Legal opinion was not classified information, Kabimba
By Francis Lungu
Tue 21 Jan. 2014, 16:00 CAT
JUSTICE Minister Wynter Kabimba this morning told the tribunal investigating him that the professional legal opinion he got from Solicitor General Musa Mwenye was not classified information.
He also said he does not interfere with the independence of the Judiciary and that he stands to uphold its integrity and independence in its dispersion of justice.
"I respect the integrity and the independence of the Judiciary; I shall work to uphold those. I have not interfered with any member of the judiciary. There was no pecuniary advantage as a result of that opinion," he said. "And as a public officer, the Solicitor General has a duty to render legal opinion to political parties."
This is in a matter in which the PF secretary general is cited for abuse of office, breach of secrecy of oath and interference with the independence of the Judiciary for copying a professional legal opinion from Mwenye to PF lawyers, Ellis and Company and acting Chief Justice Lombe Chibesakunda on election petitions.
Lucky Mulusa, former MMD Solwezi Central MP whose election was nullified by the Supreme court on grounds of election malpractice and a Brebner Changala are the complainant.
The two want the tribunal to probe Kabimba for allegedly breaching parliamentary and ministerial code of conduct and interfering with the independence of the Judiciary.
He was testifying before the tribunal chaired by acting Supreme Court judge Evans Hamaundu, who sat with judges Gertrude Chawatama and Justine Chashi, and led by his lead counsel Bonaventure Mutale, Kabimba said there was nothing wrong with him seeking professional legal opinion from Mwenye over the seats that were nullified due to corruption and whether the corrupt candidates could re-contest the elections or not.
Labels: ETHICS, WYNTER KABIMBA
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Ethics under threat in sub-Saharan Africa, says IPI director
By Joseph Mwenda in Hamburg, Germany
Tue 11 Sep. 2012, 10:30 CAT
MEDIA ethics are under immense threat in sub-Saharan Africa because of poor salaries among journalists, says International Press Institute (IPI) director Alison McKenzie.
Lecturing International Academy of Journalism (Intajour) students in Hamburg yesterday, McKenzie said it was sad that journalists in countries in sub-Saharan Africa, Zambia inclusive, are unable to pay their bills because of poor working conditions.
"Low pay is the biggest threat to upholding media ethics in sub-Saharan Africa. This is a huge problem around the world but it is worse in Sub-Sahara Africa and Asia," she said. "A small pay makes the journalist self censored because they take money and gifts from sources."
McKenzie said compromised media practitioners cannot speak with confidence against violation of press freedom.
"Political interference and violence against journalists is bad for a free press but small pay is worse because then journalists cannot report objectively. It's easier to speak from the palace, from the top, and tell someone to get a job and improve what they are doing because you don't know what they go through in their daily life," McKenzie said.
Asked how media institutions could pay sufficient salaries to journalists who
are either under-qualified or incompetent, McKenzie said it is the responsibility of the news organization to train journalists if they see the potential.
"When you invest in training, the quality of work attracts more advertising. As IPI we are trying to organise a retreat for publishers and media owners on the importance of these things," said McKenzie.
Labels: ETHICS, IPI, JOURNALISM
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Change image of Judiciary, Sakala urges new judges
By Bright Mukwasa
Sat 31 Dec. 2011, 13:59 CAT
CHIEF Justice Ernest Sakala has urged newly-appointed judges and magistrates to change the negative image of the Judiciary. According to a statement issued in Lusaka by the judiciary public relations officer Terry Musonda, justice Sakala called on adjudicators to prove that the Judiciary was capable of managing its own affairs.
He said judges and magistrates should not delay judgments to allay the negative perception that the public holds against the Judiciary.
"The Honourable Chief Justice Sakala advised the newly-appointed honourable judges and magistrates not to become the reason for criticism due to work culture that would lead to delaying judgments adding that they need to make a positive contribution and help change the perception," Musonda stated.
"The Honourable Chief Justice strongly urged all to come on board with positive attitudes towards work so as to help change the old image society holds of the Judiciary."
Musonda stated that Justice Sakala hoped that the joining to the bench of new judges and magistrates would significantly help reduce the backlog of cases countrywide.
"The public out there has great expectations from you, that you will help reduce the back log. Thus, as you conduct your work, always remember the responsibility you carry and make the difference," said the Justice Sakala.
He was speaking at the induction course for the newly appointed judges and magistrates held at Protea Hotel, Chisamba from 27th to 30th December, 2011.
Musonda stated that Justice Sakala reminded adjudicators that the bench survived on honesty and integrity, which should always remain a solid foundation upon which adjudicators should deal with every day business in court and outside court.
And President Michael Sata on Thursday urged newly-appointed Solicitor General Musa Mwenye, Director of Public Prosecutions Mutembo Nchito and Attorney General Mumba Malila to ensure that they revamp the legal aid system.
