Maravi

Rupiah is aggravating move to impeach him, says Sata

Rupiah is aggravating move to impeach him, says Sata
Written by Patson Chilemba in Serenje and George Chellah in Lusaka
Wednesday, August 05, 2009 3:08:02 PM

PATRIOTIC Front (PF) leader Michael Sata yesterday described as lies President Rupiah Banda's statement that he has dropped plans to impeach him from office.

Reacting to President Banda's announcement during a rally in Chitambo that Sata had withdrawn the motion [before the National Assembly] to impeach him Sata said President Banda was in fact aggravating the move to impeach him because he was constantly lying on important national issues.

"That [President Banda's statement] is a typical lie of Rupiah Banda. He's feeling the pressure. Rupiah Banda has exhausted his lies and the only thing he found was talking about me. The people of Chitambo including the chiefs expected some news of relief from the President. Unfortunately, the President had nothing to tell them," Sata said. "So the only thing was to lie that the impeachment had been dropped. He is just lying because he had run out of stories to tell. The President's behaviour of lies, even lying against the children makes the decision by honourable members of parliament from UPND and PF very correct to impeach him."

Sata said it seemed President Banda was permanently wedded to lies because he could not do without them. He said it was not fit for the country to have a lying President.

"He is not mitigating his impeachment. He is aggravating it at every point," Sata said. "Look at his contradictions. In the morning he says they [UPND and PF] don't have numbers. In the afternoon he says the other thing. This is where you can see that he is panicking."

Sata said President Banda should not even accuse The Post of working with opposition political parties to impeach him from office because his actions warranted his impeachment. He said the role of the media was to inform, entertain and educate, and The Post was doing that accurately and professionally.

"They are doing it accurately including informing the public about Rupiah Banda's lies. The Post should not be deterred, it should continue because at the moment it is the only paper which is exposing the calibre of we leaders who are supposed to govern this country," Sata said.

On Monday, President Banda said Sata had withdrawn the move to impeach him from office and thanked him for withdrawing the impeachment motion.

On the lead story, which appeared in the Zambia Daily Mail yesterday that he had withdrawn the impeachment, Sata said he was misquoted by the newspaper and demanded an apology, failure to which he would take legal action against both the newspaper and the author of the story.

"I told her [the author] we are not in a rush because we are still compiling data. I said even if the House rises, the motion will remain on the floor. I told her, rising of the House does not mean that the motion dies away. Now Rupiah Banda is the one who made the announcement. Do you mean that when she spoke to me, she spoke to Rupiah Banda also?" asked Sata. "We shall know how to handle her, of course not with violence like the MMD...both herself and the editors of the Daily Mail because that is a serious issue. Her managers would have contacted me first."

Meanwhile, Anti Voter Apathy Project (AVAP) executive director Bonny Tembo said chiefs in Serenje who recently attended President Banda's rally were given brown envelopes of K1 million each. He said this amounted to electoral corruption.

Tembo wondered what type of Constitution President Banda and the chiefs were following because it was clearly stipulated that chiefs should not involve themselves in partisan politics.

But President Banda said Sata can go ahead with the impeachment process because the laws permit him to do so.

Addressing journalists at Lusaka International Airport before departure for South Africa yesterday, President Banda, who was asked to comment on Sata's refuting of media reports that he had withdrawn the impeachment process, expressed surprise with the turn of events.

"He has refuted?" President Banda asked. "He can go ahead...I have been calling for the impeachment all along. But we did receive a message from him. You see in the Daily Mail it was him who told them but he can go ahead. The laws allow him, let's see how he will do it."

On the intended demonstration by media bodies this Friday over the continued harassment of journalists, President Banda said: "With regards to the meeting on Friday. I am travelling myself... so I am sure the Vice-President will tell them what to do."

President Banda also condemned the violence against journalists by the MMD cadres.

"But you are all here...you can see that there is no harassment. And I want to take advantage of... once again condemn any violence against journalists," President Banda said. "I said it there although you underplayed it and I say it again I am against that and totally condemn whoever is perpetrating it. You are doing your work and we are doing our work."

On food shortages in hospitals, President Banda said the donors had started to assist the country.

"The donors have started to assist us. I want to take this opportunity to say thank you to them for realising that we are doing our best to curb the corruption in the Ministry of Health," President Banda said. "I am sure the Vice-President is here, he is now your President as I leave, he will take care of that problem. We will find out what is wrong and food will be sent there."

On the Chitambo parliamentary by-election, President Banda expressed confidence that the ruling party would retain the seat.

"I hope that we have read it right, the people were turning up in big numbers. I addressed four rallies and all these four rallies were packed. It shows that it was our seat and that's where the Vice-President comes from and I think he will also go there to finish the job," said President Banda.

And some journalists from media institutions yesterday armed themselves with power cables to defend themselves in the event that the MMD cadres pounced on any reporter.

"We are ready for physical confrontation today. Let one of them come, we will all join in to defend our colleague," one of the journalists was heard telling his colleagues while brandishing a power cable.

Labels: RUPIAH BANDA, SATA

posted by MrK @ 2:08 PM