Maravi

Bishop Duffy queries Rupiah over white beret

Bishop Duffy queries Rupiah over white beret
By Mwala Kalaluka
Fri 23 Apr. 2010, 03:00 CAT

MONGU Diocese Bishop Paul Duffy yesterday said he was flabbergasted, surprised and amazed to see President Rupiah Banda wearing a white beret, instead of a red one at last weekend’s Kuomboka Ceremony.

And Bishop Duffy has wondered why Mongu Central’s Namushakende area has had no water for the past two weeks when there is a government in place.

Bishop Duffy said President Banda’s wearing of a white beret during this year’s Kuomboka ceremony showed that he was insensitive to the culture of the Lozi people.

“What surprised me is the wearing of the white beret. I could not believe it. He really violated the sensitivity of the Lozi people,” Bishop Duffy said.

“Even the Vatican Ambassador when he came to the Kuomboka two years ago he put on a red beret.”

Bishop Duffy said he was flabbergasted that he could not see a specter of red on the traditional attire that President Banda wore to the ceremony.

“That is being insensitive to the Lozi culture. I was really amazed when I saw the pictures. I could not believe that and everybody was waiting to see a white card in his hand as well,” Bishop Duffy said.

Bishop Duffy said President Banda’s white beret at Kuomboka made him wonder why those people that recently launched the white card campaign had not been arrested immediately as was the case with the ‘poor’ people that launched the red card.

“Why the difference between the two?” Bishop Duffy asked.

“The white card was leading to potential violence for sure. It seems that something is wrong. I do not know, maybe government needs to hire somebody well-versed in logic, to give them a course in logic and clear thinking and also in deductive thinking so that, you know, they can draw proper conclusions.”

Bishop Duffy agreed that the message that President Banda sent to the people of Mongu by adorning a white beret at Kuomboka was that he was endorsing the white card campaign.

“That is why they were looking for the white card,” Bishop Duffy said. “He President Banda is so paranoid about the colour red.”

And Bishop Duffy, who was in some parts of Mongu Central and Nalikwanda constituencies on a tour of duty, said the people of Namushakende were suffering because of a protracted lack of water.

Bishop Duffy said although technicians had been sent to the area to rectify the problem it had persisted.
He wondered if the government really cared for its people.

Bishop Duffy said the people in most of the places that he visited were very poor naturally and the road network was horrible.

“Like Thursday I went to Luandui, on Friday to Litoya, on Saturday to Moyo and you know, the roads are horrible. You have to have four wheel drive,” Bishop Duffy said. “At Luandui, which is only about 40 kilometres it takes over four hours.”

Bishop Duffy said the area member of parliament, Professor Geoffrey Lungwangwa, had promised to tar the road leading to the area when he campaigned during the last general elections.

“They are waiting for him to come back and start campaigning for next year’s election and they are saying ‘why should we pay attention to what you are saying this time when you have not fulfilled what you promised last time?’” said Bishop Duffy.

Labels: CEREMONIES, PAUL DUFFY, RUPIAH BANDA

posted by MrK @ 3:14 PM