Don’t panic, Sata tells Rupiah

Don’t panic, Sata tells Rupiah
By George Chellah in Senga Hill
Mon 16 May 2011, 04:50 CAT

MICHAEL Sata says President Rupiah Banda must not panic over the PF’s stance to deal with plunderers fairly and speedily if his hands are clean. And Kasama Catholic Archdiocese Vicar General Fr Ives Bantungwa has urged people not to listen to those insulting priests, saying “bawelewele they are disgruntled”.

Responding to President Banda’s claim that he is a vindictive person, Sata wondered why President Banda was apprehensive over the PF’s position to fight corruption.

“Why is he panicking if he is an innocent man? Let him keep his cool if he knows that he is innocent. There is no need for him to panic if he is convinced deep down his heart that he has done nothing wrong. Rupiah must know that my stance on corruption is not a threat, I mean business,” said Sata in an interview yesterday.

“What we expected him to say as Head of State after we made such a commitment as PF was that ‘I’m innocent, I’ve not done anything wrong and I’m not scared of Sata; let them come and investigate if they want’. But he is busy hallucinating like Frederick Chiluba that ‘I’ve a dossier on Sata’. What dossier can Rupiah have against me and he keeps quiet?

“You can see the desperation. If truly Rupiah had a dossier against me, do you think he would have spared me? He had a fake DEC Drug Enforcement Commission dossier, but where did it take him?

To me Mr Banda clearly sounds like someone pleading for leniency. Why should he be pleading over an issue on which he is convinced that he is innocent? Tell him that where the fight against corruption is concerned, I mean business and I’m not playing.”

Sata reiterated that his position on corruption was not a threat but a PF policy which shall be implemented to the letter when the party assumes power.
“Rupiah and his colleagues must account for each and every ngwee spent.

We know how they are busy abusing State resources. For instance, right now they have dispatched ministers to all provinces to do party work using taxpayers money. Education minister Dora Siliya is going round misbehaving, she is harassing civil servants using taxpayers money.

This type of abuse surely has to come to an end,” said Sata. “Even the dismissal of Jacob Sikazwe and Mabel Mung’omba from the Citizens Economic Empowerment Commission (CEEC), we know that those two have been flashed out simply because this government wants to continue stealing CEEC money for campaigns.

Let them know that we shall call for a full CEEC forensic audit and all culprits shall be brought to book. Whoever is dipping his fingers in CEEC money must bear in mind that a day of reckoning is coming. Even on NAPSA, those who are being used must know that they won’t smile for long.”

On Friday, Sata said the PF would promptly and firmly deal with plunderers once elected into office.

But on Saturday, President Banda told journalists at Lusaka’s City Airport before departure for Petauke that Sata was a vengeful and monstrous person.
“I hear him saying that he will hunt me down.

He is a vindictive person and I wonder how his church looks at him. He is hateful and let him come and hunt me down but it is monstrous to have such an attitude. Perhaps that is why he has never made it to the presidency,” said President Banda.

Sata also said there was no way a PF government would allow the current regime to waste over K135 billion of taxpayers money on a failed constitution reform process.

“They knew what they were doing because just from the onset, Zambians rejected their approach to enacting the new constitution.

But because of arrogance and insatiable appetite for money they proceeded and wasted huge sums of taxpayers money on a process, which even they themselves knew would yield nothing,” Sata said. “You can’t take people for granted like this.

Someone owes the Zambian people an explanation over this. It’s not only Vice-President George Kunda but even Rupiah Banda has some explanation to do over the NCC. I am currently in the villages and you have seen the poverty, which is here. How can over K135 billion be wasted just like that?”

Sata said it was very painful to see the people suffering in rural areas amidst the country’s abundant resources, which were being pocketed by those in power.

“In this government it appears leaders come first and the citizens who are the true owners of the power they hold come last. No wonder the numerous blunders because there is no country that is governed in this manner,” he said.
Sata said upon assuming power, the PF would address the current government’s failure to enact a people-driven constitution.