During the swearing in of Mwenye at State House, President Sata, who spent over one month in jail on a non-bailable charge of theft of motor vehicle that was later dropped during the late Levy Mwanawasa era, said many prisoners had no legal representation.
"I was in prison for 40 days and the majority of people in prison are poor people. Poor people have no representation. Let us revamp the legal aid system and let us also create a new office of district attorney so that people can be properly prosecuted," President Sata said.
"The Legal Aid, look at the conditions of service and come to us. The 40 days I stayed in prison, poor people don't even know what legal representation is. I stayed 40 days because I had a very effective legal representation; I even managed to get bail on a matter which they said there is no bail. My lawyers went around and got a constitutional bail."
And outgoing Vatican Ambassador to Zambia Nicola Girasoli said Zambia still has a long way to go in ensuring equality of all citizens before the law.
He said equality of all citizens before the law was an aspect that needed urgent attention in the country.
Archbishop Girasoli said during his six-year tenure in Zambia, he had visited prisons and most cases for people in remand were not even considered.
"And unfortunately, people who have never been involved in any kind of judiciary process don't feel this problem but I have seen a very large part of society, a very much strong demand for this equality," said Archbishop Girasoli.
"It's only those with money that have good access to justice and we have thousands of people who have cases that have not been dealt, with some of them in prison while those with money are free on bail. But also in the civil judiciary system, there are a lot of people that really don't see their cases solved. When they start a case, maybe it may take years, equality before the law is a very strong human right because this is what protects the minority. If you don't feel equal before the law, you are second class citizens,".
Labels: ERNEST SAKALA, ETHICS, JUDICIARY
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Cleansing by applying Christian principles
By The Post
Fri 14 Oct. 2011, 13:58 CAT
WHEN Michael Sata says the country needs religious cleansing, he says something significant and fundamental which deserves some attention and deep reflection. Zambia has been declared a Christian nation. What does this mean in the context of what Michael is saying? We are not here trying o debate the merits and demerits of the declaration of Zambia as a Christian nation.
We are starting from the premise that Zambia is a Christian nation. The debate on whether or not this should have been done is not something we want to go into because it has been done.
When Michael says Zambia needs a religious cleansing, we must ask ourselves what this means. It does not make any sense to call a country Christian when injustice, oppression and exploitation of the poor are what rule the day.
A Christian nation should be governed according to Christian principles. Who would not want to live in a country that is governed by Christian principles? We say this because Jesus Christ lived an exemplary life and left many lessons which, if applied, would make life wonderful.
This is why we should welcome the call for religious cleansing. We all want a country where justice, peace, love and joy can be assured for all our people. It is nonsensical to claim to be a Christian nation and yet condone the exploitation of the poor by those in authority.
No one should be allowed to personalise resources meant to improve the welfare of our people. This is something that Rupiah Banda and his pack of ravenous henchmen did with impunity.
To them, running government was one endless party where state resources could be commandeered to meet their personal interests at will. Rupiah and his family became the chief procurement officers for all government contracts. To them, running government was about making money.
The impact of their behaviour on the lives of ordinary people meant nothing. If Rupiah and his family had love for our people and cared for their joy, if they were interested in upholding Christian principles, they would not have allowed themselves to abuse our people in the way that they did.
The slogan that Rupiah seemed to enjoy very much was ‘boma ni boma'. The translation of that slogan is that government is government. What that meant is that since government is government, it can do whatever it likes. It meant that government is above the law.
This was a slogan celebrating impunity. From his behaviour, Rupiah believed that he was above the law. Having elected Rupiah as president, we ended up with many presidents - his sons were also presidents. They could do whatever they wanted. Government policy and decision making was being controlled by Rupiah and sons.
They all got drunk with power and forgot who the real bosses were. Rupiah struck terror in the hearts and minds of those that surrounded him to the extent that some of his closest friends and supporters could not take it. They exploded and left. The Bembas have a nice saying that best describes Rupiah's inability to live and work with others.
It is a simple saying but its meaning is profound. When men are counselled for marriage, they are told this: ‘ukuteka imbwa mano. Uwatekele imbwa kuchipyu yaya.' The transliteration of this saying is simply this: even keeping a dog requires kindness. If you are cruel to your dog, it will run away.
Now if you have to be kind to a dog, what about human beings, those who are created in the image of God? Isn't it only normal and fitting that we should be kind to each other, and above that compassionate? Compassion requires that we feel for the suffering of our people.
This is the quality that best defines what Christianity is. This is what defines the character of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are taught that he came to earth to die for the sins of others.
He gave his best for the benefit of others. Even when he was dying on the cross, he had the heart to promise paradise to a thief who was cricified together with him.
