Maravi

Rupiah is a bad leader, says Masebo

Rupiah is a bad leader, says Masebo
By George Chellah
Tue 12 July 2011, 12:00 CAT

SYLVIA Masebo says President Rupiah Banda is a bad, vindictive and undemocratic leader who doesn’t deserve to be re-elected. Reacting to President Banda’s statement that she hated him, exhibited disrespect to the MMD leadership and was a mole in MMD who was leaking information to the media, Masebo said she had been vindicated by President Banda’s claims.

“President Banda’s claim that I hate him because I supported (Ng’andu) Magande and that I was leaking party information to the press clearly vindicates my earlier statement against him that he is very vindictive, undemocratic and harbours hatred against me,” Masebo, who is Chongwe member of parliament, said.

“How does he today claim that I was leaking party information to the press and yet only four or five months ago he offered, through Vice-President George Kunda, to appoint me as minister which offer I turned down because I knew it was only meant to compromise me as I knew that he had been telling people that he will never appoint me because he wanted to fix me for having supported Magande?

He had been telling some people that he wanted to see me go down on my knees before him pleading for a job.

The President said this to several people, who included UPND Mazabuka member of parliament Garry Nkombo at a Zesco function in Siavonga. Garry was at that function in his capacity as chairman of the parliamentary committee on energy.”

Masebo wondered why President Banda wanted her appointed as minister if he knew that she was leaking party information to the press.

“And why was he asking me not to stand at the MMD convention because he was going to nominate me into the national executive committee NEC if he knew that I was leaking party information? Why didn’t he tell me in my face when I met him in his office that he didn’t want me to stand because I was leaking information? Instead he offered to nominate me into NEC, which is the highest policy making organ of the party. Isn’t that a contradiction?” Masebo asked.

“Even after I declared that I was not going to stand on the MMD ticket in this year’s election, why was the party leadership insisting that I stand on the MMD ticket if I was a mole or if I was a member not in good standing? All this is President Banda’s cheap and desperate propaganda to justify his hatred for me.

Everybody in MMD knows the truth. If it is true that I was behind the party leakages, why have these leakages continued even after I quit MMD? What the President must know is that for as long as there is bad governance, leakages will always be there.”

Masebo said the press always knew how to get information.
“President Banda knows that I had been minister under Levy Mwanawasa for seven years.

Part of those seven years President Banda was vice-president and he knows that there are a number of issues which can make good news for the public if I was leaking information. I am a very responsible citizen and leader.

But please don’t push me too much,” Masebo said. “President Banda’s claims that I am disrespectful simply because I stand for the truth and also I rejected his schemes to bar me from exercising my democratic right to stand at the MMD convention where he spent hundreds of millions of kwacha to decampaign me but failed.”

Masebo said President Banda was very bitter and was now spending a lot of state funds to decampaign her in Chongwe.

“He has vowed that they will use all the resources to ensure that I lose the Chongwe seat. In their own words, they have vowed to use all state resources and machinery to defeat me.

And if this fails, they have vowed to even use juju to ensure that I lose the Chongwe seat. What kind of desperation is that?” Masebo asked. “And yet President Banda says I am not a factor in Chongwe and he will laugh last.

If I am not a factor, why does he have to use ZNBC, Times, Daily Mail and the internet to scandalise my name? He wants to mislead the public that he is a good old man who doesn’t hate me and yet he is busy paying these young political mercenaries to scandalise me.

The public should know that all the statements in the government newspapers and ZNBC about me are mere fabrications originating from State House. All these are meant to discredit me and mislead the public. Is this the kind of man who is fit to be in State House to look after state resources?”

She said the issue of Michael Sata scheming to replace Inonge Wina with herself, as PF national chairperson was another fabrication from President Banda meant to distabilise PF because Sata’s victory in this year’s election is becoming clear and causing him sleepless nights.

“The Western Province support for Sata and PF is what is causing them to fabricate lies with the hope that the people of Western Province will be swayed by those cheap lies. How can the entire government media be used by a President to misinform the public on national issues?” Masebo asked.

“If I am not a factor, why doesn’t he only wish me good luck in my future political endeavours like he did to Honourable Lameck Mangani? Is it because he thinks that Hon.

Mangani knows more about his dealings and parentage issues than I do? Or simply that he considers me a vulnerable woman to be pushed around? Let him know that I am not intimidated.

“As I earlier stated, the people of Chongwe are the masters and will decide who should be their MP. He can use all the state resources and machinery against me but he must be reminded of the PF slogan ‘Don’t Kubeba’ or as we say in Soli ‘aikona kubambila’ ‘lyani mali niyenu aikona kubambila (Receive the money because it is yours but don’t alert them that you shall not vote for them)’”.

She said President Banda has recently lashed a personal attack on her integrity using ZNBC, Chanda Chimba and other state agents.

“The Times of Zambia and Daily Mail are being used every day to write false stories against me just to destroy my reputation with the people of Chongwe and Zambia in general. President Banda is using all the state machinery against me ever since I left the MMD to join PF.

If in am not a factor as they claim, why are they spending billions of kwacha just to decampaign one poor woman who in their own words is not a factor and her departure from MMD was good riddance?” she asked.

She said the problem with some African leaders is that they want bootlickers for followers.

“When you stand for the truth and express personal opinion on issues, you become an enemy and when you reject their ministerial appointment then you are disrespectful.

I’am an adult who understands and is able to distinguish a good leader from a bad leader. And for me, my conclusion on President Banda’s leadership is that he is very petty, vindictive and undemocratic,” Masebo said. “He is a bad leader and therefore, a wrong man to remain as President and Zambians will live to regret if voted back.

I am aware that there are some leaders within the MMD and government who share this view but are not brave enough to voice out and are only praying that the Zambian people will not vote for Rupiah Banda again. In their own words, ‘it will be a disaster for Zambia to have this man for five years.’”

Labels: MMD, RUPIAH BANDA, SYLVIA MASEBO

posted by MrK @ 5:44 PM