Don’t give Rupiah a 2nd term – Hansungule

Don’t give Rupiah a 2nd term – Hansungule
By Ernest Chanda
Tue 04 May 2010, 04:00 CAT

PROFESSOR Michelo Hansungule has asked Zambians not to give President Rupiah Banda a second term of office in next year’s general elections. And Mansa United Church of Zambia (UCZ) minister-in-charge Reverend Paul Saluti has predicted a bloody general election next year.

In an interview, University of Pretoria-based human rights lawyer Prof Hansungule said President Banda did not deserve a second term because of the violence he orchestrated against his own people in Mufumbwe. He said there was no way a person seeking votes from people could rise against the same people.

“The unprecedented levels of violence manifested in Mufumbwe by-election is the clearest signal yet of the dangerous levels of desperateness in the ruling MMD’s desire to cling to power, come what may. People do not need to be beaten into voting for the ruling or any party.

As they were saying in their post-victory songs, Mufumbwe voters and all people know what they want,” Prof Hansungule said. “President Rupiah Banda should not force them into wanting him at any cost through violence.

Violence is the politics of the dark ages, the one-party system of which Rupiah Banda and people like Southern Province minister Daniel Munkombwe were key architects.

The minute I read that Vice-President Banda, as he was, had recruited William Banda to be his ‘security consultant’, I knew Zambia would be governed based on state violence. “But there is still opportunity to address this. Banda must never be given a second term.

It is a duty of every Zambian adult on the voters’ roll to ensure that come 2011, Banda is defeated and evicted out of power to stop him from abusing it. One positive thing to have come out of Mufumbwe is that President Banda has proved beyond all reasonable doubt that he does not deserve a second term as Zambia’s President.

You can’t have as a president a person who orchestrates violence, turning police into a terrorist organisation terrorising the population simply to keep him in power. Once someone begins to interfere with and manipulate institutions of peace turning them into his personal instruments to ensure his personal survival, you remove him from power before he kills all of you.”

Prof Hansungule maintained that President Banda could not deny that he started and supported the violence in Mufumbwe.

“Even as he is insulting the opposition and Hakainde Hichilema in this particular case, he knows he is the one who is the source of, instigator and orchestrator of the state-violence that befell the peace-loving Mufumbwe citizens.

This is clear from Banda’s post-election statements bemoaning his bitterness at the loss his party and their candidate has dismally suffered at the hands of intelligent mindful Mufumbwe voters,” Prof Hansungule said. “Every Zambian voter with their conscience must emulate Mufumbwe voters and give Banda and all his followers an unequivocal message that they can return violence with violence.

Banda has a right to cheat himself and believe in his own lies. But Banda must not cheat himself that he can ban opposition parties in Zambia and take us back to the one-party system. The Mufumbwe results are clear testimony of this.

Opposition is a permanent feature of Zambia and Africa’s political landscape. If the right to oppose as demonstrated in this case has become ingrained in the minds and hearts of people, no amount of abuse of political power would eradicate it without literally killing the believers of that right.

Instead of banning opposition, Banda and people like him should be banned from Zambian political order.”
And Rev Saluti said President Banda should be ashamed of himself for perpetrating violence against innocent people.

“Looking at the way President Banda and his people behaved in the Mufumbwe by-election, I can simply predict that next year’s elections will be bloody.

In fact President Banda should be ashamed of himself for fanning violence against innocent people. It doesn’t make sense for him to blame the opposition because the opposition has got no machinery to do that. In fact the MMD should not cheat themselves or anyone that it’s only them who can rule this country.

Everyone has a sense and ability to rule this country,” said Rev Saluti. “Let the people choose who they want, and not leaders to impose themselves on people. In 1991, we had a peaceful transition from one party to multiparty system, but I never saw such bloodshed as I saw in Mufumbwe.

I never saw such bloodshed under Frederick Chiluba or Levy Mwanawasa. It is only coming in through Mr Banda’s leadership. This is very shameful for Rupiah Banda and his team.”