This is the kind of religious renewal that this country needs. It is a cleansing of hearts so that each of us can look to the interests of those around us and make sure that we don't do things that destroy or disadvantage others.
It is this kind of religious renewal that will help our leaders to look at service as more important than the benefits that they get from being our leaders. As Michael calls for this religious cleansing, we hope, and let us add we pray, that he will demand selflessness from his colleagues in government.
Our people want to see a government that is truly compassionate and capable of identifying with their cries, their joys, their highs and their lows. We have had a government that was prepared to compromise our people's interests regardless of what the cost was.
In many ways, our government which claimed to be running a Christian country did not behave in a Christian way. We wonder whether Rupiah ever thought that he had an obligation that went beyond himself.
He had an obligation to our people to do the right thing and beyond that, he had an obligation to God. In a Christian nation, people do not do things for their own sake. They are supposed to do them because God commands them. And when there is this recognition, fighting corruption becomes easier, delivering services to our people will definitely improve.
We are taught in the Bible that the servants of God spoke for justice. Those who claimed to work for God, the prophets and others spoke for the poor and the voiceless. The clergy in the Bible were ambassadors for the downtrodden. Those who did otherwise were dismissed as imposters.
This is something that we hope to see in our country, a clergy that fearlessly holds those in power to account. We are not necessarily asking for public criticism of those in power. No. When this is necessary, by all means let it be done. But more importantly, when our clergy engage with our leaders privately, they need to be able to communicate as clearly as possible what the cries of our people are and how they can address them.
Rupiah abused the clergy by shamefully using them as his vuvuzelas. Some of our clergy joined the ranks of Edwin Lifwekelo, Gregory Chifire and even Humphrey Siulapwa. It was shameful to watch our clergy behave like paid megaphones hired to disseminate Rupiah's propaganda. There was nothing Christian about the way some of these clergymen behaved.
This call for religious cleansing deserves all our support. We say this because if our country learns to uphold the major tenets and themes of a Christian faith, we will be much better for it.
We believe that our societies will become more organised and better ordered if Christian principles are embraced. The rule of law can only be strengthened by the upholding of Christian principles. As Michael rightly said the other day, the Ten Commandments form the basis of the root of the law that we apply today.
Labels: CHRISTIANITY, ETHICS
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Rev Mutale hails Sata over ‘biblical principles'
By Chibaula Silwamba
Fri 14 Oct. 2011, 13:58 CAT
MICHAEL Sata's commitment to run Zambia on biblical principles is the best thing for our country, says a Lusaka clergywoman. Commenting on President Sata's statement that Zambia needs a lot of religious cleansing and pledge to run the country based on the 10 Comman-dments, Reverend Edith Mutale said:
"Running this country on biblical principles is the best thing that we have heard. I am sure that not only as Christians but even other faiths who have principles on which they run government, I am sure they are running governments on principles that are going to add value to the governance of this country."
"In the 10 Commandments, if we look at them, we see how as a people we can respect God. If we live in line with the 10 Commandments, we cannot kill, we cannot steal; you can't steal from somebody you love, somebody whom you love, you can't kill them, you can't grab his wife or her husband."
She said the 10 Commandments were like a manual that must be used to remind Christians on how to live.
She urged families to have the 10 Commandments in their homes and love God and one another.
Rev Mutale said usage of the 10 Commandments would help transform Zambia.
"Our leaders should love God so that they feed Zambians. But we have seen leaders that are stealing from the people they are supposed to be leading and loving. That has been the greatest nightmare that we the Zambian people have seen," she said. "People that are supposed to give us food and medicine are the ones stealing from us. The MMD government has been stealing."
She called for practicality on the part of President Sata in running the nation on biblical principles.
"We don't want rhetoric; we want things to be done. But I know for sure that President Sata is a man of action and once he makes a pronouncement, he will live by it and my prayer is that God gives him the wisdom that He gave to the leaders of the Bible like Nehemiah," said Rev Mutale.
"Nehemiah had a heart for his people. We want Mr. Sata to be the Nehemiah of today; the man who will say, ‘Zambia is in ruins' and he must rebuild the walls of Zambia. I give President Sata the name of Nehemiah who must rebuild Zambia."
President Sata has committed himself to ensure that Zambia was run on biblical values.
"I am very grateful for your coming to Zambia. We need lots of religious cleansing…I am very grateful and I said this government shall be ruled on the Biblical terms. This government shall be ruled by the 10 Commandments," said President Sata when he met visiting Anglican Church leader Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams on Thursday.
"It's within those 10 Commandments all the laws of the world, that's where they come from and that's how we are going to rule."
