Maravi

Sata, HH back civil society

Sata, HH back civil society
Written by George Chellah
Friday, October 02, 2009 8:33:11 AM

PATRIOTIC Front (PF) and UPND have endorsed the position and strategies adopted by a consortium of 18 Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) to demand an appeal against Frederick Chiluba's acquittal.

In an interview yesterday, PF leader Michael Sata backed the CSOs stance on former president Chiluba's acquittal.

"If the Zambian people can wake up and fight for their own rights nobody is going to be stepping on them like doormats. That's why I have endorsed what the Non-Governmental Organ-isations are doing and I am going to tell the people of Northern Province. They have my full endorsement," he said.

Sata said PF had always sided with the civil society on important issues affecting the nation.

"PF has always been a member of the Oasis Forum. Most of the NGOs, which met yesterday [Wednesday], are also part of the Oasis Forum and that's why PF is not in the National Constitutional Conference (NCC)," he said.

Sata praised the Law Association of Zambia (LAZ) over their stance on Chiluba's acquittal.

"Am grateful to Mr Stephen Lungu that LAZ is now coming out. He has now grown into a true leader so I am grateful to LAZ," Sata said.

And UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema equally supported the CSOs' position on Chiluba's acquittal.

"It's just that I am in Mongu, if I was in Lusaka I would have attended that press conference but I have been briefed by my secretary general who was there. The NGOs raised fundamental issues about the governance of our country, issues pertaining to the independence of the Judiciary," Hichilema said. "That is a matter that some of us in the opposition have been raising for quite a while now. Nobody should be allowed, be it in the MMD or be it the Office of the President."

He said the problem was with the leadership.

"The problem is not with Chiluba, the problem is with the MMD and the President. This is the failure of the presidency. We all heartedly support what the civil society are doing. Our support goes to them," he said.

Hichilema called for unity in the country.

"We need to work in a consolidated manner. All progressive civil society organisations and genuine opposition political parties must come together to put a stop to the greed, to the corruption being perpetrated by the President and the MMD," Hichilema said. "Currently, I can say that it's only UPND, PF and Heritage Party, these are the genuine parties, the rest are just surrogates. I am calling for unity. We raised these matters as opposition parties but the civil society organisations shied away, they were afraid of being accused of being political. But now we should work together."

Hichilema said Zambians would eventually succeed.

"My appeal is that we all put our efforts together and we hold our hands and we will succeed. We have succeeded before and we shall succeed. We put an end to the third term madness, the Kashiwa Bulaya madness and even this one I know that we will put away the madness," he said.

He agreed with LAZ's position on the acquittal.

"I detest stealing and I am willing to sacrifice anything and everything to fight this," Hichilema said.

He accused information minister Lieutenant General Ronnie Shikapwasha of promoting anarchy over his remarks on donors.

"I have always said that Shikapwasha's body has no bearing on the quality of his brain. One would assume that because he has a big body then he has a quality brain but that's not the case," said Hichilema.

On Wednesday, a Consortium of 18 CSOs warned that they shall adopt some of the anti-third term campaign strategies in support of the demands for an appeal against Chiluba's acquittal.

During a press conference, which was also attended by Law Association of Zambia (LAZ) president Stephen Lungu at Transparency International Zambia (TIZ) secretariat, Caritas Zambia executive director Sam Mulafulafu advised Zambians who were worried about corruption to wear black and honk or whistle every Friday at 17:00 hours for 10 minutes.

Mulafulafu, who represented the other organisations, said civil society organisations stopped Chiluba's third term bid and were determined to use the same system to advocate for the appeal against his acquittal to be heard.

"We call upon all Zambians who love this country and are worried about corruption to wear black and honk or whistle every Friday at 17:00 hours for 10 minutes. We call upon all ministers and senior government officials who hate corruption to join in this campaign. We stopped Dr Chiluba from going for a third term, we are determined to use the same system to advocate for this appeal to be heard. This is not about causing anarchy as government would want the people to believe, this is a fight for justice," Mulafulafu said.

He demanded that Vice-President and justice minister George Kunda and Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Chalwe Mchenga step down from their offices for failing the Zambian people.

Mulafulafu said the judge-in-charge of the Lusaka High Court and if necessary the Chief Justice must exercise supervisory jurisdiction and call the case record in the Chiluba case and review it.

Mulafulafu said the government ministers including the Republican President must stop intimidating Zambians who had totally refused to accept the acquittal of Chiluba.

Labels: CHILUBA, CIVIL SOCIETY, HAKAINDE HICHILEMA, SATA

posted by MrK @ 7:34 AM