COBUSU urges govt to probe bursaries committee
By Mwila Chansa-Ntambi
Fri 07 Oct. 2011, 06:00 CAT
PRESIDENT Michael Sata must also clean up universities because they have been marred by corruption, according to former Copperbelt University Students' Union (COBUSU) president David Chikwanda. And Chikwanda has
appealed to the new government to re-instate CBU students that were expelled in 2008 for protesting against the appointment of Dora Siliya as education minister.In a statement, Chikwanda urged the government to ensure that an audit is conducted at the bursaries committee because it had allegedly been rocked with corruption and incompetence.
"For example, in the run-up to the 2008 presidential election, government-sponsored students at CBU received an amount of K500,000 each from bursaries committee without any explanation. Up to now, no explanation has been given to explain this allowance because it was not the usual meal allowance," Chikwanda stated.
"It is not a secret that the bursaries committee was used to campaign for Rupiah Banda at the time by giving students bribes."
Chikwanda said this was not only electoral fraud but also corruption of the highest order, which needed to be followed up by the new government.
He said there were some government-sponsored students who used to go through their academic years without ever receiving the allowances due to them and yet the government had been releasing funds.
Chikwanda accused ‘greedy and selfish' individuals of stealing from innocent students.
And Chikwanda appealed to President Sata to reinstate students who were expelled in 2008 for protesting the appointment of Siliya.
The protest came after former president Banda re-appointed Siliya who had earlier resigned from her position as communications minister after the Judge Dennis Chirwa-led tribunal found that she had breached the Constitution by appointing RP Capital Partners of Cayman Islands to valuate Zamtel assets against the Attorney General's advice to the government.
"The students in the name of Kasonde Mwenda, Lucky Miyanda, Kenneth Sampa and Oliver Silumbe were used as scapegoats by heartless and selfish MMD cadres in the university management who protected their jobs at the expense of innocent students. I kindly appeal to the President to kindly reinstate our friends so that they can complete their education and contribute positively to the development of this nation," said Chikwanda.
Labels: AUDITING, COBUSU, CORRUPTION, UNIVERSITIES
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COBUSU urges govt to address problems facing youths
By Darious Kapembwa in Kitwe and Christopher Miti in Chipata
Sun 13 Mar. 2011, 04:01 CAT
COPPERBELT University Students Union (COBUSU) president David Chikwanda has urged the government to resolve problems facing youths without calling them to dialogue because the problems are well known. And Bishop William Mchombo says youths are at the crossroads of their youthful lives because of challenges of poverty and unemployment.
In a walk-in interview in Kitwe, Chikwanda, who was accompanied by two unemployed CBU graduates, said conditions in which many young people were living were very bad and needed to be addressed without necessarily calling them to dialogue.
“The questions that government must address are; why is there no mutual understanding between government and young people? We are talking about dialogue and understanding. There must be a reason why all of a sudden there is no understanding between young people and their government,” Chikwanda said.
He said examination results at grades seven and nine painted a clear picture of some of the miseries that young people went through which needed to be addressed before government sought mutual understanding with young people.
“Right now there are more bars and taverns than libraries in communities around the nation. So you cannot expect young people to be any better. It’s simply not healthy and I think people do not need a round table meeting with young people to dialogue on that issue … because it’s been a long-time cry of the people,” he said.
And former COBUSU finance secretary Masuzyo Nyirongo said there could not be mutual understanding when the public media was airing programmes whose only intent was to mudsling other political parties and perceived MMD government political opponents.
Meanwhile, Bishop Mchombo who is the head of the Anglican Diocese of Eastern Zambia said the church appreciated the work of the Zambian youth during the liberation struggle.
“Over the short years of our independence the youth have contributed positively to the cultural, economical and social development of our nation through different media and occupations,” Bishop Mchombo said.
He said the youths challenges were exacerbated by attendant problems of substance abuse, early marriages, and failure to access equitable education especially young ones from rural and poor families.
“Because our youths have become so vulnerable economically, we see them being subjected to emotional, physical (political), sexual and psychological violence by people who have the means to provide the necessary help. The frequency of domestic violence and sexual abuse of children as reported in the media has also become a matter of grave concern,” Bishop Mchombo said.
He urged people to work together to eradicate the vices afflicting the young people and lend a listening ear to their cry. He also said youths should be engaged and listened to and not be abused in any form.
“Those in positions of power and influence should use their authority with a lot of restraint and humility in enhancing true youth empowerment and sustainable development and not for political expedience or egotism,” he said.
And former Chipata mayor Patrick Chirwa urged the youths not to accept to be used as political tools by various political parties.
He said it was unfortunate that some parties regard youths as friends during elections. Chirwa said a powerful and principled youth wing was a backbone of any nation.
Labels: COBUSU, YOUTHS
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Hikaumba urges CBU senate to reinstate expelled union leaders
Written by Chibaula Silwamba
Monday, September 14, 2009 5:43:11 AM
ZAMBIA Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) president Leonard Hikaumba has appealed to the Copperbelt University (CBU) senate to immediately reinstate the expelled union leaders.
Commenting on the CBU senate’s expulsion of Copperbelt University Students Union (COBUSU) executive, Hikaumba said expelling students’ union leaders was not a solution to the frequent unrests at universities.
CBU in Kitwe re-opened yesterday.
“Since its not a solution, we want to appeal to the senate of the Copperbelt University to revisit the decision that they made to expel students’ union leaders because that will not resolve the problems that gave rise to the students’ protest,” said Hikaumba, who was part of the UNZASU executive that was expelled when he was a student several years ago. “As long as we do not focus on the real causes of these problems, as long as we address just the symptoms we shall always have problems at hand. So our appeal is that they should reinstate the students and then address the problem that caused the students’ unrest.”
He further urged the Ministry of Education to intervene if the senate would not rescind its decision.