Labels: CHRISTIANITY, ETHICS
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Miyanda’s call for decency in politics
By Editor
Mon 14 Dec. 2009, 04:01 CAT
BRIGADIER General Godfrey Miyanda may not be one of our most popular politicians but he is certainly one of our politicians who attempts to think deeply, to meditate over issues.
Brig Gen Miyanda’s call for the creation of a platform of decency in politics deserves serious meditation from all our politicians, their supporters and indeed from all the people of Zambia. Politics is a very important undertaking that should not in any way be trivialised or relegated to trivialities chosen precisely because they salve the consciences of the powerful and conceal the plight of the powerless.
It is not good for our politics to be dominated or characterised by issues that are not factual, empty accusations and outright lies. We agree with Brig Gen Miyanda when he says “Let’s not send lies in the public domain in the hope that, that will send sympathy”. Brig Gen Miyanda is making a very important proposition here because our politics are increasingly becoming dominated by lies. And the lies start with the man occupying the highest position in the politics of our country – the head of state and government, the President of the Republic. And here we are talking about Rupiah Banda.
Rupiah’s politics fall short of what Brig Gen Miyanda is asking for – decency in politics. Rupiah tells lies on literally everything. He seems to have serious difficulties delivering a speech without carrying in it a single lie. And all the time Rupiah is just deriding his political opponents calling them all sorts of names. The nation knows very well what Rupiah has been saying about Michael Sata, the names he has been calling Sata. Rupiah has referred to Sata as a snake with read eyes and tongue. He has called Sata a son of Satan. Rupiah has also called Hakainde Hichilema all sorts of names and has told all sorts of lies about him.
We can also call Rupiah a liar because he has lied about us. Rupiah has accused us publicly of having pocketed US$ 30 million from state institutions through Zambian Airways. Rupiah has publicly insulted us many times. He has accused us of being morbid, queer and all sorts of things – things he has no jolt of evidence about, things he cannot in any way prove. And yet this is the man at the helm of our country’s politics.
And not very long ago, a few weeks ago Rupiah claimed that the lawyers who were trying to send Chiluba to prison had been paid US$ 13 million. And the lawyer, not lawyers, Rupiah was talking about is no other than Mutembo Nchito. And there is no record anywhere that can show Mutembo as having been paid US$ 13 million for prosecuting Chiluba. Mutembo is the only lawyer whose job has been to try and send Chiluba to prison; he is the only lawyer who was prosecuting Chiluba on criminal charges. And this is the lawyer Rupiah was claiming the government has paid US$ 13 million.
Rupiah had every opportunity to get the correct figures that Mutembo and other lawyers who were engaged by the Task Force in this country and abroad were paid. Out of malice, out of dishonesty, and out of a desire to deceive and manipulate the Zambian people to support his decision to ensure that Chiluba’s questionable acquittal remained that way, Rupiah started telling lies not only about what happened in the Chiluba case, but also about innocent citizens.
So what Brig Gen Miyanda is saying is true and needs to be corrected if our country is to move forward politically, economically and otherwise. Politics is a very noble profession that has attracted crooks, liars and all sorts of dishonest elements to it. And in the end it has been made to appear as if it is one of the most dishonourable careers one can undertake.
Politics is not a dirty game, as they say, but is a genuine way of being at the service of others for the integral development of the country. And therefore, the participation of citizens in the political life should be guided by authentic values and virtues of respect for human dignity, human rights, common good, social justice, solidarity, integral development, special concern for others and non-violence in resolving conflicts. To achieve this, lies and all other indecent political practices have to be eradicated from our politics.
Our politics need people with credibility, integrity and honesty. The presence of such people in our political arena can bring the much needed values and virtues to our political process. It shouldn’t be forgotten that politics should be there to serve the personal and social vocation of humanity according to the areas of competency of each one of us. Political involvement demands commitment to the service of others.
We value the democratic system in as much as it ensures the participation of citizens in making political choices, guarantees to the governed the possibility of electing and holding accountable those who govern them, and of replacing them through peaceful means when appropriate. In politics, people come together with different interests to work for the common good. And all citizens are therefore called to participate actively in the politics of our country. Citizens with good values and standards like the Brig Gen Miyanda is advocating can make a difference if they get fully involved in the political affairs of our country.
To guarantee decency in our politics, all are called to maturity, tolerance and responsibility. Decency in politics is the fruit of honest, truth and solidarity.
There is no future development without decency in our politics. And our political leaders cannot succeed in calling us to virtues which they themselves do not make an effort to practice. For instance, it doesn’t make sense for Rupiah to be complaining about lies and malice from his political opponents when he himself is everyday telling lies about them and he is everyday insulting them. There is need for Rupiah to take great steps toward honesty in his dealings with others. Rupiah cannot certainly call for politics that are only fair to him, politics in which he is not insulted or unfairly accused of this and that when he himself is everyday insulting others, unfairly calling them this and that, telling lies about them. It is said that justice begins at home and Rupiah himself must be the first to give witness.
