Maravi

Freeing Chiluba was abuse - Chongwe

Freeing Chiluba was abuse - Chongwe
By Moses Kuwema
Wed 03 Aug. 2011, 13:59 CAT

DR Roger Chongwe says it is irresponsibility of the highest order for Ben Mwila to urge the people of Luapula to vote for President Rupiah Banda because he freed late Frederick Chiluba from his corruption cases.

Commenting on National Democratic Focus (NDF) president, Ben Mwila, who has been adopted to stand on the MMD ticket in Nchelenge despite being rejected by all the ruling party’s grassroots, Dr Chongwe said what the former late president did was wrong.

“Chiluba was president of Zambia, he stole money and property from the people of Zambia intentionally. He actually abused that position by stealing from the people and through his presidency a lot of people in Zambia, prominent politicians were killed under unexplained circumstances. So the theft of US $41 million which was confirmed by the London court, is a theft of money which would have made a difference to the lives of the people of this country including Luapula Province.

So it is not only unfair but irresponsible for Mwila to tell the people of Luapula that vote for President Banda because he allowed Chiluba to steal from the people of Zambia, that is not politics, that is not leadership, that is irresponsibility of the highest order,” Dr Chongwe said.

Dr Chongwe said it was abuse of power and authority for President Banda to have freed Chiluba from any obligation to pay back that which he stole from the people of Zambia and many other gross violations of human rights.

He urged the people of Luapula Province not to vote for an incompetent president who could not tell the difference between right and wrong, just because he freed Chiluba.

“The MMD government is not fighting corruption, they have not made it a secret! They have said it publicly that they are for corruption, they have removed the fundamental provisions in the anti-corruption Act which was used to catch people who stole government money. The MMD is a party that is ran by a corrupt president, and corrupt leaders and those leaders include Ben Mwila who although he has his own political party, has joined the MMD and is standing under the umbrella of MMD, he is doing that because he himself is dishonest and he sees nothing wrong in what Rupiah Banda and his lieutenants are doing to this country, which is destroying Zambia instead of building it,” Dr Chongwe said.

Addressing MMD cadres and civil servants, mainly teachers, at Mansa Airport on Friday afternoon, Mwila, said the people of Luapula had made a bad name for themselves in the previous elections when they voted for Sata and the PF.

He said the people supported PF on the basis that they were going to free late former president Chiluba, but that they should now vote for President Banda who freed the former president.

“That’s why PF became strong. Twalefwaya yapususha ba Chiluba. Nomba ba Chiluba balibapususha kale kuli ba Banda ababapele nomuchinshi ukulu sana ilyo lintu batushile pano isonde (We wanted PF to free Chiluba, but Chiluba was freed by Banda and even accorded him the due respect when he died),” Mwila said.

“Kanshi umulimo wa PF lilyanshita yalipwa. So we the people of Luapula, let us redeem ourselves. If we make the mistake of not voting for Banda, awe chikaba chilubo (it will be abominable). Pantu ba Banda nabatuposako amano sana (Banda is taking good care of us).”

Labels: FREDERICK CHILUBA, ROGER CHONGWE

posted by MrK @ 7:55 PM