“To our colleagues the students, we want to appeal to them that let us also try to find other ways of airing our grievances or emphasising our grievances because over time the main way of expressing themselves the students have had to embark violence,” Hikaumba said.
He said riots were not the right way to express grievances.
“In most cases when there is a riot, the victims are innocent people. In fact, sometimes the people who support the students fall victims,” said Hikaumba.
Last Monday, September 7, 2009, the CBU senate expelled the entire COBUSU leadership for having violated students’ rules and regulations as provided for in the students’ information handbook.
The senate further suspended students that were identified as having actively participated in causing disturbances at the institution between April 18 and August 12, 2009 pending appearance before the dean of students’ disciplinary committee.
Labels: CBU, COBUSU, LEONARD HIKAUMBA, ZCTU
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UNZASU demands reinstatement of expelled COBUSU leaders
Written by Masuzyo Chakwe in Lusaka and Mutuna Chanda in Kitwe
Saturday, September 12, 2009 2:04:20 AM
UNIVERSITY of Zambia Students Union (UNZASU) has demanded that the expelled Copperbelt University Students Union (COBUSU) leaders be reinstated and subjected to a speedy fair trial.
And former COBUSU president Emmanuel Mwange said the expelled students' leadership at CBU had good grounds to sue the university.
According to a statement, UNZASU president Duncan Nyirongo revealed that the students were looking at other alternatives to help their colleagues.
"It is rather shocking that the much learned authorities of the university could sink so low as to expel the students without any form of trial to prove their innocence. This is an act of tyranny, an act of oppression and dictatorship. The issue to do with students resorting to demonstrations; one of their constitutional and democratic rights of expressing displeasure, is not a new phenomenon. It is therefore significant that a critical assessment of this matter be carried if a better and lasting solution is to be found," he stated.
Nyirongo stated that students at various institutions of learning across the nation would take to the streets as a way of expressing their displeasure over the casual attention most of their issues had received from various stakeholders in the country.
"NRDC, Chainama College, NIPA, Evelyn Hone College and UNZA, are examples of institutions that have gone through such eventualities. With such a background, it would be unfair to perceive a student who demonstrates for better conditions at their institution of learning or indeed police brutality as being indisciplined. Because this would entail that almost all students at higher institutions of learning in the nation are indisciplined, something that is far from the truth," he stated.
Nyirongo stated that the demonstrations were so peaceful that no confrontation with the police was recorded.
He stated that it was difficult for those that were being criticised to understand why the students resorted to demonstrations in most cases.
"If one is to fully understand why the much learned university lecturers have on several occasions expressed their grievances through demonstrations such as withdrawal of labour, they may probably have to be a lecturer. It should be understood that the many problems that we are going through today, either as an institution or the nation, are because of the inadequacies in the policies that someone who was in leadership before, never did their part," he stated. "They might have taken things so casually without considering the effects of such decisions on us the siblings and indeed children."
He stated that the manner in which the CBU management and senate had treated the case of students suspected to have played a role in the recent demonstrations was of great concern to UNZASU.
"We all understand the right of any accused to be heard as being one of the fundamental principles of the natural justice. Expulsion from a university is the highest level of punishment that can ever be slapped by the university on erring students. As such, there should be evidence beyond any reasonable doubt for such a punishment to be metted on any accused person. This punishment has to do with elimination of the one found wanting from the community in question [University community]. This is not any different from what was happening in South Africa during the time of apartheid," he stated.
Nyirongo stated that it was rather alarming that such a punitive action could be arrived at without the accused being tried.
He expressed concern over the decision made by the university to suspend the students union, totally disregarding the provision of its existence in Article 39 of the University Act.
"We have high hopes that the university authorities comprising of the highly learned individuals whom the general public look up to will try to appreciate the basic principles of natural justice and allow justice to prevail. Even as they reconsider your verdict, it is just fine that they take a critical assessment of the situation the students are confronted with,"Nyirongo stated.
"Union leaders are there in their official capacity to facilitate dialogue with the police and any other concerned persons or authorities, they are also there as spokespersons for the students. It is because of this mammoth task that students' leaders are bound to be found in predicaments like one of this nature."
And Mwange described the ejection of the students as a mockery of justice.
"The decision to expel them is a travesty of justice; it's ultra vires to suspend union activities, it is not backed by the law," Mwange said. "The expelled leaders have good grounds to sue. There's a precedent that was set in 1999 when COBUSU leaders were expelled; they filed an injunction and the union won the case."
Mwange, who is acting as a negotiator for the expelled COBUSU leaders, said arrangements were being made with lawyers to see how the case could be handled.
"We have tried to lobby the parties who were involved in the decision and some of the people saw a rocky heart in the decision, we are trying to speak to others whom we didn't speak to," he said. "There are also political ramifications to this issue and I am urging the students' leadership at UNZA; the UNZASU to prepare their guts, to prepare their hearts, to prepare their souls and spirits because what is happening is an attempt to silence credible voices."
He said UNZASU needed to stand and defend the cause of their counterparts who had been expelled.
"We need to get rid of this beggar mentality in this country where if someone steps on your toes, you say 'excuse me, my feet are under yours'," he said. "I expect the student leadership at UNZA to lead peaceful demonstrations and I would urge them to stand in the gap for the cause they have stood up for. UNZASU should show the incompetent leadership of Rupiah Banda; I would urge them to peacefully demonstrate. I would urge civil society, trade unions and all progressive voices to rise en masse. The only way mediocre leadership will win is if we do nothing. The expulsion of COBUSU leadership provides an opportunity to voice out over Zamtel, the mediocre Chiluba judgment, the hacking of journalists and also to ensure that there's justice over the shooting of an innocent student."
And expelled COBUSU president Kasonde Mwenda said the last senate meeting that he and COBUSU academic affairs secretary Laston Sangwapo attended concluded that the students' union was innocent of the riotus acts that led to the burning of the Toyota Hilux Surf.