We therefore ask Rupiah and other political leaders in our country to respect themselves and be exemplary in their daily lives. The appeal for fair treatment should be heard from all and extended to all.
It is for this reason that we have always urged our fellow citizens to vote wisely and only for people who are known for their honesty, ability, dedication, and concern for the welfare of all.
The participation of good citizens in the political life of their country is to be guided by good values and virtues. What our people are seeking is genuine democracy in which the political leaders at all levels are servants of the electorate and not its masters.
A platform of decency in politics that Brig Gen Miyanda is calling for can only be created when we have intelligent, honest and humble political leaders who see politics as a vocation to serve the people; politicians who are aware that politics is an area for promoting justice, fairness, humanness, development and community among all. If our country is to move forward, honest and decency are demanded from all our politicians. We say this because politics is a very important instrument by which people cooperate together to achieve the common good. A political authority is needed to guide the energies of all towards the common good. And for this reason, politics need people with high credibility.
Brig Gen Miyanda has made another important observation: “After an election is over, the competitors are not enemies, they are citizens, don’t shut down their companies, don’t use your power to find fake offences, charges against these people so that their companies can be shut down, you are shutting down fellow Zambians. Fight political battles differently but let the economy run…”
Truly, political competitors don’t necessarily have to like each other, but they must tolerate one another and acknowledge that each has a legitimate and important role to play. Moreover, the ground rules of our nation must encourage tolerance and civility in the way we deal with each other.
No matter who wins an election, all must agree to cooperate in solving the common problems of our nation. The losers should not have their lips twisted, they shouldn’t be fixed by those in power or have their businesses closed.
These things Brig Gen Miyanda is talking about are real. The Zambian people still remember the pronouncements Rupiah and his friends where making last year. They made it very clear that when they come to power some of us, The Post, will be sorted out, will be closed. Truly, they have gone ahead to try and do these things Brig Gen Miyanda is talking about. They are abusing state institutions under their control to sort us out, to fix us. Look at the way they have used the police, the Drug Enforcement Commission and the Anti-Corruption Commission to harass us, to try and humiliate us over the affairs of Zambian Airways.
Everybody can today see that the US$ 30 million Rupiah was accusing us of having stolen through Zambian Airways was nothing but a reckless political scheme to try and crush us. To date, not a single cent has been found to have been pocketed by us but yet the police were being directed to hold press briefings and announce that they were making progress on their investigations of our alleged transgressions. And this invariably happened when they were under political pressure and was used as a scheme to try and divert public attention from their own wrongs, misdeeds and crimes.
They have also abused the judicial process by coming up with trumped up criminal charges of pornography and other things to try and fix us. The Zambian people still remember very well how Rupiah went on ranting about our involvement in pornography and tasked the police to arrest and prosecute us. And accordingly our news editor Chansa Kabwela was arrested and prosecuted. But our courts of law, contrary to Rupiah’s claim, found that Chansa and The Post were not in any way involved in pornography and accordingly the case ended to their embarrassment; that is if they have any sense of shame or embarrassment.
But we are not the only ones. There are others also being harassed by Rupiah and his friends in a similar way. And the question we can only ask is the one asked by Brig Gen Miyanda: “Now, how do we do that?” But we cannot give the same answer Brig Gen Miyanda has given: “I don’t know the answer because under KK this thing was there, victimisation of people who are not with you. In our time under Chiluba this thing was there, under the late president Levy Mwanawasa, this thing was there.
I can’t analyse the current one because he has just come in office. But I’m sure if we dig deep we are going to discover that there are people who are complaining that they are being victimised because they belong to other organisations.” We say we will not take this approach to this problem because this will be defeatism. And no matter how enomous the difficulties, no matter how complex the problem, there can be no room for throwing our arms in the air and say “there is nothing we can do”.
This would be to renounce all hope and resign ourselves to defeat. We have no alternative but to struggle for a more just, fair and humane nation, trusting in the great moral and intellectual capacity of our people and in their instincts for self-preservation, if we wish to harbour any hope for survival. Only with a tremendous effort and the moral and intellectual support of all can we face a future that objectively appears desperate and sombre.
Labels: ETHICS, GODFREY MIYANDA, POLITICS
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Let’s create a platform of decency in politics – Miyanda
By George Chellah
Sun 13 Dec. 2009, 04:01 CAT
HERITAGE Party president Brigadier General Godfrey Miyanda has called on politicians to create a platform of decency in politics.
And Brig Gen Miyanda advised the authorities not to use power to find fake offences and charges against competitors in order to shut down their companies after an election.
During Let the People Talk programme on Radio Phoenix, Brig Gen Miyanda urged politicians to discuss issues that are factual.
