Maravi

HH insinuates that The Post was out to kill him

HH insinuates that The Post was out to kill him
By Mukosha Funga in Lusaka and Misheck Wangwe in Kitwe
Thu 21 June 2012, 13:25 CAT

UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema yesterday insinuated that The Post and its editor-in-chief Fred M'membe were out to kill him. And Hichilema says Sudan is a war-torn and rouge state where no political party can send decent cadres to go and train.

In a call in to an interview featuring his advisor Douglas Syakalima on Lusaka's UNZA Radio yesterday morning, Hichilema said The Post had never supported the UPND from as far as the days of the late Anderson Mazoka.

The programme was discussing whether the UPND was losing direction through the political course it had taken since the PF government took over the reins of power.

"It is an issue and please let us stop having double standards. There is no bitterness. That Post has never supported UPND. They used to call Mazoka names and used to write dialysis machine in their newspaper. Today they can praise Mazoka because he is dead," Hichilema said.

"Remember M'membe said my days are numbered. I am not afraid. If he wants to kill me, he knows my house. I am not afraid but we will talk for the people of Zambia."

Hichilema said The Post were just President Michael Sata's praise singers, while people will remember the UPND for standing for the good of the public.
Sources told The Post last week that the UPND leadership were scheming on radio programmes to scandalise M'membe.

"There is no bitterness. If Mr Sata takes the opposition leaders to Brazil with a large delegation, when Rupiah did that, we complained because he was wasting taxpayers' money," Hichilema said.

"When we complain, somebody says something. If Banda or Mbewe said something, it is a problem. If someone in The Post says something, it is okay. You can't have a country like that, no way. The issue is there is no bitterness. It is a question of if Mr Sata takes the opposition leaders to Brazil with a large delegation… someone complains that no, HH is jealous of Chipimo. Do you understand who HH is? ...Chipimo is receiving allowances which should have gone to pay retirees. That is all we are saying."

When reminded by the presenter of the programme that the major issue involving the UPND was the language it was using and its assertions that the PF government had sent its cadres to go and train as militia in Sudan, Hichilema said the sending of fuel to Malawi when the country had none was lack of planning.

"We have answered. Honourable Syakalima has answered ably on the issue of chimbwi no plan. We said that don't send fuel to Malawi when you don't have fuel. You give your neighbour's daughter or child food when your children have slept hungry. That is absence of planning," Hichilema said.

"That is all we said. We used it as an idiom, as an expression. Secondly, the Patriotic Front has signed an agreement with the National Congress Party of Sudan, which is the ruling party of Sudan. That is there. It is in the media. Yesterday the Daily Nation reproduced that article. We expect people to read before they comment."

Reminded further that the Sudanese government had denied that there was nothing of that nature, Hichilema said with a bit of difficulty that the issue was not an argument between him and the Sudanese government.

"It is a fact that an agreement has been signed. That is a fact. It is there," he said. "Sudan is a war-torn country, there is no doubt about it. Sudan is basically a rogue state, everybody knows that. Why would you send your decent people to train in a war-torn country?"

Hichilema said the role of a decent opposition was to make sure that people were made aware of the transgressions of the party in office.

"When an Executive member, the President for that matter, abuses his powers to protect friends such as M'membe and Mutembo Nchito from paying taxpayers' money which could be used to pay retirees and to improve the situation at UNZA, when the President removes the judges, Kajimanga, Musonda, and Mutuna to protect Fred M'membe and Nchito from paying taxpayers money, our job is to protect the public; to make them aware that the President is using his powers to protect friends and denying the farmer a good price for their maize," Hichilema said.

Hichilema said the people of Zambia must follow a logical sense of reasoning because removing judges to protect friends was corruption.

Meanwhile, the People's Pact Forum says Zambians expect Hichilema to rise above petty politics and transform his party to become a valuable opposition.

Commenting on Hichilema's remarks that Edith Nawakwi and Elias Chipimo accepted to travel with President Sata to Brazil because they had failed to run their political parties and were now part of the PF, forum national secretary Peter Sinkamba said the comments that were coming from the UPND leader left much to be desired.

Sinkamba said the decision by President Sata to extend an olive branch to the opposition on matters of national interest was commendable and added a lot of value to the country's democratic governance.

He said the opposition must rise above partisan politics and offer constructive criticism to the PF government as there was nothing sinister with the President inviting leaders of the opposition on presidential trips.

Sinkamba said Zambia would only develop if there was a strong link between the opposition and the ruling party in discussing matters of national development.

"The agenda at the Earth Summit in Brazil is very important. They are talking about how the international community will assist us to achieve sustainable development, get people out of poverty through the Green economy issues and improve international coordination of activities that can bring about development. Hichilema's remarks are appalling because every meaningful Zambian must support the spirit of dialogue President Sata is trying to promote," Sinkamba said.

Sinkamba said Hichilema must get rid of his bitterness and begin to differentiate between issues of politicking and issues of development.

Meanwhile NGOCC board chairperson Beatrice Grillo said President Sata's invitation to Nawakwi and Chipimo to the Rio summit was an indication of his political will to promote dialogue between the ruling party and the opposition.

Grillo said President Sata's decision to invite the two opposition leaders was a sign of maturity and an indication that he was willing to work with anyone to foster development.

"To be in the opposition does not necessarily mean you must always disagree. We need an opposition that will provide checks and balances but at the same time work with government to offer solution to many problems facing the country," Grillo said

And Caritas Zambia head of Justice and Peace unit Milimo Mwiba said there was nothing wrong with President Sata's decision to invite political leaders for the summit.

Mwiba said the gesture by President Sata was for the benefit of the country as every opposition political party was expected to contribute to national development in different ways.

"The PF the time it was in opposition it also condemned such gestures, but we are all requested to be above partisan lines and work towards developing the country as one people," Mwiba said.

And former Chingola mayor Mcdonald Mulongoti said it was good that President Sata was even being gender sensitive in his promotion of active participation from the opposition on matters of governance.

Mulongoti said Hichilema must work towards coming to terms with the fact that President Sata won the elections and find ways of making his party become a meaningful opposition.

Labels: DEATH THREATS, DOUGLAS SYAKALIMA, HAKAINDE HICHILEMA, THE POST, UPND

posted by MrK @ 4:22 PM