Maravi

Kabimba explains his 'fight' with GBM

Kabimba explains his 'fight' with GBM
By Roy Habaalu
Mon 22 Oct. 2012, 14:00 CAT

JUSTICE minister Wynter Kabimba says his differences with defence minister Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba are on principle. Kabimba, who is PF secretary general, said there was no compromise between those that were in government to make money and him who was there to serve the people.

"It's a difference of principle and on that principle there is no compromise; between those that want to serve their pockets, to line up their pockets and those of us who want to line up the pockets of the Zambian people, there is no compromise! The people of Zambia must make the correct judgment," said Kabimba in an interview.

"So if you want to put it in that way as a fight, it's a fight over principle, okay? The principle of service in government is not about enriching oneself, it's about serving the people of Zambia but if you come into government with the intention that you are going to get richer than you were in private practice, then you are in a wrong place all together.

That's the point and therefore it can't be the intention of the President that he appointed any of us to get richer in government. The intention of the President was that those of us that have been appointed to join his Cabinet have come to share his vision to serve the people of this country. And that type of service means that we should make a sacrifice which the President himself has taken."

Recently, Mwamba during an interview with UK-hosted online radio station, Crossfire Blog, said he was forced to go into active politics in order to successfully operate his businesses that were becoming difficult to run.
But Kabimba said people that were in the government to enrich themselves were in a wrong team.

He said ministers that intended to improve their businesses while in government were in conflict with the party manifesto and value.

"How do you walk on the path of bettering your life before you better that of a common man you are supposed to serve and the people of Zambia that have suffered over 20 years and have seen no meaningful development and change of their lives? And then you stand out and say because my business was doing badly I thought this was the time for me to make money, the answer is no! You are in a wrong group all together and emphasise that," he said.

Asked whether there was a fight between him and Mwamba as questioned by President Michael Sata on Friday, Kabimba said it was a misunderstanding between those that wanted to serve the people of Zambia and those that were in government to do business.

He said world over, there was no successful businessperson based on being a Cabinet minister.

Kabimba said he left his private practice as a lawyer where he was getting more money than he's getting as minister as a sacrifice to serve the people of Zambia.

Kabimba said his appointment as justice minister was an expression of confidence President Sata had in him.

"For others, they are able to confess that their businesses were doing badly until when they became cabinet ministers. So how can your businesses pick up when you have become a cabinet minister unless you are engaged in activities that go against the rules. And this idea of trying to finger-point others that you have enemies out there, there are no enemies, you're just an enemy of the people of Zambia. There are no enemies, if you have come to do business in government, you are the enemy of the people of Zambia. So for me that's what the fight is all about.

If it's a fight because we came into government to serve the people of Zambia, that's the primary responsibility not to serve ourselves. We didn't come into government to be self-serving, we didn't come into government to preserve ourselves, to come and lift our small businesses. We came into government to uplift the welfare and lives of the Zambian people that's the vision of the President," said Kabimba. "And this is the vision President Sata has maintained throughout his political career.

He was in the MMD government where people were enriching themselves but he came out more poorer than he had gone in. This is the spirit and vision our party and government should continue to embrace and struggle for; President Sata's selfless service to the people of this country."

Labels: CORRUPTION, GBM, PF, WYNTER KABIMBA

posted by MrK @ 3:47 PM