“We must create a platform of decency in politics, we should not just make basic accusations. We must also when we are criticising the government, let us make points that will even convince the people that yes, there is a valid point there. I am not saying what they are saying is not true,” Brig Gen Miyanda said. “So we need to insist that we discuss matters that are factual, matters that will help to win over the public in a proper way. Let's not send lies in the public domain in the hope that, that will send sympathy.”
He said there was need to get the politicians to talk issues and not to insult one another.
“But it is not going to happen because the people enjoy it. If I had my way that's what I would say that if a politician comes and starts insulting somebody and usually somebody is not even there,” Brig Gen Miyanda said. “If they want to bring up false stories about the friends because the false stories win elections by the way, I have experienced this.”
He demanded that the people of Zambia enjoy the wealth of the nation.
Brig Gen Miyanda said there would be no solution to problems until Zambians come right with God.
“…We come right with ourselves, become honest with one another. First and foremost, you cannot rule this country alone it's not possible. Mistakes have been made, the same mistakes in the past. After an election is over the competitors are not enemies, they are citizens. Don't shut down their companies, don't use your power to find fake offences, charges against these people so that their companies can be shut down, you are shutting down fellow Zambians,” Brig Gen Miyanda said. “Fight political battles differently but let the economy run. Now how do we do that? I don't know the answer because under Dr Kenneth Kaunda KK this thing was there, victimisation of people who are not with you. In our time under president Frederick Chiluba this thing was there, under late president Levy Mwanawasa this thing was there.
“I can't analyse the current one because he has just come in office. But am sure if we dig deep we are going to discover that there are people who are complaining that they are being victimised because they belong to other organisations.”
Brig Gen Miyanda also condemned the tribal sentiments attributed to President Rupiah Banda during the last presidential election campaigns.
He said it was not correct to campaign on tribal lines.
“I am not against tribe. God himself created the tribes but it's us who abuse the tribes,” he said.
He described the pact as a convenient strategy, which may work.
“… Because if you can handle it well then you will get what you want,” he said.
On the Kasama by-election in which PF's Geofrey Bwalya Mwamba emerged victorious, Brig Gen Miyanda agreed that the tribe was a factor.
“Yes, the tribe played a part. But in my opinion it was not the only thing. I think the influence of the Catholic. You know in the Northern Province Catholics wield a lot of influence in the Northern Province. At the time of that by-election there was a standoff between the government and the Catholics based on the statements that… were made. I had my own views about the statement by government, I didn't agree with them. I felt that they should withdraw them from Parliament because they remained a permanent record, which was not verified,” said Brig Gen Miyanda.
“But in my opinion that thing, I think it's still doing… causing harm to them. They Catholics are not happy to be accused of the Rwandan things and so on. So I assessed that because they have influence there in the area probably it played that big role of the massive turnout. In Solwezi, Solwezi is an urban, you can literally call it urban. It's not rural … and there has been an influx of people from outside that area coming from the Copperbelt and so on. So that percentage also has influenced that a lot.”
Labels: ETHICS, GODFREY MIYANDA, POLITICS
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'Apo natampila ukwiba pafula'
By Editor
Monday May 05, 2008 [04:00]
Truly, there is no holiness in stealing. And stealing is a sin: “You shall not steal” (Ex. 20:15).Stealing is not only a sin, it has drastic evil effects as well because it robs our people of their scarce resources. At a community and national level, stealing or rather corruption, destroys social structures. We therefore invite every citizen of this country to avoid it at all costs and condemn it whenever and wherever they see it.
We therefore welcome former president Frederick Chiluba’s condemnation of stealing. And we find this very important because this condemnation of theft is coming from a man who himself is accused of stealing and is today in court, defending himself against charges of this type of dishonest dealings.
We are also pleased that Chiluba is asking those who steal to own up and admit their wrongdoings and seek forgiveness. And he goes on to show that there are two ways this can be done. One is to admit one’s theft, before he is caught, and seek forgiveness. The other is to hold on to one’s loot until he is caught, and when he is, admit his wrongdoing and seek forgiveness.
Chiluba says he prefers the first one because the person genuinely repents saying “apo natampila ukwiba pafula”. Truly, that kind of repentance is not only helpful to a person but also to his community. We say this because no public resources will be spent to investigate his thefts, arrest him and prosecute him in a protracted manner.
This reduces tension in the community, it makes reconciliation much easier, faster and meaningful. In the second case, there is total denial and costly investigations accompanied by complicated legal proceedings have to be instituted. And when the thief is finally convicted, then he seeks forgiveness, a presidential pardon, saying “nalapila nshakabwekeshepo”. Chiluba tells us that this type of repentance is not genuine.
We are advised to show contrition when we are wrong, when we have violated standards or norms: “Admit when you are wrong, and you avoid embarrassment” (Sirach 20:3).
