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Rupiah is driving Zambia into a failed state – HH

Rupiah is driving Zambia into a failed state – HH
Written by George Chellah
Wednesday, October 07, 2009 7:33:02 AM

RUPIAH Banda is driving Zambia into a failed state, UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema said yesterday. In an interview, Hichilema condemned the arrest of two Patriotic Front (PF) parliamentarians for Munali and Mandevu constituencies, Mumbi Phiri and Jean Kapata respectively.

“I would like to commend those gallant political and civil rights soldiers and the rest of the Zambians who honked and whistled on Friday. I am surprised why they didn't arrest some of us because some of us were honking wherever we were,” Hichilema said.

“This shows that you definitely have a dictator in office. The MMD demonstrated in Mansa and nobody was arrested. This is a clear message that Rupiah Banda is driving Zambia into a failed state and we will not allow that.”

He said President Banda's administration was using state institutions like the police against the people.

“A honk, a whistle is a peaceful demonstration. They must know that MMD are in the minority. Today, if PF and UPND say to their cadres that go and protect Kapata and Phiri, that police station will not manage that situation,” Hichilema said.

“We know they want us to break the law but we won't do that. We will take them on democratically. They will not scare us in any way.”

Hichilema said the honking and whistling against former president Frederick Chiluba's acquittal would even be more organised and intensified this Friday.

“This Friday the honking will be more organised. All the UPND members and sympathisers, all Zambians we will go out and honk and I want [home affairs minister] Lameck Mangani to know. This Friday the honking will be more organised,” Hichilema said.

“We are sending a message countrywide to honk. I will be a ringleader for honking for UPND members and sympathisers. We must stop this stench of corruption by the MMD. If the police come, I will welcome them with a honk. I want to assure Zambians that the honking must go on.

“Any Zambian who means well we must work together and move forward. So this Friday we are honking and we are not just honking, we are looking for vuvuzelas. You know the South African vuvuzelas, maybe a trumpet can be louder than a honk so that we send a message.”

He said there was a party that was about to be launched whose objective was to divide the opposition.

“This party is called the Alliance for Democracy and Development. They are all part of machinations by the MMD to divide the opposition. They are all surrogates of the MMD,” Hichilema said.

Over the weekend, Mangani maintained that the civil society organisations (CSO) had received too much money from donors.

Mangani, who was responding to a question on the statement from the CSOs that they would intensify the honking and whistling, said the government was not worried.

“We are yet to see that but I can guarantee you we will respond to whatever they are talking about. So we are not worried whether they are many or whatever number. It will help us, the police will be assisted,” Mangani said.

“They [CSOs] have too much money which they could have got from their cooperating partners. So some of this money the police will be charging them, see what happens on Friday.”

Mangani denied that he was issuing directives to the police, saying the law enforcement officers were merely doing their work.

Mangani said anybody disturbing the peace should be arrested because the roads were not just used by politicians but other ordinary people and visitors.

Labels: DEMONSTRATION, HAKAINDE HICHILEMA, RUPIAH BANDA

posted by MrK @ 6:34 AM