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Rupiah is not fit for President - Chongwe

Rupiah is not fit for President - Chongwe
By Patson Chilemba
Mon 10 Jan. 2011, 04:02 CAT

RUPIAH Banda is not fit to continue serving as President after the 2011 elections, says Dr Rodger Chongwe. In an interview, Dr Chongwe, a veteran lawyer and politician who endorsed the candidature of President Banda in the 2008 presidential elections, said he supported President Banda, believing that he was a competent politician whom he had known, but had now learnt a lesson.

Dr Chongwe said what he found appealing at that time was that President Banda told him that he was only going to finish the three years of late president Levy Mwanawasa’s term.

“And all I said to him during our discussion is ‘I would like you to demonstrate to the people of Zambia that although you are not an original member, founding member of the MMD like your colleagues Chiluba and Mwanawasa were, what we would call in Australian language dincum, proper tried MMDs, that in spite of all that, you will do a much better job’,” Dr Chongwe said.

“And I said to him ‘you will find that if you impress the Zambian people, there might be some who might want you to stay on for another term, but I am glad you are only prepared to serve for another term three years of Mwanawasa's term.”

Dr Chongwe said even his speech supporting the candidature of President Banda was conditional. He said the conditions were that President Banda should not rig the elections and allow drug traffickers to be anywhere near the seat of power.

Dr Chongwe said the other condition was that President Banda should behave as a leader in a multiparty democracy because the results of the elections were going to be very close. He said even when President Banda took oath of office, he said he was going to work with the members of the opposition because the results of the elections were close.

“That was the basis upon which I supported Mr Banda’s candidature. But Mr Banda has not done that. In fact, he has not even pretended to do that,” Dr Chongwe said.

Dr Chongwe said it never occurred to him that President Banda was going to bring Chiluba into his house.

He said the same Chiluba, who was bent on clinging to power until the Zambian people said enough was enough, had now become President Banda’s consultant on politics and development in Zambia.

Dr Chongwe said in addition that Xavier Chungu, who served as intelligence chief during Chiluba’s ten year rule in which many human right violations were committed in the country, had become President Banda’s campaign manager in Luapula Province.

He said President Banda was putting Zambia in trouble by embracing people like Chiluba and Chungu.

“What do you expect from Chiluba, from Chungu?” he asked.

He said there were many people who had placed their hopes on President Banda, believing he was mature, a family man and that he had served in several public portfolios.

“He appeared to have more experience, even more than my own friend Michael…but now we have known him. He has been there for two years. Now we can say ‘Aha! Mr President, not in 2011 because we have had experience of you as President of this country in the last two and half years and you are not a fit and proper person to run Zambia’,” Dr Chongwe said.

“He is not fit. Would you like him to be President? I would like a president to whom people can talk to, can go and see at State House. If you go around and talk to people of my age, even those who were at school with him, ‘have you been to see your friend at State House’? They will tell you he is unseen. But he has time for crooks.”

He said the people should demand credible elections in 2011 because all the polls the country had had after 1991 had been rigged by the MMD.

He said even Chungu agreed in court that the 2001 elections were rigged.

Dr Chongwe said the 2001 elections were rigged by Chiluba for Mwanawasa, and had information that even the 2008 elections were rigged.

He said Zambians should start talking now and identifying people who rig elections.
“They are there and are moving with Banda.” Dr Chongwe said.

He said there should be legislation to make rigging of elections treasonable, adding that
preparations for rigging the 2011 elections had started.

“They are doing the same I am sure in Eastern Province. Mr Sata has support in Eastern Province but they want to get those that are going to support him and campaign for him,” Dr Chongwe said. “They are trying to do the same in Luapula and Northern Provinces.”

He said something had gone wrong with the coming of President Banda into office.

Dr Chongwe said Zambia’s efforts in terms of governance appeared to have changed.

He said in almost all countries, presidents or executive prime ministers set the tone on how the nation should be governed.

“So what you should ask yourself, here in Zambia since Mr Banda became President in 2008, has he set the tone as an exemplary leader of our country who is prepared to embrace all the people of Zambia regardless of whoever they are? Speaking for myself, I don’t think so,” Dr Chongwe said. “Mr Banda has been and he continues to be a divisive leader.”

On violence, Dr Chongwe said Inspector General of Police Francis Kabonde had to hide from violent MMD cadres in Mufumbwe.

He said there was also violence in the Chilanga by-elections involving MMD cadres.

Dr Chongwe said the perpetrators of violent threats against Bishop Paul Duffy were known but nothing had happened to them.

He said the same goes for those who threatened to gang-rape FDD president Edith Nawakwi and to beat up former Republican vice-president Enoch Kavindele.

On the Barotse Agreement, Dr Chongwe said if President Banda had said even half of what Sata said recently on the agreement; the whole thing would have been settled.

On the mining industry, Dr Chongwe said if things were better in Zambia, it was not because of President Banda’s policies but the world resource boom.

He said Mwanawasa was clever enough to take advantage of the boom that he even introduced windfall tax on the mines.

“For me, the MMD is a failure. MMD has shown even now that they have failed to run the country. The very manner in which the President of the country conducts himself is symptomatic failure by the executive to run the country,” said Dr Chongwe.

Labels: POLITICAL VIOLENCE, ROGER CHONGWE, RUPIAH BANDA

posted by MrK @ 7:04 AM