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Rupiah is the real number one mambala - Syakalima

Rupiah is the real number one mambala - Syakalima
By Chibaula Silwamba
Wed 07 July 2010, 04:01 CAT

PRESIDENT Rupiah Banda is the real and number one mambala in Zambia, UPND Siavonga member of parliament Daglous Syakalima has charged. And Syakalima said President Banda, who is supposed to be a marriage counsellor at 73 years of age, was an extremely disappointing old man who had been badly brought up.

Commenting on President Banda’s statement that UPND president Hakainde Hichilema was a crook and that his wife had not been seen in public, making him wonder whether the opposition leader could be married to a “mwenye” – a derogatory reference to an Indian, Syakalima advised the head of state to stop making derogatory remarks against other Zambians.

“He President Banda is the real mambala crook. He was doing umambala crookedness when he was in Namboard. That Zamtel saga is umambala saga. The Chiluba acquittal is umambala saga. Wanting to bend the Anti Corruption Commission Act to remove abuse of authority or abuse of office clause, those are all signs of umambala,” Syakalima said.

“So we can classify him as the number one mambala in this country. I don’t think that he should be calling others mambalas crooks when he knows that his rule from day one, in fact, his adoption as presidential candidate for MMD was umambala. So from day one, even when he was sworn in up to today, nobody sees something good about his government apart from flying around, which does not bring anything to the Zambian people.”

He alleged that President Banda’s attempt to stifle international donors’ demand for accountability by his government in the use of the funds given to Zambia was indicative of his crookedness.

“Wanting to scare away the donors when you know very well that you depend on them for our health system is umambala. If those people stopped giving us money, wouldn’t that be umambala when your people continue dying?” Syakalima asked. “He must stop talking about HH in such a manner.”

He said President Banda should set an example instead of being disrespectful to matrimonial lives of other citizens.

“The mere fact that HH’s wife is not appearing in newspapers the way he is appearing... Did we know first lady Thandiwe ourselves before he became President? She was just some obscure teacher in Chipata,” Syakalima said.

“So if he doesn’t see HH’s children in the newspaper, did we know his old children apart from now when they were involved in RP Capital scandal? Also just saw them when he took a backload of his relatives and children for a holiday in Mfuwe. That is when we saw them.”

He said the President must respect other politicians’ wives and stop dragging them in issues they did not know about.

Syakalima said he was extremely disappointed with President Banda’s conduct towards Hichilema and his wife, Mutinta.

“So would Banda want me now to go and show him my wife in order for him to prove that I have a family? He must be a cultured old man. Where we come from, that is not the way we behave. He is culturally wrong on that. So if somebody wanted to have a family counsel, can you go to Banda who is talking like that? I wouldn’t,” Syakalima said.

“Not only is he a head of state but he is also an old man. That is what is disappointing. If the Presidency has gone into his head, let him stop talking about other people’s families. I think he is the one who was badly brought up. But you know, we always say in old age maybe you can forget about your old habit but they say ‘old habits die hard’.”

Last Friday, President Banda, on arrival at Ndola International Airport, said Hichilema had no right to accuse the government of corruptly privatising Zamtel because he is a man who acquired his wealth through privatising 18 companies.

“Who has even seen a picture of Hakainde’s wife in the newspaper or even a picture of him playing with his children? Why is he hiding his wife? Nimwenye? Is she an Indian?” asked President Banda. “He has no brothers, no sisters, no uncle, acokela kuti wamene uyu mambala? Where does this crook come from? Perhaps he had a quarrel with his father and that is why he has no respect for old people.”

Labels: DOUGLAS SYAKALIMA, INSULTS, RUPIAH BANDA

posted by MrK @ 4:24 PM