“The huge expenditure of more than K135 billion incurred under the NCC has been a sheer waste of scarce resources and these resources could have been applied to meaningful national development. We could have bought hospital drugs, books and desks for our schools and other things that our people require,” Sata said.

“We will establish in consultation with stakeholders a committee of experts to review the recommendations of all previous Constitutional Review Commissions in order to draft and present a constitution that will reflect the will and aspirations of the people for submission to a referendum and subsequent enactment only by the National Assembly.”

And during a baptism and marriage blessing ceremony at Kawama in the outskirts of Mbala constituency on Saturday, Sata told the crowd, which included Catholic priests that there was no way Zambians would be suffering if the country were in the hands of the right leadership.

“Here in Mambwe and Lungu areas they have lied to you that Sata is so old. They have also cheated you that Sata will bring war when he is made president. Do you bring war when you are given a good thing? Ever since they started stealing elections I have never brought any war,” he said.

He complained about the poor state of roads in the area.
“The roads are bad, after 47 years of independence.

In the Bible they have told us that you have eyes but you don’t see, you have ears but you don’t listen. If you have eyes and ears but you don’t see and listen, it’s your fault,” Sata said.

He told the people that their own children they elected to represent them were betraying them. Sata also advised a young couple whose marriage was being blessed to remain faithful to each other. And Fr Ives Bantungwa thanked Sata for gracing the function.

“We want to see those leading us. We want to speak to them… but some leaders how can we shake their hands when they are never seen?

You Sata have followed us in the village and visited us here and we are happy…we even say ichintu chintu umwene! Ichintu chintu umwene Hold dearly what you can see!” shouted Fr Bantungwa as the crowd responded in unison.

“Teti tulelumbanya uyo tushimona, nga aisako lilali kuno? Tesako! Na bambi tatwabeshiba, bambi tubamonafye pa ma TV. Bambi balandafye baletukanafye insele. Ifwe tufwaya ishiwi lisuma. We cannot be praising a person who does not visit us.

When did he ever visit us? He doesn’t come here! There are others we do not know; some we see them on television. There are others who just go about insulting, but for us we want a gentle voice.”

He advised the crowd not to listen to people that insult Catholic priests.
“Aba bantu bawelewele, bawelewele tebakumfwako.

Umuntu aiminina alatuka bashimapepo. Shimapepo ni shimapepo. Wiso ni wiso. Umwana uutuka wishi takashuke pano pesamba lya chalo. Aba bantu basuleni bawelewele! bawelewele! tebakumfwanako nefyo balelanda.

Mulechilika amatwi muleisala na menso nga mwamona fimo ifyalubana.” [Those who insult priests are disgruntled people; do not listen to them. How can someone stand on an antihill and start insulting a priest? A priest is a priest; and your father will always be your father.

A child who insults his father will never find a blessing under the sun,” said Fr Bantungwa as the crowd responded jubilantly. “Ignore such disgruntled people; do not pay attention to whatever they say. Just close your ears and eyes whenever you see weird things.”

Fr Elpidius Kalyepe said priests were like parents.

“People are saying Catholics are involving themselves in politics. We are parents for everybody. If we see a child being greedy, we have to remind them that ‘stop being greedy so that your colleagues can benefit as well’,” he said.

He said Zambia was a rich country but the problem lies with the leadership.

“Meat is just the same but cooks make it taste differently.

What I am only asking you this year during the elections is that pick a cook who will prepare your meat in the manner you want it prepared,” Fr Kalyepe said amidst ululation from people.

Fr Kalyepe also criticised the mobile hospital concept on grounds that they would not be able to pass through the bad roads in rural areas.

Sata is accompanied by Emmanuel Chenda and members of parliament who include, Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba Kasama Central, Willie Nsanda Chimw-emwe, Alfrida Mwamba Lukashya, Christopher Mulenga Chinsali and other party officials.