We are also told that “nothing that comes from injustice will last but the effects of loyalty will remain forever” and that we shouldn’t rely on dishonest wealth because it will do us no good on that day of disaster.
Wealth that has been obtained dishonestly is like a stream that runs full during a thunderstorm, tumbling rocks along as it flows, but then suddenly goes dry.
We have always maintained that “Chiluba is a thief” and we find it difficult to understand why a man with such great wisdom cannot admit his wrongs, show contrition and seek forgiveness. But instead, he has chosen to deny all his transgressions and has opted for a costly prosecution.
And now that he has been put on his defence and starts to defend himself today, it would be interesting to hear what he will have to say in his evidence in chief. It will also be interesting to watch how he will fair under cross-examination by the prosecutors. We also await to see what type of witnesses he will call and what they will have to say.
Anyway, it is easier to give good advice to others than to personally live by that. The options Chiluba is giving to others are also available to himself and he should choose between them carefully. It may be late but it’s certainly not too late. If this advice he is giving is of value to others and can save them, it should also be good for him and should be able to save him as well.
Chiluba’s opposition to use of condoms
If there is one thing Frederick Chiluba has been consistent in opposing and denouncing it is the use of condoms. In early January 2001, Chiluba, as sitting president of the Republic of Zambia, declared that he did not believe in condoms and branded them as a sign of being weak on the part of the user. We disagreed with him, saying his position was out of touch with reality.
We all know that while the condom may not be 100 per cent safe, it at least offers a high percentage of protection from contracting sexually transmitted infections which also include the deadly HIV. Zambia has suffered adversely from the ravaging effects of HIV and AIDS whose toll has been felt in nearly all our households.
Barely a day passes without carrying a coffin of an AIDS victim. And as Chiluba himself once aptly put it, our country’s cemeteries are expanding faster than residential areas due to increased AIDS-related deaths. It is with this in mind that calls for a more positive and rational approach should be put in place when addressing this matter.
No one can dispute the fact that abstinence is the best option in fighting the spread of HIV. And abstinence actually doesn’t cost anything – no money is needed for one to abstain. But how many people, including our leaders in the Church and in politics, have the power to abstain and actually abstain? Church leaders in all our denominations have not been spared and the toll has extended to even the very role models of society.
It’s very clear that we are indeed today faced with a real problem which calls for positive approaches. Little protection – through condoms or anything else – is definitely better than no protection at all.
We understand the rigidity of some of our believers, like Chiluba, on such an issue. And some of these opinions can be respected without undermining the fight against the spread of HIV.
For instance, what would be wrong with Chiluba focusing his fight to the condemnation of infidelity, prostitution and other forms of sexual immorality as he seems to be trying to do? After all, such problems have been with us from before the time of Christ, whilst HIV and condoms are comparatively new phenomena.
Condoms are a very small, one could say negligible factor in the issue of sexual immorality. We would do better to focus on, and condemn, infidelity, prostitution and other forms of sexual immorality because if we succeed in this, the issue of condoms automatically falls way.
And there is totally nothing wrong with Chiluba continuing to preach or advocate abstinence. It cannot be denied that abstinence is the safest way to protect oneself from HIV infection. But we also cannot deny the fact that for over 2000 years of Christianity, we have failed to achieve the high levels of morality that we have been seeking. We have failed to stop or reduce immoral sexual conduct in the world.
It cannot be denied that in this country, despite the growing number of Christian churches and congregations and other religious denominations, sexual immorality is on the rise. And this rise is not only in the nation in general, but particularly within the Church itself.
It would therefore be better and prudent to consider reviewing our positions against the use of condoms.
Labels: CHILUBA, ETHICS
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There's no holiness in stealing, says Chiluba
By Noel Sichalwe and Laura Mushaukwa
Monday May 05, 2008 [04:00]
THERE is no holiness in stealing, fornication and adultery, former president Frederick Chiluba has said. And Chiluba has said people that are promoting condoms are fed up of the growth of Zambia's population. Chiluba made the remarks when he addressed a group of children known as Mandevu Holy Childhood from Mandevu Catholic Parish, who delivered solidarity messages at his Kabulonga home on Saturday.
Chiluba said many things were happening in the country and that only God was the answer.
He said people should genuinely repent and become committed to God's work. Chiluba said hardly a day passed without hearing of people dying from road traffic accidents.
He said the police needed to do a lot of work to ensure that people using public transport were safe.
He said even passengers should remind bus drivers that they were human beings and not cargo.
"Above all, nothing can bring change without prayer," he said. "We must be very focused and pray from the heart to fight the spirit of death. You know, there are two types of people who repent. The first one repents genuinely saying 'aponatampila ukwiba pafula' I have been stealing for a long time, and repents before he is caught. That person then turns from old ways to new ones.
