out to praise and worship them; a little later they start shouting 'corruption, corruption', forgetting their tacit acquiescence. No law will stop this nonsense; no constitution will stop the plunder."

He said in Zambia the Constitution and other laws were just for displaying to tourists and bogus investors that we are good boys and girls of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

"What can you conclude when you hear from a minister of the government words and phrases like ‘government cannot stop expressions of intent; shares must be secondary, Zambians must come along and establish a flag carrier? Etc etc.' Government can stop expressions of interest by the way it frames the laws in the protection of its citizens; other governments do it all the time. As an economist, President Banda must surely be aware that in business and company law, shares are everything; whoever has majority shares owns the company and determines and decides its direction and future, including when to pay or not pay a dividend. For President Banda and the minister to focus only on the money coming in is to be like the proverbial ostrich with its head buried in the sand and leaving the rest of the body exposed and unprotected!" Brig Gen Miyanda said. "It is naive for the minister to invite Zambians to set up a national flag carrier. How can it be a national flag carrier if it is owned by individuals? In any case the minister is not serious in this policy pronouncement and has contradicted himself in his speech. In answer to the interviewer, the minister stated that the logic of the 75 per cent was to attract would-be investors. He went on to say that the US 200 million dollars expected was a lot of money, which was obviously out of reach of many Zambians. If the money is too much for Zambians why was he inviting Zambians to join in this one-sided competition without offering them capital to participate? Clearly he was merely politicking and blindfolding those who were listening to him."

He said learned people were good at covering up their tracks with well-chosen words and phrases.

"But after they finish their convincing verbal performance, it is time to ask them the Heritage million dollar question; ‘What is really in it for Zambians at large? Who are these Zambians you are talking about, minister?' How can Lungwangwa brush off a question about Zambia's security? Breach of security is worse than corruption because a thief is eventually caught and punished. But when security is compromised chances are that the enemy who has penetrated your institutions not only takes over these national institutions but puts his own people who may include compromised Zambians," Brig Gen Miyanda said. "He takes charge of your life, the nation's life, the making or influencing of the making of laws according to his desire to protect his own interests which are almost always opposed to yours. And of course he takes all the money out of our country. President Banda has opened wide the door to Zambia's bedroom for a few pieces of silver. At this rate there will soon be no Zambia; at the rate at which these unpatriotic Zambians are alienating our land there will be no villages left standing; if there will be no villages then there will be no Zambia; if there will be no Zambia then there will be no Zambians, instead we shall remain with the illusive rainbow fluttering in our faces. If there are no nations that have gone extinct, Zambia will be the first. The name Zambia will be a statistic for the archives."

He said Zambians must stand up and fight against this new colonialism brought about by their own so-called sons of the soil.

"God played his part; he is not creating any new lands. You have not heard of new lands being created instead you have been hearing of lands being discovered, trips to outer space to discover and explore what is already created. If you allow yourselves to be cheated and taken for a ride God will not be there for you no matter how many times you declare that you are a Christian nation, for He has said if you do not claim your inheritance someone else will. Stop President Banda and his selfish team from dismembering our country," he said.

He said his party was totally against xenophobia and that the most important function of any President who ascends to office was not the managing of the economy but the protection of the peoples from plunderers and vicious prowlers called investors.

"Today foreigners have easy access to our security installations and cantonments. Today there are Chinese, Russians, Eskimos and all kinds of characters trooping in and out of security places without let or hindrance. Where do you find such a casual and unintelligent arrangement in the world today? Why do you think America has stringent anti-terrorist laws and have convinced Vice-President George Kunda to copy the same laws and impose them on Zambians?" Brig Gen Miyanda asked. "Strangely, the British trained us well and inculcated in us a spirit of patriotism. But even when we were being trained abroad there are certain lectures which were closed to us the foreigners and were strictly for their nationals; we were conveniently sent on tours while their sons and daughters were receiving important tutoring on highly classified lectures. In Zambia we are said to be one and belong to one world, how foolish and naive!"

He said security could not be taken care of by laws as Prof Lungwangwa misled himself.

"The minister must realize and know that security is an attitude of the mind. If he believes that laws will protect us against saboteurs of our nation's security then he better pack up and go back to UNZA to continue theorizing. There is no protection in laws; it seems to me that the passing of new laws by the Banda regime may be a cover up for either offences already committed or those schemed to be committed. Tacitus, a well known Latin historian, is reputed to have said that 'when the State is most corrupt, the laws are most numerous'," said Brig Gen Miyanda. "You can see how many laws are being churned out on corruption even when the current law is clear about this crime. Now these schemers are going to steal Zamtel in broad daylight and pass legislation to legalise this under the very noses of the loquacious but gullible Zambians. How many times have we been told about a parastatal that is alleged not to be viable and yet the very next day after being sold it makes more money than it was bought for?

"I have practical examples of government collusion in the rape of our wealth and natural resources. MSB is one; others are Zambia Airways, Contract Haulage, Zambia Education Publishing House (ZEPH) and Government Printers. While in government I lost many of these battles; but in the end I believe I won the battles because day in, day out, today there are revelations of things I spoke against and those I warned about."

Labels: GENERAL MIYANDA, PRIVATISATION, SECURITY, ZAMTEL

posted by MrK @ 2:47 PM