Maravi

President Banda has gone bonkers, says Mpombo

President Banda has gone bonkers, says Mpombo
By Patson Chilemba
Sat 30 Apr. 2011, 04:00 CAT

Yamunyokola njala Mpombo, says President Banda

THIS “chap” Rupiah Banda lies through his teeth, George Mpombo has charged. But President Banda says Mpombo is a mad man.

Reacting to President Banda’s attacks on him at Lusaka’s City Airport following the US$100 million arms deal exposé, Mpombo said it was actually President Banda who had gone bonkers. “He is the one who is actually mad.

And very clearly he is degenerating into a situation called senile-dementia and the man has no morality. It is a serious disadvantage to this nation. He wants proof to be produced, obviously he won’t get that in my letter of resignation but there is enough proof both at Cabinet Office and the Ministry of Defence,” Mpombo said.

He said President Banda permitted him to travel to South Africa to negotiate the deal because no minister could travel out of the country without the President’s permission.

Mpombo said he travelled to South Africa with army specialists and the defense attaché Brig Gen Chapewa. He said the leaders of the group from South Africa were Miles Chambers and New Business Development president Sally Gallagher.

“In fact, when we were in South Africa, the Mail & Guardian newspaper reported that this same company was involved in the arms supply scandal in South Africa and we were warned to be careful,” Mpombo said.

“This was brought to our attention by people in South Africa that ‘this is a very dirty company and these are very good friends to James Banda President Banda’s son’.” Mpombo said finance minister Dr Situmbeko Musokotwane was aware about the deal because there were documents at his ministry on the arms proposals.

He said Ministry of Defence permanent secretary Nicholas Kwendakwema and then deputy minister Dr Eustarkio Kazonga warned that they smelt a rat in the deal.

Mpombo said President Banda was therefore just bluffing by attacking him instead of responding to the issues he raised. He said the nation knew the role President Banda played in other deals like the one involving RP Capital Partners.

Mpombo said the nation also knew the role President Banda’s other son, Henry played in the deal. “To say that njala President Banda’s attack on him that he was hungry is the clearest sign that the President has gone bonkers, because since I left government I have been able to look after myself.

It’s the President who ran away from Lusaka because people were chasing him for money and he could not make ends meet,” Mpombo said. “That is why he went to Chipata to stay in a koloboi lit house.

The farm was almost dysfunctional to the extent that when he joined Cabinet, his first declaration included bicycles, including his head was only worth K1.5 billion.” Mpombo said President Banda was a very greedy person who instead of thanking the people for saving him from perpetual poverty, went ahead to amend the law to access full gratuity. “I think this is a criminal undertaking and daylight robbery.

He just wants to divert attention. If he is really genuine that I have defamed his integrity, let him take me to court,” Mpombo said. “The man is a trickster; he is a fraudster, full of fraudulent activities…if he was not involved, how did he allow me as Minister of Defence to travel? Only that mudala akalipa (it’s only that the old man is angry).

So actually the person who is mad is Rupiah Banda. He is sliping into a situation we call senile-dementia, you are ageing, you are growing old and there is a deterioration in your mental activities.”

Mpombo said President Banda was sleep-walking the country into a major disaster. “His accidental presidency is a complete theatre of absurdity. It is a big curse to have this chap as President because he lies through his teeth. He is a pathological liar,” Mpombo said.

“Like Dr Chongwe said, it is a personal attack on his integrity. So the chap is mad.” Mpombo said President Banda wanted to push through the arms deal using the excuse that the country did not have enough equipment for peace-keeping.

He said there was a sense of urgency from President Banda to push the deal through. Mpombo said he had saved President Banda from many political and social scandals when he served as defence minister. He said one involved a chief in Luapula Province, saying he would go public should President Banda try to act funny.

Mpombo said he was brief in his resignation letter as defence minister. He said he remembered an occasion in 2009 when President Banda went ballistic during one Cabinet meeting, until community development minister Michael Kaingu asked him to cool down.

He said despite sitting next to him, the President could not allow him to contribute to debates during one of the meetings although he raised his hand on four occasions.

Mpombo said he decided to discuss the issue with intelligence chief Reggis Phiri over the deteriorating personal chemistry between him and the President.

He said Phiri told him that he had talked to President Banda and the President was going to call him but never did. Mpombo said following that he chose to resign from Cabinet. Speaking to journalists earlier at Lusaka’s City Airport yesterday, President Banda sarcastically reacted to Mpombo’s revelations on the arms deal.

“I have refused to answer that man because I think there is some insanity in him because the letter which he wrote to us resigning does not have that. And he should prove to you, I am not the one who said it.

Let him prove to you,” he said. President Banda said the government had not procured arms worth US$100 million because the nation would have seen them. “So I don’t think he deserves to be answered but I hope the public will ask him to give a copy of the letter in which he resigned and what did he say in his letter, or to produce a letter where I told him to procure US$100 million to procure arms,” President Banda said.

“Where would we get 100 million for arms? Our country is not at war and we don’t spend so much money on that.” President Banda said Mpombo was an angry man. “You can add that that man is mad.

I saw him on TV the other day. Niokalipa mudala ula that man is angry. I don’t know what is wrong with him, as if I asked him to leave.

He left on his own. Now chamubaba (it’s hurting him). Yamunyokola njala (hunger has hit him),” said President Banda. Notable among those who accompanied President Banda to Solwezi was former Republican vice-president Enoch Kavindele.

Labels: GEORGE MPOMBO, RUPIAH BANDA

posted by MrK @ 11:32 AM