Maravi

Regina stops husband’s plan to attack Britain from pulpit

Regina stops husband’s plan to attack Britain from pulpit
Written by Agness Changala
Monday, August 31, 2009 3:52:57 PM

FORMER president Frederick Chiluba has said he initially planned to attack the British government on the London judgment at the church service organised by some Pentecostal churches to celebrate his acquittal but he was restrained by his wife Regina.

During the service at Mulungushi International Conference Centre last Saturday, Chiluba said he wanted to talk about the British government but Regina asked him to instead thank God for what He had done for them.

"Then I started cracking on that, politicians never give up. But we sat down and my wife said 'yes you are perfectly entitled but this is the day that we thank God. Why don't we ignore the British because they don't have anything to do with this? Let us ignore them lest they think they are that great'. So I said to her like the Nigerians would say to their wives ‘woman, don't stop me’. However, the true spirit of thanksgiving came upon me, and when I went to bed, little did she know that I was converted by what she told me," Chiluba said.

He said Christians were instructed to pray for their leaders whether they are good or bad, saying God adds more days to a good leader.

Chiluba said he was misunderstood by the media when he talked about the new environment that President Rupiah Banda had brought in the country at the Bible Gospel Church in Africa (BIGOCA) last week.

This was in reference to Katuba MMD member of parliament Jonas Shakafuswa's statement that he [Chiluba] was pleased when president Levy Mwanawasa died. Shakafuswa was reacting to Chiluba's remarks that God had created an environment where the Judiciary could freely decide on his corruption case by bringing President Banda to the fore.

However, Chiluba said Christians needed to pray for their leaders.

"And we will continue to do so whether the one in office is good or bad, we will pray for them. Judgment comes from above, but if it's a good leader, the Lord will add more days to him in His goodness," Chiluba said. "Our friends in the press thought or insinuated that I rejoiced over the death of president Levy Mwanawasa, but that is far from the truth, that's far from the truth. What I meant was that with the coming of any leader, there's a new environment that comes. Do you think that if it wasn't for God Barack Obama would be President in America today? And do you think the political, social environment is the same in America under Obama as it was with George Bush? Totally different."

He said the change of leadership introduced change of environment, but the same God appointed and removed leaders.

"Man is only legend, and the real author of change is God himself. So whether we like it or not, when God says no we may rest now, we rest, and you simply rest," Chiluba said. "No man, if he has any sense, should rejoice over someone's death because we know that we will die one day or another, but you can't also deny that when there's change the environment also changes."

Chiluba said he, with his family, had a reason to thank God after crossing the Red Sea, saying the River Jordan shall be crossed and the walls of Jericho would fall.

He said during the time he appeared in court, he spent about 2,800 sleepless nights but that Regina was there for him.

"I was so sick for one year and I couldn't sleep. My wife would be awake with me even when she had her sleep and we would sleep for one hour and after that prepare to go to court," he explained. "She proved to me that when two people marry, they become one because this has been demonstrated by her making my problems to become hers."

Chiluba said Regina was an inspiration and a source of motivation to him.

"You have motivated me, today I was coming hotly to talk about politics but I was influenced," Chiluba said.

He commended his press aide Emmanuel Mwamba for executing his duties diligently despite being young.

He said Mwamba, who started working for him when he was still a young man, had now grown just like him who started going to court at 57 and got acquitted at 65 when he developed some wrinkles on his face.

"You brothers and sisters have followed the discussion on television, you do not see me there because I have been shielded by a young man Mwamba. This young man has done a wonderful job, he has shielded the boss, come out when others could have run away," he said.

Chiluba said Mwamba, at his age, could make mistakes but was never ashamed to apologise.

He said the enemy was on him but God said to him 'not my anointed'.

Chiluba thanked the Seventh Day Adventist church (SDA), the Roman Catholic Church, United Church of Zambia (UCZ) and all denominations that cared and prayed for him in his difficult time.

He said he was a great friend of the Catholic Church, just like he was to every Christian.

Chiluba said the eight years he spent appearing in court, had taken him closer to God because whenever he returned home from court, it was time for praise and worship.

Chiluba said his case belonged to the church as his church challenged other denominations he never visited to pray for him, saying there can be no better company than the church.

He said now that he had been acquitted by the court, there would be no greater assignment in his life apart from preaching the word of God.

Chiluba said although he declared Zambia as a Christian nation with ignorance, he did it with obedience.

He said now that he understands the meaning of the declaration, it would take four cranes to remove him from it.

"Tractors can only cut me into pieces but not remove me from the declaration, it's stronger than anything you will ever think of in this country and we are united with the Most High," he said.

Chiluba said God would arise and his enemies would scatter because of the covenant he had entered into.

He said during his tenure of office as president, he undertook a mission with Dunamis Christian Centre founding pastor Dan Pule to bring Radio Christian Voice (RCV) and Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) to Zambia, and he would not give himself marks for what he did.

He invited those who ran away from him during his difficult moment to visit his house at their own free will.

"People I employed in government were being told 'if you visit there, you will lose a job so they kept away'," he said. "Sometimes I begin to think, is this the way abasambi babutwike yesu [Is this the way the disciples ran away from Jesus], pakufwayafye ukusheta wabutuka umuntu obe [disowning a friend just for food]?"