Mwenda challenged the senate to go back to the minutes of the meeting in which they resolved that COBUSU was innocent of the riotus acts.
He explained that COBUSU presented its position on the riot in which the vehicle was burnt and that the senate declared the union innocent.
And Sangwapo expressed surprise that in one breath, CBU said COBUSU would not be held responsible for the riot and in another, asked the student leaders to find the ones who burnt the vehicle or else some people would be sacrificed.
Last week, the CBU senate expelled the entire COBUSU leadership and suspended some students for activities that caused instability at the institution leading to a riot on the evening of August 12 in which a Toyota Hilux Surf was burnt.
The senate also suspended all students' union activities.
The expulsions and suspensions came after home affairs minister Lameck Mangani's sentiments that some COBUSU leaders might have to be expelled.
Mangani's earlier statement that was aired on Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) on August 12 that the peaceful demonstration that the students held during the day in Kitwe was politically motivated, sparked the riot in which the Toyota Hilux Surf was burnt.
Labels: COBUSU, EMMANUEL MWANGE, UNZASU
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Expelled COBUSU leaders seek justice
Written by Staff Reporters
Friday, September 11, 2009 5:07:41 PM
NINE expelled Copperbelt University Students Union (COBUSU) executive members yesterday resolved to spend a night outside the Boma local court in Lusaka in a symbolic mission to seek justice over their expulsion. Expelled COBUSU president Kasonde Mwenda said the former students would also fast to seek justice over their ejection from school.
"We have not been tried but we have been found guilty. We will gather at 20:00 tonight [yesterday] at the local court; we are sleeping here to seek justice," Mwenda said. "We don't have where to spend a night. Why should we eat and sleep well when we have been robbed of our future? We are on a total fast."
He said his executive decided to take the protest to Lusaka after exhausting all the available channels in Kitwe and having appealed to CBU against their expulsions.
He said the students' executive had been used as a sacrificial lamb but that they would seek justice.
Mwenda said the university knew beyond doubt that the union leaders were innocent.
He said CBU made him and his colleagues part of an investigation to establish who was behind the confusion on the evening of August 12 that culminated in a street demonstration in which a Toyota Hilux Surf was burnt on Jambo Drive.
"What is happening is flushing innocent souls and using them as scapegoats," Mwenda said. "I am a person; I have got a future also and my parents expect something out of it... I am a fifth-year student with only four months remaining and you want to just throw that away? Wickedness should not be made to be with right. If those who advocate peace can be treated like criminals then I don't know."
He wondered why the COBUSU executive was expelled without being allowed to exculpate themselves.
"I led people on a peaceful demonstration [during the day] which has not happened in a very long time," he said. "I was trying by all means to bring sanity; if this be the reward then God vindicate us. It takes the university way back... they made us part of investigation, they got statements from us, little did we know that we were the targets."
He said COBUSU leaders testified their innocence to the riotus behaviour and that they should not have been expelled just because they belonged to the union.
"They know beyond doubt that we never authored confusion," said Mwenda. "I myself risked my life to go and stop the confusion... we are people of calibre and we should be judged by what we stand for; we stand for right and truth. I'll stand for right and justice whether expulsion or imprisonment... because I know the Christ in me is greater than the one who is in the world."
COBUSU judiciary chairperson Vincent Sakeni said the student body would seek legal redress over expulsion of the entire union executive if proper reasons were not advanced.
Sakeni in his complaint letter to CBU Vice-Chancellor dated September 8, 2009, stated that the decision by the university senate to expel the entire COBUSU executive does not make any logical sense.
"Now, we are still wondering as to why you as the Chairman and the Registrar as the Secretary of this body failed to inform the union of this meeting so that it could send its representatives. I am led to believe that this was a deliberate move to leave out lawful members of the Senate of that meeting. It is thus a breach of the law, and we as a union shall seek legal redress over this matter should you fail to furnish us with proper reasons for such a failure. Furthermore, my understanding of the university's disciplinary policy is that COBUSU officials are supposed to be brought before the Adhoc student disciplinary committee in order to give them a chance to thoroughly exculpate themselves over the charges brought forward. I believe that failing to convene such a forum to try the union executive is circumvention of the justice that is supposed to be accorded to them," he stated. "I also wish to raise serious concerns over the remarks made by Hon. Lameck Mangani who is the Minister of Home Affairs. His ministry is in charge of public security and not direction of university rules and regulations."
Sakeni stated that Mangani's comments created a strong impression that the state interfered in the management of the university, thus leading to expulsion of the union executive.
"This is a serious breach of the semi-autonomous nature of public universities. These institutions are created by law and are thus only subject to the relevant laws and the policies of the Ministry of Education. Therefore, it is imperative that purely political-minded individuals like Hon. Mangani should concentrate on their political work and not interfere in the running of the institution," he stated.
Following the student peaceful demonstration in which they called for education minister Dora Siliya’s removal and a riot later in the night, Mangani remarked that the students' demonstration were politically motivated.
Mangani issued another statement saying it was unfortunate that some COBUSU leaders might have to be expelled.
And Zambia Civic Education Association (ZCEA) executive director Judith Mulenga described the expulsion of the entire COBUSU executive as a punitive and repressive measure.
Mulenga urged the CBU Senate to immediately rescind its decision to expel the university student leaders and reinstate them.
"Expulsion of the student leaders will not solve the many problems that the university faces. Expelling the student leaders is a punitive and repressive measure that is intended to create fear in the student populace," she said.
She described the expulsion as victimisation.
"It is reactive rather than proactive and like many reactive decisions it is meant to buy time for the short term, mere fire-fighting. The long-term solutions need an honest, objective and concerted examination of the problems and not knee jerk responses," Mulenga said. "Even if these student leaders are expelled other leaders will emerge and other riots will occur as long as the root causes of the problems are not addressed. Meanwhile, the contribution that the expelled students would have made to Zambia's development will be lost.
