Maravi

Mpombo responds to KK’s charges

Mpombo responds to KK’s charges
By George Chellah
Thu 31 Dec. 2009, 04:01 CAT

FORMER defence minister George Mpombo yesterday said Dr Kenneth Kaunda is poisoning the political atmosphere in the country.

And Mpombo challenged Dr Kaunda to repeat to the nation what he said just after President Rupiah Banda was relieved of his duties as foreign affairs minister.
Reacting to Dr Kaunda's attack on him that he has been barking like anything at President Banda, Mpombo said as the father of the nation, Dr Kaunda is expected to play the role of a bridge builder and not a tension-building catalyst.

“I take great exception to his scurrilous and morally offensive comments or he risks stepping on an undetonated political landmine,” Mpombo warned.

“And he should use a language befitting a former head of state. I will not have him speak to me in such a language. This is clear that he has now come back into politics and I can assure you that we will take him on.”

Mpombo said Dr Kaunda was expected not take an excessive partisan political stance.

“He is expected to take a non-excessive political stance on national matters. His role is to harmonise and reconcile people, not to poison the political atmosphere as he did,” Mpombo said.

“I also want to challenge him, let him tell the nation what he said when he relieved Mr Banda of his position as foreign affairs minister. Dr Kaunda expressed concern over tribal appointments in the Foreign Service. Let Dr Kaunda clarify what he meant by that. He actually is on record, condemning tribal appointments.”

Mpombo said Dr Kaunda should state what he meant when he condemned tribal appointments during President Banda's reign as foreign affairs minister.
“Dr Kaunda used to viciously attack Levy Mwanawasa when he was President.

He never came even to the rescue from the people who were attacking Levy Mwanawasa so again why the change in his position?” Mpombo asked. “One Zambia, One Nation was meant to fight tribal divisions and tribal appointments, which him as the creator of that slogan must not compromise his stance on.

This slogan was meant to unite the country now is Dr Kaunda saying that appointing ministers and senior officials from one province is One Zambia One Nation? Zambia is a unitary state. It's not a Bantustan, Dr Kaunda should know that.”
Mpombo said during the official opening of parliament this year he met Dr Kaunda.

“Dr Kaunda met me at the entrance of the National Assembly and told me that 'you I want to see you at my house'. I have since been waiting for his message. He said he wanted to have a chat with me at his house. So what I am trying to say is Dr Kaunda must play a constructive role as a father of the nation other than dividing the nation,” Mpombo said.

He said the issue of reconciliation had been blown out of proportion.
“I was grossly misquoted by the Times of Zambia. To me reconciliation is not an issue. In any case, this reconciliation it was not my initiative. It was the initiative of the party national chairman Michael Mabenga so people must put me out,” Mpombo said.

“Ask Dr Kaunda in his rule as UNIP party president, can he tell us which year he skipped the national convention, we used to have two meetings; the national congress that was every five years and then there was a national convention every year. Can he tell the nation when he tried to skip such arrangements.”

Mpombo said Dr Kaunda should refrain from excessive partisan politics because the picture he was painting was like he had come back to active politics.
“He must keep a distance from politics because we respect him but if he is going to get involved in politics then he is inviting people to hit back,” Mpombo said.

“He must understand it is not RB who has…its during the time of Mwanawasa that the office of Dr Kaunda's issues were being positively handled. The issue of houses and whatever for the former presidents, these are issues which were set in motion by the late president. He shouldn't think it's Rupiah Banda who has suddenly come on the scene and he has changed things for him, he should also be grateful. I think he should be balanced.”

Mpombo said it was morally and politically unacceptable for Dr Kaunda to get embroiled in party politics.

“He has got to find a way of talking to people because Mr Rupiah Banda… there are so many things going on wrong even in the party. The idea of foregoing the convention and the idea of the president being stubborn. I think those are not good leadership qualities,” Mpombo said.

“We want him to engage in constructive engagements. We want Dr Kaunda to ensure that he as a founding father also creates an environment where all political leaders can meet and chat the way forward.”

Featuring on the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation's (ZNBC) Kwacha Goodmorning Zambia programme last Saturday, Dr Kaunda said Mpombo had a terrible language which could not be accepted by anyone and barking at President Banda like anything.

Labels: GEORGE MPOMBO, KENNETH KAUNDA

posted by MrK @ 7:21 AM