Maravi

Kunda is not right person to advise Rupiah - Nalubamba

Kunda is not right person to advise Rupiah - Nalubamba
By George Zulu in Monze
Thu 24 Dec. 2009, 04:01 CAT

SENIOR chief Bright Nalubamba has charged that Vice-President George Kunda is not the right person to advise President Rupiah Banda because he is not genuine in his conduct.

Commenting on the controversy surrounding the US $6.7 million compensation for Lusaka lawyer Dr Rodger Chongwe following the Kabwe shooting incident of 1997, Nalubamba said it was very unfortunate that the matter had not been maturely handled by President Banda and Vice-President Kunda.

He said the duo had allowed unnecessary controversy and embarrassment on the Office of the President over Dr Chongwe’s matter.

“Let the President tell the nation the truth about this matter. We need to know which one is government's position. Is it that of George Kunda or the earlier position President Banda announced in Kitwe recently? We are wondering how Mr Banda and Mr Kunda are divided on this matter.

The President says something else and his own Vice-President says another thing. Where is collective responsibility in this government?” chief Nalubamba asked. “Kunda is confusing the people of Zambia. What comes out of Kunda's mouth should always reflect the President's position, but in this government things have gone the other way. There is bad and poor governance."

He said President Banda needed to understand the importance of listening to advice in order to resolve some of the problems in his government.

“Mr Kunda, State Counsel is not the right person to be the chief advisor to President Banda and I’m sure that Mr Banda has been informed before. This is not the right man to occupy that office. He can mislead you. We are all aware the way he misled late president Levy Mwanawasa over the Kashiwa Bulaya case and he is the same man misleading Banda on many legal issues,” said chief Nalubamba.

“I don't know whether Kunda is indispensable but I have to say that he has done so much damage to this country and to President Banda's image and of government. He has done damage to government's reputation because if we were to judge governments on the basis of Kunda's conduct and utterances, I feel there is no government working for the people now in Zambia.”

Recently, President Banda said he stopped the payment of Dr Chongwe’s compensation claim because it was excessive.

But Vice-President Kunda justified government's intention to pay Dr Chongwe about US $6.7 million as compensation over the shooting incident.

Vice-President Kunda said since Zambia was a signatory to the UN Convention on Human Rights, it was important that such rights be respected.

Dr Chongwe has also justified his compensation claim, saying he was happy that President Banda was involved in the matter.

Labels: BRIGHT NALUBAMBA, GEORGE KUNDA, ROGER CHONGWE, RUPIAH BANDA

posted by MrK @ 5:50 PM