Sata turns down Comesa invitation

Sata turns down Comesa invitation
By Bright Mukwasa
Mon 10 Oct. 2011, 08:20 CAT

PRESIDENT Michael Sata has refused to attend the COMESA heads of state summit in Malawi due to the deportation order which was imposed on him by that country's government.

Speaking when Malawian High Commissioner David Bandawe delivered letters of congratulations on his election and of invitation to attend next week's Comesa summit of Heads of State and government in Lilongwe at State House yesterday, President Sata said he would not travel to Malawi although government would be represented by Vice-President Guy Scott and other government officials who would also take advantage to talk and express their indignation to that government over the issue.

"I have my Malawian lawyer Mr Ralph Kasambara who is representing me and your government is still insisting. So you find that on that basis I find it extremely difficult to go up to Malawi. Supposed a junior immigration officer wants to embarrass me and he bundles me again? Dr Bingu wa Mutharika would be very far, would be very remote and he is going to behave the same way they have behaved on this one," President Sata said.

"You are fully aware of the dilemma in which I am. You are fully aware that your government for no apparent reason just because I was in Blantyre to go and see Dr Bakili Muluzi, your government bundled, put me in some Land Rover and drove me all the way to Blantyre and then to the Zambian border. And your minister of information confirmed that I have been deported. Natural justice demands that the accused be heard.

"Your government has not been kind enough or courageous enough to tell me why they treated me in that way."

President Sata said that country's minister of information said that government decided to deport him because he was in opposition.

"In the Commonwealth I don't know if to be in the opposition is an offence to be treated the way I was treated. Your government has not bothered to apologise and if your government has not bothered to apologise and tell me what happened, they have not even apologised to my lawyer," he said.

"I thought when you are coming you were bringing a revocation of the deportation order or an apology from your government, but anyway you are just an envoy. And tell your minister of foreign affairs I would have loved to take this first international assignment, but unfortunately the predicament, the people of Zambia because of what the Malawi government did, the people were waiting to see what was I deported for and that delayed my coming to State House. When we campaigned in 2006 our colleagues in MMD were saying ‘oh, he was deported in Malawi' and all sorts of things. They put in lots of things'."

He said the deportation had brought with it a lot of political embarrassment at the time.

"I was even equally embarrassed where the Drug Enforcement Commission even came to bundle me up thinking that I am collecting money from Taiwan from Malawi through Bakili Muluzi. So once you rectify those things, I will be very willing to come to Malawi. But on this particular one, time is of essence. I don't think I will attend," said President Sata.

"But the government of Zambia will be represented by his honour the Vice-President, Ministry of Commerce and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and they will come or they will go and tell your government in person their disgust and indignation."

However, President Sata said he was hopeful the two governments could work out solutions to the standoff and thanked the Malawian government for congratulating him and inviting his government for the Comesa summit.

"I will take these things and time is essence but will find ways and means of replying to both letters to his excellency the President Bingu wa Mutharika and use the fastest means to reach the President. But he knows very well the predicament in which I am and this predicament it is up to the two governments to resolve."

On March 15, 2007, President Sata, then opposition PF leader, was deported from Malawi shortly after arrival.

President Sata, who left Lusaka for Malawi around 12:00 hours was driven out of the country by 16:00 hours by that country's immigration officers to Mwami border in Eastern Province of Zambia.

At the time, the opposition leader described his deportation as political and his lawyer commenced legal action against the Malawian government for violating his rights.

However, then Malawian information minister Patricia Kaliati asked President Sata to stay out of Malawi, failure to which they would deal with him.

And President Sata has also permitted a request by a Malawian opposition political party to establish a broadcasting station in Eastern Province.

"Your leader of your opposition they run a radio station and television station in Malawi and they came to ask me if we can give them permission to have a station in Chipata. That's an investment, you are welcome. So you can have your Malawian radio and broadcasting not government that private one after all they speak Chewa so the people of Eastern Province will benefit. That at least you have an advantaged knowledge you can tell your government."

President Sata appealed to Zesco and the transport sector to pass on the benefit of fuel reduction onto the consumers.

"I would like to use your presence to say that we promised our people we want more money in the people's pockets. I would like to congratulate our energy sector for the reduction in the fuel and I would like to appeal to the millers, Zesco and bus and goods transporters to pass that benefit to the people so that people can have the benefit."

President Sata has also reinstated dismissed NAPSA finance director Doreen Chiwele and Copperbelt University students who were expelled for protesting against the appointment of Dora Siliya as education minister.

"In the same way students who were expelled at the Copperbelt University for protesting against the appointment of Dora 'bokosi' Siliya as minister of education, I'm therefore reinstating them with full government budget bursary. And then again this lady Doreen Chiwele, finance director at NAPSA, she was protesting about corruption. You know I am allergic to corruption.

She was protesting against the corruption of NAPSA giving billions to some local corrupt person Meanwood and because she was the financial director when she protested, they fired her. I am reinstating her. I am regarding that dismissal that she has been on leave, on full pay and she has been with immediate effect reinstated."