Maravi

Rupiah overreacted on Barotse - Milupi

Rupiah overreacted on Barotse - Milupi
By Sututu Katundu
Tue 18 Jan. 2011, 04:01 CAT

THE government overreacted by sending police to shoot unarmed people in Mongu over the Barotseland Agreement, according to Charles Milupi.

Commenting on the killing of two people and injuring nine others in last Friday’s fracas between police and irate residents over the Barotseland Agreement, Milupi, the ADD president, wondered what wrong the people had committed by demanding that the agreement be discussed to address issues that affected them.

Milupi said innocent people were dragged out of their homes while those conducting their day-to-day work and those traveling for business were caught up in the fracas.

He said the police’s act on the people was criminal and it also showed the extent of the government’s hatred towards the people of Western Province and yet they voted for the MMD in 2008.

Milupi challenged the ministers in President Rupiah Banda’s government who hail from Western Province to state how they felt about the government’s shooting of their relatives.

He challenged the said ministers to check whether or not they still wanted to work for a government that was free to send armed forces to harm their people for asking for a discussion.

Milupi said it was surprising that the President said there were no negotiations going on but discussions on the Barotseland Agreement.

However, he wondered how this issue would be solved if discussions continued to be disregarded.

He said the MMD government would be voted out of power because it disregarded the people’s will.

Milupi said the government was unwilling to heed calls by the people on issues such as the windfall tax, the fight against corruption, the London judgment, the abuse of office clause and the Barotseland Agreement.

And Milupi said the intended purpose of coming up with a new constitution was not achieved on account of the MMD.

He said the country lost an opportunity to have the 50 per cent plus one threshold and a presidential running mate in the new constitution.

He hoped that the MMD would come up with a plan to have articles in the constitution that would reflect the will of the people, as the country draws towards elections.

Milupi hoped that the government that comes into power after the elections would formulate a constitution that would stand the test of time.

Milupi said the Alliance for Democracy and Development was willing to address these issues once voted into power.

Labels: BAROTSELAND AGREEMENT, CHARLES MILUPI, RUPIAH BANDA

posted by MrK @ 5:45 PM