We have to be loyal, even a dog is loyal to its master – Kaingu

We have to be loyal, even a dog is loyal to its master – Kaingu
By George Chellah
Mon 22 Mar. 2010, 04:01 CAT

COMMUNITY development minister Michael Kaingu yesterday said it is not acceptable for ministers to undermine President Rupiah Banda because even a dog has got allegiance to its owner.

Commenting on Lusaka Province MMD chairperson William Banda's recent statement that some ministers and MMD national executive committee (NEC) members were undermining President Banda and his administration, Kaingu stressed the need for ministers and ruling party officials to support President Banda.

“Definitely it's not acceptable! I mean we serve one man and we must have total allegiance. So if there are such ministers, deputy ministers or NEC members, they are not doing the right thing,” Kaingu said.

“You know what? Even a dog has got allegiance to its owner. So we must have total allegiance to the President. We must give him as much support as we can.”

He said ministers must be loyal to the party and its leader.

“What I am saying which I am sure you will agree…like for yourself you work for The Post newspapers. The best is to support The Post Newspapers as much as you can or if you work for Times of Zambia do your level best for Times of Zambia,” Kaingu said.

“And for me I strongly believe that first of all, all of us ministers we are MMD and our allegiance is to the party and the president of the party or our party president. So we have to give him as much support as possible.

“It cannot do to be able to… as it says in the Bible 'you cannot serve two masters' it will not work. Here really for me is to have total allegiance to the President. I strongly believe that all of us must serve the President.”

And Southern Province minister Daniel Munkombwe referred all queries back to William Banda.

“Well I don't know… why don't you ask the man who made it statement? I think it is better that way. I am reserved on that one really because I have no clue, how one would do it, I don't know. So I think that's a fair comment.”

Recently, local government deputy minister Moses Muteteka said he was waiting for President Banda's response to his son Andrew who advised him to rubbish William Banda's assertion.

Muteteka said he could not say much on the remarks because Andrew's advice to President Banda was like Jesus advising God.

“If you look at what you have written yourselves The Post: 'Rupiah's son advises his father to rubbish William's statement', then here Angela Cifire has said something. So what more can I say? This is enough, we are reading the papers. We are following the issues. So if Jesus advised God, what more can a disciple say?” Muteteka asked.

“No! No! I don't want to be dragged into things. Me, I am very biblical, if Jesus tells God that 'My Father this person' so we have to wait for Jesus and God to battle it out. As disciples, we will continue working, simple as that. So let Jesus be answered by the Father and then we will come in, as the church we will come in to say, 'maybe they are fighting'. But so far it has been taken on.”

During the MMD annual card renewal exercise for Lusaka Province, William Banda told President Banda that some ministers and MMD NEC members that sit next to him, eat and drink with him were slapping him in the face by clandestinely undermining him and his administration.