"Who doesn't know that persons with leadership qualities are movers, shakers and doers? A fiery former UNZA student leader by the name of Ben Chilufya was expelled in the 1980s during the UNIP-rule but other students later rose up and led the riots in 1990 that culminated in the fall of the UNIP led government!"
She stressed the need for human rights to defend the expelled students.
"In these difficult times of consistent and deliberate repression when the hegemony uses the tired old divide and rule technique, when people's actions are guided by 'what is in it for me?' there is a need for a committed cohort of human rights defenders over and above their respective organisations' or day jobs who should rise up and fight for the human rights of individuals such as these student leaders," she said.
Mulenga said ZCEA was sure that the members of the senate were once students who know what goes on at these institutions.
"Often enough student leaders mean well but are caught between a rock and a hard place - they have to balance their electorate’s demands and the middle ground and sometimes they fail," Mulenga said. "We see this even at central government level where leaders fail to stop their cadres' zeal and belligerent attitude to those perceived to be enemies."
And Natural Resources Development College Students Union (NRDCSU) said the action taken by CBU management was undemocratic and humiliating, saying it aimed at instilling fear and cowardice in the students as it was a way of blocking them from airing their views and operating independently.
NRDCSU president Aston Musakabantu said it was unfair and illogical for CBU administration to expel the entire union leadership without a proper reason.
Labels: COBUSU, KASONDE MWENDA
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Tyranny extends to students
Written by Editor
A government that exists to serve the people has no reason to resort to repression. Governance is about service. Repression has to do with taking away the rights of the people. It is a contradiction for a government that claims to exist for the benefit of its people to resort to repressive methods.
In almost every instance where a government resorts to repression, the underlying cause has to do with protecting the status quo and privileges of those in power. We say this because it would not make any sense for the government to oppress the people for their benefit.
For anyone who was in doubt about where Rupiah Banda and his minions want to lead this country, the writing is on the wall. It is clear for all to see. What we have is a repressive regime, intolerant of democratic values. What may have appeared as isolated or unconnected mistakes or errors of judgment are now falling like clear mosaic of what type of government Rupiah is running.
Rupiah and his minions may pretend to be democrats and once may chant some slogans that would qualify them as such. But anyone caring to examine their pronouncements and deeds carefully soon realises that these are unconverted tyrants living in an era that many of us would like forgotten.
Rupiah has embarked on a systematic assault on all possible sources of dissent in our country. There is nothing uncoordinated about his assault on the media, NGOs, church organisations and now student organisations. It is clear that his underlying strategy is to intimidate and eliminate any organisation and individuals who attempt to challenge his hold on power.
The preferred method of executing his strategy is to hide behind the law. His government behaving like a classical dictatorship is determined to push illegitimate and ill-conceived interpretations of the law to frustrate and emasculate the effectiveness of civil society in general.
In relation to the media, it is clear that Rupiah’s government wants to control what we say, when we say it and how we say it. As we have said before, when they talk about regulating the media, they do not intend to ensure that the public is better informed about what is going on in their country and indeed about that most dreaded and envied kind of information, we mean of the character and conduct of their rulers.
On the contrary, they want to make sure that they can limit what the people hear so that they can continue to monopolise power and influence for their own personal aggrandisement. We will not be surprised if Rupiah and his minions carry out their threats to impose statutory media regulation. Everything about the way they behave tells us that this is what they want to do.
It is just one key plank in their scheme to perfect their repression. They want to be able to say they are only fulfilling the law when they brutalise journalists and stop us from performing our duties. It is not a matter of sheer coincidence that the abuse of journalists has increased exponentially in the short period that Rupiah has been President. In fact, the short period that Rupiah has been in State House feels like a very long time. So many wrong things have happened that it is difficult to believe that somebody can do so much wrong in such a very short time. But this is the reality. We do not expect the ill-treatment of the media and civil society in general to change under Rupiah. As we head towards the next election, we should brace ourselves for more difficult times ahead.
Look at the way Rupiah wants to deal with the NGOs? This has nothing to do with him and his minions trying to protect our country. Their scheme is clear. The NGOs that they support, or that support them, will thrive. Those NGOs who try to stand for what benefits the people and oppose or question what Rupiah and his minions are doing will pay a price. This is the nature and quality of governance under Rupiah. It is not the first time that we are seeing this. Under Frederick Chiluba, we saw many so-called NGOs formed to champion his causes. Most of these disappeared as soon as Chiluba left office. Since Rupiah came to power, some of the same characters that Chiluba used to champion his evil schemes are back as NGO activists. For these characters to be heard, they need to work with government-controlled media.
Everybody knows what they are about. They are hired guns who live for what they can get on that particular day. Rupiah will not tolerate an independent civil society. He will do everything in his power to repress independent thought. This is the kind of person we are dealing with.
No one can deny that we have made some advances in democracy as a country. We have an imperfect system but many of us thought we were heading in the right direction. Rupiah is determined to reverse all that. Unless he is stopped, we will find ourselves back in the Stone Age.
When last did we hear about university students being expelled because of being representatives of their fellow students? We would not be surprised if the current generation of students born in the mid to late 1980s do not even know that there was a time when students were routinely expelled after student demonstrations.
Many members of the students’ union lost significant numbers of academic years to expulsions and suspensions because of their student activism. But also it cannot be denied that most of these students have emerged from that to become some of our best citizens in many areas of human endeavour.
Wherever there is tyranny, it is always the young people, the students who bear the worst brunt of it. And our young people at the Copperbelt University and the University of Zambia should brace themselves for more difficult days. We say this because Rupiah and his minions know very well that all over the world, it is young people who are actually involving themselves in the struggle to eliminate tyranny.
