'Criminals will associate themselves with power'
By Moses Kuwema
Fri 27 Sep. 2013, 14:01 CAT
VICE-President Guy Scott says it cannot be denied that criminals will associate themselves with power. And MMD acting national secretary Kapembwa Simbao says there is so much fear among citizens to speak out on various issues affecting the country.
During a recording of a BBC Focus on Africa debate programme yesterday at the Government Complex, whose title was: 'Can democracy deliver for Africa', But Vice-President Scott, who was among the panelists for the debate, dismissed the allegations that the PF was taking the country backwards in terms of democracy.
He said the people that were critical of the government were relaxed and free to do so.
"They are all relaxed and even smiling at me. If they really believe I am a hyena or a representative of hyenas, they will not be smiling, they will be running the other way," he said.
Vice-President Scott said even the cadres that were allegedly terrorising citizens had not been born and drawn up in the last two years of the PF's rule.
He said the cadres had always been around even before the PF came into power and many of them were cadres of the MMD.
"There are a lot of unemployed youths who find it very politic to associate themselves or to wear the regalia and assume the title of the ruling party. We are cracking down on illegal land grabbing issues. It cannot be denied that criminals will associate themselves with power, it happens. What is important in a democracy is that the rule of law is applied and that is what PF is doing," Vice-President Scott said.
He said there was need for strong and independent institutions.
And Simbao claimed that the PF was driving the country into so much fear.
"Members of parliament have been made to keep quiet unless when they are in the House," said Simbao.
During the same debate, MMD president Nevers Mumba said the PF government does not understand or respect democracy. He said the PF had a culture of violence.
"We need our freedoms back. It will improve the economy, it will improve the social services," said Mumba.
And Linda Kasonde, a representative of the Law Association of Zambia, said there was a lot of intolerance to dissenting views on the Zambian political scene.
Former first lady Maureen Mwanawasa, who was part of the audience, said ordinary people see democracy as something that has to deliver social amenities.
Maureen said the opposition and the government needed to give each other space.
Labels: CORRUPTION, GUY SCOTT, KAPEMBWA SIMBAO, LAZ, LINDA KASONDE, MAUREEN MWANAWASA, MMD
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Maureen counsels opposition leaders
By Roy Habaalu
Tue 27 Aug. 2013, 14:01 CAT
MAUREEN Mwanawasa says opposition political parties must respect the government and party in power. Appearing on Muvi Television's The Assignment programme on Sunday, Maureen said the opposition and Zambians in general should respect and support the government in its programmes.
She said the opposition should realise that President Michael Sata was in charge of the country and should be supported.
"President Michael Sata is our President now, and regardless of our political affiliation, he needs to be supported and respected. We need to see the proper role of the opposition being played by all opposition parties. Their role should be clear, without disturbing the governance of the country," she said.
Maureen said the opposition must be respectful of the party in government because their wish was to be in power, and they would then equally need to be respected.
"The party in government works to take the country forward, so when we criticise, we must be constructive and not destructive because there are a few people in political parties compared to the majority Zambians seeking basic necessities. We need ideas from the opposition for the benefit of the majority, not a few individuals, so the role of the opposition must be specific so that the party in power take this country forward," she said.
Maureen said she would like to see a united opposition that is supportive of the government of the day.
On corruption, Maureen said the vice took away public resources that should benefit the poor.
"Corruption takes away money meant for road construction and creation of employment, and if it's not curtailed, public resources will end up in the hands and pockets of a few people. The national cake must be shared equally, and every leader has a responsibility to ensure that public resources benefit all," said Maureen.
Labels: MAUREEN MWANAWASA, MMD, OPPOSITION
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Maureen says she wants to stay away from politics
By Tilyenji Mwanza
Sun 16 Dec. 2012, 14:00 CAT
MAUREEN Mwanawasa says she wants to stay away from the current political frenzy and live in peace.
The widow of president Levy Mwanawasa said she was now an active farmer and that farming was taking up much of her time. She described the current political situation in the country as a political frenzy guided by the media. She said farming was good for her peace of mind.
"I just want to stay away from all this political frenzy and live in peace. Right now I am busy with my farm and that is what I am revamping in Chongwe," Maureen said.
"You see, you people in the media have your own agendas and I don't want to be part of active politics right now, especially the ongoing debates. I just want to live in peace and busy with my farm."
Maureen said the farm was doing well although it had not been spared by the army worms that had attacked the whole of Chongwe.
Labels: MAUREEN MWANAWASA, MMD
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Sata has a heart for the people - Maureen
By Abigail Chaponda in Ndola
Mon 04 June 2012, 07:00 CAT
MAUREEN Mwanawasa says President Michael Sata has a heart for the people. In an interview in Ndola on Saturday, Maureen said President Sata had the same vision of creating decent jobs for Zambians as that of her late husband, former president Levy Mwanawasa.
