Maravi

Rupiah can’t bring me down - Patrick

Rupiah can’t bring me down - Patrick
By Chibaula Silwamba
Wed 13 July 2011, 12:01 CAT

RUPIAH Banda cannot bring me down, vows Patrick Mwanawasa. Reacting to MMD-orchestrated allegations that Kitwe mayor Elias Kamanga gave him fuel for campaign purposes, Patrick said President Banda and his crew were behind the unfounded allegations against him but vowed that they would not succeed in bringing him down.

Patrick, the eldest son of the late president Levy Mwanawasa, who appointed Banda his vice-president, warned that the head of state’s stubbornness would be his downfall and he would be removed from power as did happen to Ivory Coast’s Laurent Gbagbo.

“I can’t go down. I don’t see myself going down because I am going to fight to the hilt. Rupiah Banda cannot bring me down; in the end it will be him who is going to bring himself down because he is stubborn,” Patrick said.

“If he President Banda continues with his stubbornness, after the elections he will be embarrassed just like Laurent Gbagbo was embarrassed for refusing to leave office after losing power.”

Patrick denied ever obtaining fuel from Kitwe City Council.

“I never got any fuel from his worship the mayor of Kitwe Elias Kamanga. Due to his high integrity standing, I cannot see how he and I can be a subject of such frivolous allegations,” Patrick said.

“Nowhere in the information brought before the law enforcement authority is there any evidence which suggests that I was the direct or indirect beneficiary of any fuel.”

Patrick expressed disappointment that the Zambia Police Force could entertain the allegations leveled against him and Kamanga by Copperbelt Province MMD Task Force chairman Joe Malanji that they drew fuel from Kitwe City Council.

He wondered why the police wanted to pursue him and Kamanga while ignoring “criminals” in Cabinet that were abusing public resources for campaigns.

“Ambassador Malanji who runs a jungle jim of monkeys and clowns as MMD Task Force on the Copperbelt is merely implementing the plans of his masters. His masters are Rupiah Banda and crew,” Patrick said.

“Malanji’s masters are determined to destroy everything that president Levy Mwanawasa left behind, including me. They are determined to ensure that my political career does not take off. They have insatiable desire to shamelessly reduce me into a pauper. They would rather be comfortable to see me wearing the same black suit I wore at my father’s funeral.”

Patrick said President Banda and his crew were oppressing him because he refused to support them and they were determined to crash anybody who rendered any form of assistant to him or anybody that preserved the word and works of Mwanawasa.

He said that such unacceptable behaviour was the highest level of cruelty against human capital that must not be allowed to continue.

“They are accusing his worship the mayor Elias Kamanga of abusing public resources but the President, the Vice-President and ministers are traversing this country using government vehicles and public resources to go and campaign.

This is hypocrisy. Who are the criminals now? In fact, the police should start investigating ministers that are using government vehicles for campaigns,” said Patrick.

According to yesterday’s Zambia Daily Mail and ZNBC, the Kitwe City Council has grabbed the mayoral vehicle from Kamanga over allegations that he was using it for campaign purposes. This followed Malanji’s allegations against Kamanga.

Malanji further accused Kamanga of having refueled Patrick’s vehicle with 73.4 litres of petrol worth K635, 000 on the account of the Kitwe City Council.

Labels: ELIAS KAMANGA, MMD, PATRICK MWANAWASA, PF, RUPIAH BANDA

posted by MrK @ 6:42 PM