Rupiah is a total failure, says Dr. Mbita Chitala

Rupiah is a total failure, says Dr. Mbita Chitala
By Patson Chilemba
Tue 17 May 2011, 04:00 CAT

PROMIMENT people are now endorsing Michael Sata because they have realised that Rupiah Banda is a total failure, says Dr Mbita Chitala. And Dr Chitala said the President Banda arms scam has the potential to turn into another ‘Chiluba is a thief case’.

Dr Chitala, who is Zambia’s former ambassador to Libya, said there was a Tsunami of change coming this year and no one could stop it.

He said all those who were clever and patriotic should join people like Dr Rodger Chongwe, Ludwig Sondashi and many other Zambians who had come out to endorse the candidature of PF leader Sata.

Dr Chitala said the people who supported President Banda’s candidature in the 2008 presidential elections had now changed their allegiance to Sata.

“Practice makes perfect. You know in the three years of seeing Mr Banda he has been a total failure, and therefore we have to change. And in the current scenario the only option for change with the manifesto is Mr Sata. And anyone who is reasonable in the country can see that,” he said.

On the decision by the government through defence minister Dr Kalombo Mwansa to report Kafulafuta MMD member of parliament George Mpombo to police for revealing that he resigned as defence minister because he refused to be drawn into a questionable US$100 million arms scam by President Banda, Dr Chitala said specialists on such matters said he had done nothing wrong.

He named former Zambia Army commander and the last prime minister during Dr Kenneth Kaunda’s reign, General Malimba Masheke, who had already provided guidance that Mpombo should not be afraid because he had done nothing wrong.

“I think Mpombo can be defined as honourable and patriotic that he was able to refuse to be an accomplice to crime and subsequently resigned. I think the country must thank him for that,” Dr Chitala said.

“This is just a systematic method of trying to intimidate PF members. The same thing happened to Eastern Province PF chairperson Lucas Phiri in Eastern Province. And there will be several others which will be coming.”

Dr Chitala wondered if the government would even take the matter to court because this could be a situation where the President could end up serving a jail sentence.

He said this could be another ‘Chiluba is a thief case’, where former president Frederick Chiluba took people to court but the whole thing opened a Pandora’s box into his crimes, for which he was prosecuted.

“He President Banda is the accused, not Mpombo,” Dr Chitala said. “Like Mpombo himself put it, it will be opening a chain of worms.”

Dr Chitala said there were several things involving President Banda which would come to the fore after he had left office.

He said whereas President Banda enjoyed immunity now and did not need to answer to any crime, people will one day get back to him and ask.

Dr Chitala advised the police to conduct themselves professionally on the Mpombo issue because the whole world was watching them.

He said the police should not be instigated by politicians to do things which were against the people of Zambia.