Maravi

Defend yourselves from MMD violence - Guy Scott

Defend yourselves from MMD violence - Guy Scott
By Ernest Chanda
Fri 26 Aug. 2011, 08:50 CAT

THE Patriotic Front (PF) has asked Zambians to defend themselves from the MMD-sponsored violence since the police are not ready to defend them. Addressing journalists yesterday at the party secretariat in Lusaka, PF vice-president Dr Guy Scott expressed disgust at the state media, which he said did not condemn the MMD violence but portrayed the opposition as violent parties.

Dr Scott, who was holding a copy of yesterday's state-owned but government-controlled Daily Mail which carried a story headlined: "PF unveils terror plan", Dr Scott described the story as rubbish.

He said the Daily Mail twisted a statement by PF secretary general Wynter Kabimba at a rally in Lusaka on Sunday when he urged PF members and the rest of Zambians to defend themselves from the MMD violence.

Kabimba said since police were sympathising with the MMD, the people were left with no choice but to defend themselves.

His call came in the wake of MMD cadres who were stationed at Kamwala to stop people from attending the PF rally.

Dr Scott wondered what the Daily Mail's motive of twisting an open statement was.

"Who can be stupid enough to unveil a terror plan? My own experience of the meeting is that I was dancing while I was in Mpongwe as those of you who read The Post may have seen," he said.

"And while I was dancing to the Baptist music, I got a phone call that the venue for our rally with a police permit opposite the Freedom Statue was infested with MMD cadres carrying machetes, catapults and so forth.

There were four buses and a truck, and unfortunately that put us in a position where we either had to chicken out or go ahead and take whatever measures necessary. We contacted the police at Lusaka Central so that they could clear the place but they failed. So our own cadres came to the site. And when the MMD was outnumbered, they left and we proceeded.

Police fear the MMD just like large sections of the press fear MMD. And we told our members, ‘please take whatever precautions you can for your safety'; that doesn't constitute terror plan."

And PF Chongwe parliamentary candidate Sylvia Masebo said President Rupiah Banda's statements denouncing violence were simply meant to appease donors.

"Kabonde, the IG Inspector General of Police is just a cadre, and you don't expect the police to be effective under an MMD cadre," Masebo said. "What do you expect from such a police? And so when people say ‘defend yourself', it is not that they are instigating violence. It is because they know that if you do not defend yourself, you will be dead, you will be killed.

If you do not defend yourselves, this election is as good as a rigged election already because you call for a meeting, your meeting is disrupted and then you have no people at your rally. You call that a free and fair election?

"How do you explain, immediately after an opposition leader makes a statement to his cadres to defend themselves, the next day there's a press conference from the IG to condemn and say ‘why are you taking the law in your own hands'? And yet there have been several statements made by those in the ruling MMD instigating violence.

No press conference has been called by the IG to condemn that because they are scared. And you say you have a police force? We do not have a police force in this country."

Chilanga PF parliamentary candidate Geoffrey Chumbwe urged his fellow party members not to be crybabies.

"The only person who can stop this violence is President Rupiah Banda. I say so because I know that President Rupiah Banda takes pride in violence," Chumbwe said. "Whether they like it or not we are going to say this now and again: that as far as we are concerned we are going to defend ourselves and we will not wait for the police. If defending ourselves amounts to terror then let it be, because we are not going to allow people beating us then we fold our arms. We are Zambians more than they are themselves."

And PF parliamentary candidate for Matero Constituency Miles Sampa said tactics of intimidating the opposition would not work in Zambia.

Mandevu PF parliamentary candidate Jean Kapata accused Kabonde of being a failure in his profession.

And the party's parliamentary candidate for Chawama Edgar Lungu said there was a calculated breakdown of law and order orchestrated by the MMD.

"If this country breaks into anarchy like in Zimbabwe, like in Kenya, like in Ivory Coast, we will put it squarely on Kabonde's hands. If police don't protect us, we will use reasonable force ourselves within the law," vowed Lungu.

And Prof Nkandu Luo, who is the party's candidate for Munali Constituency, said President Banda was not fit to lead the country.

And the party's parliamentary candidate for Kanyama Col Gerry Chanda accused all security wing leaders of being MMD cadres.

He said never before in Zambia's history had leaders of security wings ever called for a meeting where they were talking about a leader of an opposition party.

About a month ago, police and defence chiefs held a meeting where they denounced PF leader Michael Sata.

Other party members who spoke on similar lines were Kabwata parliamentary candidate Given Lubinda, Obvious Mwaliteta for Kafue Constituency and provincial chairman Davies Chama.

Labels: GUY SCOTT, PF, POLITICAL VIOLENCE

posted by MrK @ 5:37 PM