They are the ones who most quickly identify with the struggle and the necessity to eliminate the unacceptable conditions that exist. Having set his sights on the media, the NGOs, church organisations, it is only logical that Rupiah should now target students who more often than not have been catalysts for change in history. And every pretext will be used to justify Rupiah’s tyranny against them.
It should be very clear to everyone now that Rupiah has serious problems managing a democracy. We say this because democracy is nothing but the management of conflict, compromise and consensus. Human beings possess a variety of sometimes contradictory desires. People want safety yet relish adventure; they aspire to individual freedom yet demand social equality. Democracy is no different, and it is important to recognise that many of these tensions, even paradoxes, are present in every democratic society. However, a central paradox exists between conflict and consensus. Democracy is in many ways nothing more than a set of rules and practices for managing conflict.
At the same time, this conflict must be managed within certain limits and result in compromises, consensus or other agreements that all sides accept as legitimate. An overemphasis on one side of the equation can threaten the entire undertaking. If Rupiah and his minions in the governing MMD perceive democracy as nothing more than a forum in which they can force their desires and wishes on all of us, the nation can be crushed from above.
This tells us that democracy is not a machine that runs by itself once the proper principles and procedure are inserted. A democratic society needs the commitment of citizens who accept the inevitability of conflict as well as the necessity for tolerance. And this is why democracies make several assumptions about human nature. And one is that, given the chance, people are generally capable of governing themselves in a manner that is fair and free.
Another is that any society comprises a great diversity of interests and individuals who deserve to have their voices heard and their views respected. As a result, one thing is said to be true of all healthy democracies: they are noisy. And for tyrants, this is unacceptable; it is something that must be stopped, must be crushed. And this is the behaviour, this is the attitude that we see every day from Rupiah and his minions – the noise must be stopped so that they can do whatever they want without being challenged, without being questioned; without having to compromise and reach consensus with anyone. Their evil schemes should prevail in everything and at all times. A democracy cannot be run that way. It’s only under tyranny that such an approach can be contemplated.
It is not possible to be a true democrat without being interested in public welfare and public good. Those who practice politics of benefits cannot be democrats. We say this because when practiced correctly, democracy curtails greed, selfishness, vanity and all other forms of abuses of power. In this way democracy ensures that the exercise of power is the constant practice of self-limitation and modesty.
Tyranny on the other hand is a shameless exercise of power. It is not bothered with the proper and fair application of the law. Tyranny does not even allow common sense to interfere with its excesses. This is what we see in the behaviour of Rupiah and his minions.
To them, being in power means being in charge of everything, having the final say on everything, deciding every government contract without even pretending to follow laid down tender procedures; it means that only them have the mandate to speak. To them there is nothing wrong with Rupiah and his minions controlling the judiciary, parliament, the media, the churches, NGOs, and even student organisations. But we know that it’s only tyrannical regimes that look at things this way. We say this because in a democracy, the voice of those in government is just one among many.
The voices of democracy include, of course those of the government, its political supporters and opposition. But they are joined by the voices of the labour unions, organised interest groups, community associations, the news media, scholars and critics, religious leaders and writers, small businesses and large corporations, churches, schools, universities and so on and so forth. All these groups are free to raise their voices and participate in the democratic political process without inhibition, harassment or intimidation by those in government, by the president and his minions.
In this way, democratic politics acts as a filter through which the vocal demands of a diverse populace pass on the way to becoming public policy. We can contrast this with what Rupiah is doing: his wishes have to be carried through by the country’s judicial process, his electoral desires have to be realised by the electoral commission; his enemies – real or perceived – have to be pursued by the police for all sorts of alleged crimes while his friends go scot-free for crimes they have committed, and are even protected by the Director of Public Prosecutions. This is how tyrants operate. And this is how Rupiah is operating.
This desire to control is what later translates itself into atrocity. We have warned Rupiah before and we warn him again that the rate at which he is driving things will cause him to commit atrocities. A government that refuses to be governed by the law and common sense is bound to commit atrocities. And the great lesson of our time is that no regime can survive if it acts above the heads of the ordinary or common citizens of the country. There are also great lessons the world over that when it comes to young people, more care and tolerance is required in their handling because these young people are capable, when aroused, of bringing down the towers of tyranny and raising the banners of democracy.
The expulsion of the Copperbelt University students union is a tasteless abuse of authority visited upon young people whose only sin is trying to be useful to their country. Rupiah and his minions should take responsibility for this and should not pretend that they are not part of this. There is no way the management of Copperbelt University can decide to totally overlook the law and deal with the student leaders as if they have no legal basis for existing as a union. The University Act clearly establishes their existence under Section 39: “There shall be a student’s union in each public university.” This disregard can only be with the complicity of Rupiah.
We join the voices of reason demanding the immediate reinstatement of all the expelled and suspended students. And we make a clarion call to all our people to join the students in demanding the reinstatement of their expelled and suspended colleagues.
Labels: COBUSU, MMD, RUPIAH BANDA
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Reinstate expelled COBUSU leaders, demands Hichilema
Written by Agness Changala, Mutuna Chanda and Mwila Chansa
Wednesday, September 09, 2009 6:22:25 PM
UPND president Hakainde Hichilema has demanded that the expelled union leadership at Copperbelt University (CBU) be reinstated immediately. Commenting on CBU management's decision to expel the students' union leadership for what they called breaching students rules and regulations following a riot that took place at the institution a few weeks ago, Hichilema said expelling students would not solve the problems facing the education sector in the country.
"We demand that this be done immediately, if it's not done, it will be done by the UPND-PF pact regime, 24 months from now and we will find a lasting solution to the problems at the universities and other colleges," he said.
Hichilema said the decision came as a result of management’s failure to solve the problems at the institution coupled with the MMD government's inability to address the problems in the education sector.