That kind of repentance is helpful to a person. The other one steals until he is caught and that is when he says 'nalapila nshakabwekeshepo' I repent, I will never do it again. That kind of repentance is not genuine." Chiluba said people that were promoting condoms did not want the population of the country to grow.
"When people are saying it is safe to use a condom, they are saying it is not wrong to do that except that you should do it with a condom," he said. "Condoms have not come to fulfil God's desire. God wants us to be holy. He says be holy as I am holy. Therefore, there is no holiness in stealing, fornication and adultery."
Chiluba, who said a condom was not safe and that one could not manage to escape its consequences all the time, added that those who advertise their use were tired of the growth in the population.
"All they do is to give you false hope that all is well," he said. "It is not a good thing to do. Look at young people who have lost one or both parents? Those who advertise condoms come to spread the disease because safety lies only in abstinence."
Chiluba also pledged to work with Mandevu Holy Childhood and that he would support them in any way possible.
He encouraged the children to have hope.
He said the best moment for God to act was the time when the situation looked hopeless.
"I can imagine when the children of Israel were coming from Egypt, they came to a huge river bigger than the Zambezi River and they started telling Moses that he is a fool.
When Moses prayed to God, God said ‘what do you have in your hands?’ Moses said ‘I have a rod.’ That is how Moses used his rod to separate the waters and the children of Israel passed through the waters and escaped from their enemies," he said.
Chiluba encouraged the children that even if they had lost their parents, they did not lose everything because they were children of the Most High.
He said some of the children would be great leaders as long as they believed in the Bible that says, "those who walk in the valley of shadow of death shall fear no evil." He described the visit as very inspiring and that he had a wonderful afternoon.
After addressing the children, Chiluba shook hands with all 50 of them.
Chiluba's wife, Regina expressed displeasure at the high rate of cases of child sexual abuse.
Regina said it was sad that fathers, uncles, brothers and other relatives were sexually abusing children. She urged children to report any sexual abuse by adults even if they were threatened with death.
"If they say 'come to the bedroom, I want to tell you something', tell your mother, your neighbour or your priest. The children are being defiled because they are told that they will die. No, the devil is a liar," Regina said.
The children earlier sung solidarity songs, read the Bible scriptures, preached the word of God, lit candles and wished Chiluba God's blessings, recited poems and also read a speech.
Fridah Madeni read from Romans 4:18-22 in which the Bible encourages believers to have hope. After the Bible reading, Moses Banda preached saying they have been praying that God should increase Chiluba's faith and that he should continue hoping in Him as the only one who could solve the problems he was facing.
"Our prayer is that God should double the amount of hope and trust in you," Banda said. "Abraham didn't have reason to hope in God but still believed that God will do great things. You are the inspiration of all of us here and that is why we decided to come and visit you. As we have seen you, we are going back with the enthusiasm of being like you in future."
And in a speech to Chiluba, Mwaka Nampambe said the children decided to visit him to encourage him over what he had been going through. She said most of the children in the group did not go to school and were fending for themselves due to consequences of HIV/AIDS.
Nampambe said some of the children were double orphans who were surviving through piecework like fetching water for people and laundry.
She said most of the children lacked school requirements like pencils and books because they had limited resources. Nampambe hoped that somebody would assist them change their status quo.
Group coordinator Reginald Ngoma then invited Chiluba to worship with them at Mandevu Parish, to which he responded in the affirmative.
The children whose ages range from three to 14 years were later served with food before they left.
Meanwhile, Chiluba is today expected to open his defence in the criminal case where he is charged with theft of about US $500,000.
This is in a case before Ndola High Court Deputy Registrar Jones Chinyama who sits as a magistrate in Lusaka where Chiluba and former Access Financial Services directors Faustin Kabwe and Aaron Chungu are charged with six counts of theft by public servant. The trio is alleged to have stolen the money between 1998 and 1999.
On May 31, 2007, Magistrate Chinyama ordered that Chiluba's trial should proceed after it was established that he was ready to stand trial but in private.
He made the order following a medical report by the University Teaching Hospital (UTH) ad hoc committee that was presented before court.
According to the report, Chiluba's condition though unpredictable had improved but he could only stand trial in private where the length of the proceedings could be monitored.
After ordering that the trial should proceed, Magistrate Chinyama asked Chiluba's lawyers to decide whether their client was going to stand trial in person or via video link. But Chiluba on August 14, 2007 opted to stand trial in person rather than via video link, saying he did not want to promote illegality.
When time came for ruling on whether he had a case to answer, Magistrate Chinyama found Chiluba with a case to answer after establishing a prima facie case against him.
Chiluba was then put on his defence.
Labels: CHILUBA, ETHICS
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