Rupiah is number one culprit in promoting tribalism – Mpombo

Rupiah is number one culprit in promoting tribalism – Mpombo
By Abigail Chaponda and Patson Chilemba
Wed 02 Dec. 2009, 04:01 CAT

FORMER defence minister George Mpombo has said President Rupiah Banda is the number one culprit promoting tribalism in the country as evidenced by his excessive tribal appointments.

And PF president Michael Sata said he has been vindicated on his statement that President Banda is a true tribalist because the ugly head of tribalism has reared over his appointments of ministers.

In an interview in Ndola yesterday, Mpombo said President Banda had shown that he was a tribalist.

“They should not accuse Namulambe of tribalism. The person who is promoting excessive tribalism is Rupiah Banda himself through his excessive tribal appointments. Imagine five ministers in Cabinet from one province… what about other provinces? I mean you have one from Northern, Luapula, Central and others, but five from Eastern Province,” Mpombo said.

“This is a country for all. We should share in the national cake. When we were campaigning we did not say that only people from Eastern Province will receive ministerial appointments.”

Mpombo said President Banda and his government were busy punching holes in late president Levy Mwanawasa’s legacy.

He said what science and vocational training minister Gabriel Namulambe said about Lamba chiefs being annoyed with the people insulting late president Mwanawasa’s legacy was valid.

Mpombo said Namulambe's statement was blown out of context, which he described as repugnant adding that the MMD administration had failed to run the country and wanted to blame Namulambe for their failures.

Mpombo said Namulambe did nothing wrong in speaking out on the barrage of attacks on late president Mwanawasa’s legacy when he was not there to defend himself.

Mpombo wondered why chiefs from the area had kept quite over the matter and that it was high time people in the MMD came to terms with reality.

Mpombo said people everywhere were concerned about the excess tribal governance in the current regime of President Banda. He accused some of President Banda's Cabinet ministers of launching scathing attacks on late president Mwanawasa without the knowledge of the president.

“President Banda's aide Francis Chigunta is a classic example of a perpetrator of tribalism. President Banda is a tribalist because he has more than four Cabinet ministers from Eastern Province. You see such things could easily plunge the country into political chaos,” he said. Mpombo said what was worrying for him was that attacks on the late president were emanating from senior government officials.

"Gabriel is an elected representative of the people who does not need to consult anyone before issuing a statement. He does not need to get permission from Mike Mulongoti to issue a statement. Who is Mulongoti? That one just dances to the tune of his master,” Mpombo said.

He said there was nothing wrong with what Namulambe said because it was the true reflection of what was obtaining on the ground.

Mpombo said it was surprising that the MMD was in the forefront demeaning the legacy of late president Mwanawasa.

And commenting on works and supply minister Mike Mulongoti’s statement that the MMD was reorganising to go for the convention and ensuring the legitimacy of delegates, Mpombo wondered what legitimacy Mulongoti was talking about.

He said it was clearly spelt out in the party constitution those who should attend the convention.
“You know these chaps failed to push their evil agenda behind the back door. What Mulongoti is talking about is choosing surrogate delegates that will go there to achieve their hidden agenda. Moreover, it is not Mulongoti’s duty to administer the affairs of the party but Katele Kalumba, so what delegates is he talking about? It is not for Mulongoti to choose who goes to the convention,” Mpombo said. “They have been defeated on one front, so they want people who will carry out their manipulative strategy.”

Mpombo asked MMD members to abhor political crooks like Mulongoti.

“They want to doctor the list of delegates to the convention to have a situation where they have pre-determined results. The same pressure that was applied for them to forego their evil intentions will be the same pressure that will be applied for them to do the right thing,” said Mpombo.

And Sata charged that President Banda is preparing to rig the 2011 general elections over the recent appointment of Lusaka High Court judge Essau Chulu and Professor Patrick Mvunga to the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) and the Judicial Complaints Authority as well as Timothy Hakuyu’s appointment as permanent secretary in the Ministry of Local Government and Housing.

Commenting on Dr Eustarckio Kazongo’s appointment as local government minister, Sata said President Banda had gone to great lengths to appoint people from Eastern Province, where he hails from.

He said in the recent past, people who had been appointed to various vacant ministerial positions were from Eastern Province.

Sata said President Banda appointed Lameck Mangani to the Ministry of Home Affairs after it was vacated by Kalombo Mwansa now defence minister, while Dr Kazonga had been appointed to fill the vacancy that was left by late Benny Tetamashimba.

He said President Banda went to great lengths to appoint Dora Siliya as education minister, just 24 hours after she had been cleared by High Court judge Philip Musonda on the Zamtel privatisation scam.

Sata observed that none from the Eastern province had been relieved of their jobs but that more from that Province had been appointed into various government positions than those from other areas.

“Last year I told the people of Zambia that he is a tribalist and that ugly head is showing in the appointments. By the end of the day, Zambia will be reduced to become umozi ku mawa. We are seeing it. It is worse than being the embodiment of tribalism, you just have to wait and see because in the current Cabinet size, five ministers are from Eastern Province and 11 deputy ministers,” Sata said. “And those whom he has sent into the civil service, those appointed to top civil service positions, we know where we are coming from but we don’t know where we are going.”

And Sata said he knew President Banda’s evil intentions over the appointment of judge Chulu, Prof Mvunga and Hakuyu. He said he only had a problem with President Banda’s intentions over the appointments but not with the individual appointees.

“Essau Chulu and Mvunga are one of the very few eminent lawyers in our country, but it’s because of the way our brother President Banda has been going. His intentions might be different. I have no problem against them. What we need to do is to get organised like we were in Kasama and Solwezi,” Sata said.

“We should not be following his evil intentions behind. We should get more and more organised. The other critical appointment is that of Hakuyu former Lusaka town clerk. This is to pave way for Rupiah Banda to appoint a new district electoral officer, and we are going to fight this as PF because a town clerk is appointed by the councillors. All this is in preparation to rig the elections.”