He said problems facing universities needed clean managers who would be able to reason and solve them as opposed to expelling students.
Hichilema said if shooting of students under President Rupiah Banda's government was easy, and that it should also not be difficult to reinstate the students.
And University of Zambia Students Union (UNZASU) president Duncan Nyirongo said students' representation was provided for in the University Act and that the senate had no authority to suspend students' representation in the institution.
He said the university's action was uncalled for as it showed how desperate the university authorities were and how undemocratic and oppressive they had become.
Nyirongo said the students would not take sequential approach but would take a parallel approach because they had seen that there was a totally tyrannical way of doing things by those they thought meant well.
Nyirongo said students would take the matter from the legal perspectives as well as civil and formal appeals to those in authorities.
And former Copperbelt University Students Union (COBUSU) secretary general Christopher Kang'ombe condemned the senate's expulsion of the entire students union executive and suspension of some students.
The student leaders' expulsion comes in the wake of home affairs minister Lameck Mangani's sentiments recently in Chililabombwe that it was unfortunate that some of the COBUSU leaders may have to be expelled.
Kang'ombe demanded that the expelled and suspended students be reinstated to allow justice to prevail.
"I note with sadness that the suspended and expelled students have not been given an opportunity to exculpate themselves as demanded by the law," Kang'ombe stated. "My experience as a former leader is that when a student is accused of misconducting himself or herself, there must be an opportunity for the accused to write an exculpatory letter followed by a disciplinary hearing and in this case there is failure by CBU management to follow the procedure as outlined both in the students handbook and also in line with the rules of natural justice."
He stated that the disturbances that led to the closure of CBU should not be blamed on innocent union leaders and a few selected students.
"People will recall that the students had been demanding a report on why police shot and wounded a student [Cornelius Mwape] and why the Inspector General of Police had not disciplined the culprit officer," he stated. "This demand was followed by students to have Dora Siliya replaced as minister of education because according to the students, the judge [Dennis] Chirwa tribunal had found the minister of violating the Republican Constitution when she was at the Ministry of Communications. In my opinion the various stakeholders involved in managing the affairs of the university could have predicated the continued protests and to expel COBUSU leaders is very unfair and unjust."
Kang'ombe charged that it was clear that the decision to expel the union leaders was a directive from one of the government leaders.
"It is wrong for management and the police to single out the COBUSU executive as being responsible for disturbances at university because from my own experience you can't hold a union leader responsible for an action by a few students who attack motorists at night," Kang'ombe stated.
He advised the suspended students and expelled COBUSU leaders to take the matter to court if CBU management did not rescind its decision and resolve it in a diplomatic manner.
Former UNZASU treasurer general Johnstone Chikwanda appealed to the Copperbelt University senate to rescind its decision to expel the entire COBUSU executive.
"Anyone who is familiar with the challenges of student governance will attest to the fact that not all riotous behaviour is orchestrated by student leaders," Chikwanda stated. "Various forces within the student body can cause an explosion beyond the reach of its leaders. To lead is therefore to live dangerously. That is why, each riotous behaviour, is supposed to be studied case by case instead of going for the necks of student leaders each time there is entropy. The Universities Act provides for the place of student leadership. It occupies a critical role in the governance of the Universities and as such, it must not be instilled with fear by powers that be. World over, it is wrong to assume that the place of student leadership is the epicentre of every unrest that rocks a University."
Chikwanda stated that for a case of criminal indulgence to be sustained, CBU needed to prove that all student leaders took part in the riotous behaviour.
"They need to be guided by a system of identifying and harvesting the correct 'hot heads' instead of expelling everyone including those who were on sick bed and out of town. It is my prayerful appeal that the CBU revisits these expulsions and analyse them case by case," he stated.
Chikwanda stated that universities were institutions with sufficiently prudent systems and procedures.
"Therefore, when dispensing disciplinary actions, they must be seen to act within the precincts of natural justice where even the most egregious criminal is given an opportunity to tell the side of his case," he stated.
However, he advised students that while they had a right to demonstrate, they were not supposed to attack innocent people and destroy property.
"Students are not supposed to be egregious at violent behaviour," stated Chikwanda. "While it is provided for to hold lawful and peaceful demonstrations, students are supposed to conduct such demonstrations with the right decorum and demeanour so as not to destroy property and innocent people who are paying for their education."
Recently in Chililabombwe, Mangani said COBUSU leaders had to take responsibility for the confusion because according to him they were on record of having instigated it and that some of them would be expelled for that.
CBU senate on Monday resolved to re-open the institution on Sunday September 13 but expelled the entire COBUSU leadership for having violated students' rules and regulations as provided for in the students' information handbook.
The senate further suspended students that were identified as having actively participated in causing disturbances at the institution between April 18 and August 12 pending appearance before the dean of students disciplinary committee.
Labels: CBU, COBUSU, HAKAINDE HICHILEMA
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COBUSU leaders to sue govt for false detention
Written by Zumani Katasefa in Kitwe
Monday, September 07, 2009 2:46:12 PM
COPPERBELT University Student Union (COBUSU) vice-president Lucky Miyanda and secretary general Kenneth Sampa have indicated that they will sue the government for false detention and defamation of character.
Miyanda and Sampa who were detained after CBU students allegedly burnt down a vehicle belonging to a Kitwe businessman during a protest at the campus described their detention as politically motivated and meant to silence students.
"The whole thing is coming from above, our detention was politically motivated, and we were asked to give them the names of monks (male students), but I told them that I am not interested in other people's affairs. The interrogation officers were coming from Ndola," said Miyanda.
Miyanda said during the interrogations, police told him that he was detained because he was COBUSU vice-president..
"So because I am a vice-president for COBUSU, that is the reason why they detained me. In the near future, they should also consider arresting RB (President Rupiah Banda) or Sata (PF leader) when their cadres fight," he said.
