Lambas won’t vote for Rupiah - Chief Machiya

Lambas won’t vote for Rupiah - Chief Machiya
By Abigail Chaponda, Mwila Chansa and Zumani Katasefa in Kitwe
Mon 29 Mar. 2010, 04:02 CAT

CHIEF Machiya of Mpongwe has said Lambas will not vote for President Rupiah Banda and the MMD in 2011 elections.

And chief Machiya has advised Ndola businessman Terrence Findlay to go to his palace and apologise for showing contempt for Lambas failure to which he will show him that Lambas are not people to play with.

Meanwhile, chieftainess Malembeka has said if Findlay thought that Lambas were stupid, he should take his businesses elsewhere.

In an interview on Friday, chief Machiya said President Banda did not deserve a vote from the Copperbelt because he was watching people insult late president Levy Mwanawasa and the Lamba-speaking people.

“I am a very disappointed person. And I want everyone to know that I am speaking on behalf of all Lamba chiefs on the Copperbelt and the Lamba people,” chief Machiya said. “We are not happy with President Banda and Findlay. What we expected from President Banda is to take action against Findlay, but he has kept quiet, meaning he is happy and in support of Findlay’s statement.

“President Banda is not going to get any vote from Copperbelt or the Lamba people. It is a shame that he has a short memory. Not too long ago, he succeeded the late president and he can’t even defend late president Mwanawasa’s honour. We want him to know that he doesn’t deserve a vote from us.”

Chief Machiya said President Banda was a disappointment because he had allowed Findlay to insult Lambas and the late president Mwanawasa.

“Why is the President quiet over this matter? This shows that he is supporting Findlay and this clearly shows that he has no respect for the late president and the Lamba people. We can’t support anyone who does not respect us,” he said.

And chief Machiya said Findlay had touched “a tail of a tiger” and that if he did not apologise to all the Lamba chiefs and the Lamba people, they would get at him.

“Findlay has no manners, and I want him to come to my palace and apologise publicly to the nation and after that we want him out of the Copperbelt because Copperbelt belongs to the Lamba people and we don’t want him in our province,” chief Machiya said. “He should go somewhere else. Failure to which we are going to use the instruments of witchcraft on him to show him that a boy who plays with fire gets burnt.”

And the traditional leadership in chieftainess Malembeka’s area has instructed people in the area to stop buying opaque beer manufactured by a company belonging to Findlay.

Chieftainess Malembeka said Lambas would not allow Findlay to conduct business in their area.

“Alekwatako umucinshi. Alemona kwati fwe ba Lamba we are stupid (He should have respect, he thinks us Lambas are stupid). He must take his business where he comes from,” she said.

The instruction comes in the wake of Findlay’s open revelation of his hatred for Lamba-speaking people and the late president Mwanawasa.

Chieftainess Malembeka’s brother Hyback Mwanza told The Post from Mpongwe that people were upset that despite being asked to apologise over his remarks, Findlay had ignored them.

“Findlay has insulted the Lambas but he is forgetting that he runs businesses in Lambaland. So we have ordered that no one should buy his opaque beer. People are free to drink any other beer but not Findlay’s,” he said.

Mwanza also complained about the MMD leadership’s silence on Findlay’s utterances, accusing the party of playing double standards.

“We’re further appalled by the double standards being exhibited by the MMD. We all remember how the MMD organised people to demonstrate against Kambwili (Roan member of parliament) when he was cited for tribal remarks,” he said. “We also remember how they were in the forefront to condemn GBM (Kasama Central member of parliament) when he said that the MMD aspirant for Kasama Mr. Mugala did not hail from Kasama. So why have they kept quiet on Findlay’s issue?”

Mwanza said Lambas in Mpongwe had decided to take the law into their own hands by not allowing anyone to buy Findlay’s beer because the ruling party’s silence meant that they were siding with Findlay.

Findlay recently revealed his hatred for Lambas to Lusaka lawyer Wynter Kabimba after Kafulafuta MMD member of parliament George Mpombo’s court appearance in Ndola.