Chiluba said most of his colleagues deserted him but that there were people like late defence minister Chitalu Sampa, Luapula Patriotic Front (PF) member of parliament Peter Machungwa, pastor Pule and late Dalton Sokontwe among others that never left him.



"Napenda abantu 24 [I have counted 24 people] but I had 48 cabinet ministers, 28 or 32 deputy ministers, permanent secretaries. There was darkness that had covered the sea Alleluia! Ha ha ha I can see clearly whose clouds are those and I invite them to come and visit at their free will," he said. "All the time our house is open, this is the time of thanksgiving and thanks to Mrs Chiluba I would have been bashing the British for being in Afghanistan and at least not for today."

Chiluba said he would forever be grateful to his own children for not giving up on him because they proved to him that nothing could separate a family.

He thanked his lawyers John Sangwa and Robert Simeza who he said worked under difficult conditions.

"Sometimes we didn't even have money to pay them but they still went ahead and executed their duties which others can't do," he said.

Chiluba said the kingdom of God was being fought violently and the wicked wanted to take away the country.

"So there have to be righteous young men of God who must resent back, they fought and they fought," he said. "And a young Kunda when he started, and went to pick names, they told him ikalapanshi, walimwishiba Mwanawasa iwe? Akakwikata [Do you know who Mwanawasa is? He will arrest you].

"Then he was in one meeting he told me later where they began exalting and magnifying the name of our late president and the young man said 'I found it very hard that you can talk well of a product and you don't talk well of the producer, this man was left there by Chiluba'. So he said 'I failed to say Amen, I just kept quiet in that meeting'."

Chiluba thanked the pastors for organising the thanksgiving church service.

And Ndola World of Hope Church reverend Joyce Kunda advised those opposing Chiluba's acquittal to accept and recognise that it did not come from man but God.

Rev Kunda advised those who attended the service to celebrate Chiluba's acquittal and not to forget to hold their sword in their hands as authority given to them by God.

She said the sword was not for the purpose of executing vengeance but for showing those opposing the acquittal what the Lord can do.

Rev Kunda said the service was also meant to tell those opposed to Chiluba's acquittal that His servant [Chiluba] had been delivered.

"I wonder when we read in the papers and I am sure that you have heard a lot but our influence will make the ignorant begin to acknowledge the Lord and what He can do," Rev Kunda said.

Rev Kunda said Chiluba was here to stay because the prophecy was written before he was born in his mother's womb and that people that attended the service should stand and fight with him.

"He was appointed by the supreme to lead Zambia and Chiluba has not completed his work. President of this nation was just another job to open gates for others not yet seen," Rev Kunda said.

Christ Exalted Worship Centre Reverend Marvin Ngosa of Ndola said Chiluba's decision to declare Zambia a Christian nation was a sacrifice, which God would continue to recognise.

"We had to cry and weep seeing our president suffering with all the great things he has done," he said. "...This is a promise from God in the scripture and he will bring to fulfill it."

Pastor Pule, who congratulated Chiluba for his acquittal, said the declaration of Zambia as a Christian nation would be strengthened even more.

Pule advised Chiluba not to look at the past.

"You can't change the past, we are here to change the future and the present. You must arise, rejoice and preach the word of God," he said. "God has the power to fight and I pray that the spirit of forgiveness continues and the church must learn to forgive."

He said Chiluba must let God fight the battles on his behalf and he would surely win.

Pule said Chiluba's acquittal was a victory for all who believed in justice and the Lord.

He said God never slept, but watched over Chiluba's family and the declaration of Zambia as a Christian nation.

BIGOCA Bishop Peter Njobvu said God's works were supernatural.

"We have been called names but we don't mind because we know that what we are doing is a right thing," Bishop Njobvu said. "The enemies will not stop talking; they will talk, talk and talk."

Bishop Njobvu said those who hated Chiluba would take his diseases.

Another man only identified as Gregory Cifire said the acquittal had created camps, which he said emanated from the fact that some people did not believe in the Bible.

Cifire said the declaration of Zambia as a Christian nation did not please some devils and demons.

"We do not support corruption, illegality, we are happy that he was acquitted," he said.

Cifire said the youths in the country were not happy that the fight against corruption was being carried out selectively.

"The fight is about personal vindictiveness, what about the scam in the health ministry and where was Task Force when all that was happening?" he asked.

Cifire accused the Task Force on Corruption of stealing money from Chiluba's cases, saying that was why they appealed.

Meanwhile, some men, women and youths clad in MMD t-shirts and chitenge were seen being ferried in a GRZ bus registration number 555BX to attend Chiluba's prayer service.

As they disembarked from the bus, the cadres were heard singing: "bonse aba mulemona bana bakwa Banda ee...ee [All these people you are seeing are Banda's children]."

However, the ushers stopped them from singing and asked them to take off their party regalia as they entered the hall.

Labels: CHILUBA, COURTS, MULUNGUSHI INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE CENTER, REGINA CHILUBA

posted by MrK @ 2:55 PM