He said the police had insufficient evidence over the matter and ended up labelling him a ‘stubborn leader’.
"They (police) started calling me stubborn, I am a good leader, that is why students like me at CBU," he said.
Miyanda wondered why the government just decided to single out the two COBUSU leaders who were not even on the scene when the incident happened.
And Sampa said the government was trying to look for loopholes so that they could silence the students.
He said the government would not stop their demands for it to look into the plight of Cornelius Mweetwa, the CBU student who was shot at by police.
Sampa reiterated the students' demands for President Banda to remove Dora Siliya as minister of education.
He said police were still following individual students at their respective homes.
"They are just looking for loopholes to silence us, we are not their enemies, we are enemies of injustice, we are intellectuals, we analyse issues, it is very unfortunate that the government is using poaching methods to try and silent us," he said.
Sampa said it was sad that CBU management had decided to close the learning institution indefinitely.
He said management at the campus would have solved the problems prevailing at the university without closing the institution.
Labels: ARRESTS, CBU, COBUSU, KENNETH SAMPA, LUCKY MIYANDA
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CBU closes indefinitely
Written by Zumani Katasefa in Kitwe and Mwila Chansa in Ndola
Wednesday, August 26, 2009 5:21:05 PM
COPPERBELT University (CBU) has been closed indefinitely following the disturbances that rocked the campus a few weeks ago.And home affairs minister Lameck Mangani has directed the police to ensure that the CBU students who were involved in the burning of a vehicle belonging to a Kitwe man are charged and prosecuted.
Copperbelt University Students Union (COBUSU) president Kasonde Mwenda confirmed the development in an interview yesterday. He said the decision to close the learning institution was arrived at during a senate meeting on Monday at the university.
"They are saying that the decision was made to allow management to have enough time to investigate the causes of the disturbances at the campus, and that this would serve as a remedial measure to avoid reoccurrence of similar events in the near future," he said.
Mwenda said the decision to close the university was very detrimental and unfortunate. He said investigations into the disturbances could have been carried out without closing the institution.
"It is inevitable to go for a short break, but an indefinite closure is detrimental," Mwenda said.
And COBUSU former finance secretary Masuzyo Nyirongo said the indefinite closure would inflict a lot of pain and frustration on the large populace of students who wanted to graduate and move on with their careers.
"Closures take a lot of time and age is catching up with everyone of us, as students, we need to be allowed to study and contribute to the welfare of our families and the nation," Nyirongo said.
Nyirongo said education minister Dora Siliya should put the interest of education and development first.
"I am pleading and forwarding a passionate appeal to the Ministry of Education to put the interest of education and development first, by intervening in the closure fiasco. I implore honourable Siliya to exercise parenthood and tolerance by not allowing CBU to close indefinitely," he said.
Nyirongo said there was need to put differences aside, saying it was cardinal for the government and students to work as partners if development was to be achieved.
"Because at the end of it all it is one nation we all wish to serve and see progress," Nyirongo said.
And addressing police officers at Ndola Central Police Station yesterday, Mangani directed the police to arrest all the students that were alleged to have burnt a vehicle belonging to a 76-year-old Kitwe resident.
Mangani observed that the path of democracy had brought challenges to the work of police officers.
Mangani cited the protest by CBU students, saying much as they had the right to protest, they had no right to infringe on other people's freedom and rights.
Recently, CBU students staged a demonstration demanding the removal of Siliya as education minister and that the policeman who shot their colleague Cornelius Mwape during another protest they staged at the campus [against theft of a laptop] earlier be arrested.
The students' march into town was peaceful and they were led back to their campus by police officers.
However, later in the evening some students allegedly burnt a vehicle belonging to a Kitwe resident.
Meanwhile, on the welfare of the police, Mangani said the government would settle electricity and water bills as an immediate remedy to the disconnection of supply to most police camps.
Mangani disclosed that the government was considering paying allowances for water, electricity and mealie-meal to officers as opposed to the current trend where bags of mealie-meal were given.
Mangani said the long-term measure to prevent electricity and water disconnection was to give officers allowances for that purpose.
"I am aware that you are facing a lot of challenges in the dispensation of your duties particularly the water and electricity disconnection due to non-payment," Mangani said.
He admitted that the issuance of officers with bags of mealie-meal had been inconsistent and that the solution was to offer such incentives in form of allowances to the officers' salaries.
He said the government wanted to make police officers responsible for the payment of their own bills hence plans to pay allowances for electricity and water.
He hoped that the plans would materialise by the time the next budget was presented.
He said the government wanted to erase the notion that the police service was full of misery.
Mangani also bemoaned the deteriorated state of houses along the borders and police camps most of which were built before independence.
Labels: CBU, COBUSU, KASONDE MWENDA, MASUZYO NYIRONGO
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Police try to squeeze rioters’ names from COBUSU leaders
Written by Mwila Chansa in Kitwe
Wednesday, August 19, 2009 6:15:00 PM
POLICE in Kitwe have turned the heat on Copperbelt University Students Union (COBUSU) leaders to reveal names of students that took part in last week’s riot or take the responsibility.
But Copperbelt division commanding officer Antoneil Mutentwa said investigations on who was involved in the riot were on-going and that the union leaders were just among the list of people to be interviewed so far.
COBUSU secretary general Kenneth Sampa confirmed in an interview yesterday that police told him and his president Kasonde Mwenda that the case might fall on them if they failed to provide the names of the students who rioted and burnt a private vehicle belonging to a 76-year-old man.
"They said by virtue of us being on the scene, we should provide them with names. But we told them that we can't know all the students in campus and besides, there were a lot of strange faces," Sampa explained.
He said he felt victimised by the statement that failure to furnish police with names would mean that he be implicated in the case.
"We are thinking of engaging a lawyer but we have problems with money at the moment so we are planning to go to Legal Aid Board this [yesterday] afternoon," he said.
Sampa said on the actual night of the riot, he and Mwenda had gone to the roadside to try and restrain the students from engaging in violence and that they even called the dean of students to inform him of that.
And Mwenda said police labelled students’ representatives as suspects by virtue of them being leaders.
"But we told them that we did not authorise the riot. The students are gone and police were not there on the scene, so I don't know how they expect to know who was involved," Mwenda wondered.
However, he said he was not scared of the investigation because COBUSU leaders were nowhere near to guilty over what transpired.
But Mutentwa said he was not aware that the COBUSU leaders were told that if they did not furnish police with names then the case would fall on them.
"Well, I am not aware of that and I was not part of the interviewing panel. But that is not how we operate as police because that would be tantamount to blackmail which would not help us secure a conviction," said Mutentwa. "That is not an official stance of the police. We don't work like that. Our investigations are still going on and we'll be interviewing other people. The student leaders were just part of that list."
Labels: ANTONEIL MUTENTWA, COBUSU, DEMONSTRATION, KENNETH SAMPA
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Harrington urges presidential advisors to assist Rupiah make informed decisions
Written by Maluba Jere in Lusaka and Mwila Chansa in Kitwe
Sunday, August 16, 2009 3:57:55 PM
FORMER transport and communication minister William Harrington has said President Rupiah Banda’s advisors should assist him in making informed decisions and avert unfortunate situations at the country’s highest learning institutions.
And former Copperbelt University Students Union (COBUSU) secretary general Christopher Kang’ombe has said the closure of CBU should have been the last resort.
Meanwhile, COBUSU president Kasonde Mwenda has observed that the closure of the institution would trickle down to every taxpayer in the long run, especially if management decides to prolong it beyond two weeks.
In an interview yesterday, Harrington said the protests by University of Zambia (UNZA) and Copperbelt University (CBU) students against the appointment of Dora Siliya as education minister could have been avoided if President Banda had serious and committed advisors at State House.
“The Presidents’ advisors should assist him to make informed decisions on important and sensitive national issues such as in the Dora Siliya case, to avert the unfortunate situation at our two highest institutions of learning,” he said.
“I say so because as first petitioner in the Judge Dennis Chirwa-led Tribunal appointed to investigate allegations of corruption and abuse of office leveled against Ms. Dora Siliya, I recall that whereas Justice Philip Musonda delivered his judgment on Ms. Siliya’s application for judicial review on 16th June 2009, the President speedily went ahead to announce his decision to appoint Ms. Dora Siliya MP as new Minister of Education on 18th June 2009, replacing Mr. Geoffrey Lungwangwa MP who was transferred to the Ministry of Communications and Transport.”
He explained that he was not speaking as a spokesperson for the students but that he could only take a wild guess that they (students), just like many other enlightened citizens, were alive to these facts.
Harrington also said it was misleading and prejudicial for President Banda and others to say that Siliya had been cleared by the courts of law since the matter was still in court following his filling of a notice of appeal.
He said it would have been better if President Banda just informed the nation that he had intentions of reappointing Siliya as minister, adding that he should have waited until after the court had completely disposed of the case.
“Barely a week thereafter on 28th June 2009, the President went ahead to swear in Dora Siliya as new Minister of Education and publicly congratulated her on being ‘cleared by the courts’ over the findings of the tribunal,” Harrington said.
“The question that begs an answer is, was the President advised that the matter was still in the ‘courts’ and his statement was therefore prejudicial to my appeal? If the President had been well advised, perhaps he may not have made that premature declaration.”
Harrington further said chief government spokesperson Lt Gen Ronnie Shikapwasha did not help the situation when he advised the consortium of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) who had written to President Banda complaining about his decision to re-appoint Siliya when he said those who were not happy should go to court.
He said Lt Gen Shikapwasha’s statement was not helpful to President Banda and the nation as a whole because the matter was yet to be decided by the Supreme Court.
“This statement by the honourable chief government spokesperson is misleading, prejudicial and most unhelpful to the President because, notwithstanding the fact that Dora Siliya has not been cleared by the ‘courts’ as the matter is yet to be determined by the Supreme Court of Zambia following my notice of appeal,” Harrington said.
And commenting on the decision by the CBU senate to bring forward the end of the second term, Kang’ombe who is also Riverside ward independent councillor, said the closure was unnecessary given the nature of students’ demands.
Kang’ombe said CBU management should have sought assurance from the students’ union body and had a round-table discussion with them in seeking a way forward.
He feared that as the situation stood currently, there was a possibility that the closure could be indefinite.
Kang’ombe added that the government’s accusations on students that they were being used by politicians would not solve the problems at CBU.
“I think there is need for stakeholders to appreciate each other’s concerns for peace to be guaranteed,” said Kang’ombe.
“It would not take a politician to tell the students to demand justice for their friend who was shot for example. I think issues should have been looked at separately. I don’t think students would wait for a politician to tell them what to do.”
And Mwenda described the closure as unfortunate.
Meanwhile, Mwenda called for a professional investigation into the alleged theft of K200 million from the man whose car was stoned and burnt on Thursday night.
Mwenda said as far as he was concerned, the students could not take responsibility for the lost money because it was far-fetched and based on hearsay.
“We just read about the issue of the money from the media but what I know is that if there was money involved, we could have heard it from the students themselves before we could even hear it in the media. I can only talk about what I can see which is the burnt car and not the money. It is unfortunate that the car was burned,” said Mwenda.
On Friday, the CBU senate brought forward the end of term two to allow management enough time to restore calm and bring back a conducive learning environment and ensure public safety at the institution.
This followed a demonstration on Thursday evening which resulted in students burning a private vehicle.
Labels: CBU, CHRISTOPHER KANG'OMBE, COBUSU, KASONDE MWENDA, WILLIAM HARRINGTON
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