She said the government was on the right track to see that Zambians had decent and permanent jobs.
"Late president Mwanawasa had a vision and a plan for Zambia. He was a president for the people because he considered Zambians first. And this is what I am seeing in President Sata; he has a heart for people because he wants to create decent jobs for Zambians," she said.
Maureen said Mwanawasa was a pragmatic person who changed and improved Zambia's economy.
She said Mwanawasa reviewed the national development agenda that was removed by the Frederick Chiluba government to create jobs for Zambians.
Maureen said during the seven years that Mwanawasa was in office, people were able to see tangible results.
"All these achievements that happened during late president Mwanawasa were for the good of Zambians. This is what I see in the current government. The PF government has only been in government for nine months and we are able to see results. I can see that President Sata means well for Zambians. Decentralisation will for sure create more jobs," she said.
Maureen said some of the projects that were started by her late husband were being implemented by the PF government.
The government has admitted that unemployment among youths remains a big challenge.
And President Sata on Saturday said he did not believe in creating casual jobs for Zambians
"Our compatriots are complaining that we are delaying in creating jobs, I don't believe in creating casual employment. When we create jobs, it is forever," President Sata said.
"Don't be in a rush because when you are in a rush you make so many mistakes. We want to calculate and as you have seen we, as a working government, has started putting more money in people's pockets; we have reduced taxes and we're creating new districts and in those districts permanent jobs are being created," President Sata said.
And Maureen said the PF government should consider introducing windfall taxes.
She said windfall tax ensured that the country benefited adequately from its natural resources
"The benefits of a windfall tax include proceeds being directly used by governments to bolster funding for social programmes. The profits that will come from the tax should be reinvested to promote innovation that will in turn benefit society as a whole," said Maureen.
Labels: JOBS, MAUREEN MWANAWASA, MICHAEL SATA
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There is dignity in fighting corruption - Maureen
By Bright Mukwasa
Wed 18 Apr. 2012, 13:29 CAT
MAUREEN Mwanawasa says there is dignity in fighting corruption. And NIPA head of law Raphael Mungole says corruption committed in the last decade has a left a "scar on the conscience of the nation".
Maureen, also former first lady and whose late husband Levy Mwanawasa is admired for launching a spirited fight against the vice, said corruption lowered private investment which leads to economic negation.
She said corruption undermined the "very under-pinnings" of good governance resulting in higher poverty levels.
"The Zambian government must be commended for taking bold steps in the fight against corruption. It is a matter of good citizenship that all well-meaning Zambians support the current efforts in the fight against corruption aimed at promoting integrity, accountability and proper management of public affairs and property," said Maureen during the graduation ceremony of the 4th financial crimes investigation course at the National Institute for Public Administration (NIPA).
"The fight against corruption is a noble and legitimate cause which should be supported by all Zambians. It is gratifying to note that our President Michael Sata is equally taking the fight against corruption to another level in the interest of the nation. There is dignity in fighting corruption and I commend NIPA for training the foot soldiers in the fight against corruption."
Maureen said today's sophisticated schemes to defraud the government and other sectors of the economy demanded financial analytical ability for forensic investigators to handle.
She said in some instances corruption thrived where the economy was not open enough to give people opportunities to genuinely create wealth.
Maureen said it was incumbent upon government to ensure that the economy doubled up its growth to inspire people to be creative and economically empowered.
And Mungole said the fight against financial crimes required a strong judiciary to protect individual and national interests.
"The importance of strengthening criminal justice systems in the country cannot be over-emphasised. And yet what is certain is that a criminal justice system that is ridden with corruption is almost as bad as no criminal justice system at all," Mungole said.
"It has been noted that with the reintroduction of the abuse of office clause, there will be greater need to train and re-train role players and other stakeholders in the implementation of new legislation to secure appropriate convictions, forfeiture of assets and proceeds of crime. The training course also took special note of the undisputed fact that corruption and other financial crimes committed in the last decade have left a "scar on the conscience of the nation".
Mungole said there was a growing national momentum to ease the suffering caused by the scar by fighting organised crime especially that of corruption and money laundering.
Labels: CORRUPTION, MAUREEN MWANAWASA
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My political differences with Sata were good for democracy - Maureen
By Roy Habaalu
Thu 15 Dec. 2011, 13:58 CAT
MAUREEN Mwanawasa says her political differences with President Michael Sata were good for democracy. In an interview, Maureen who openly ordered government officials to get President Sata out of the funeral procession of her late husband Levy Mwanawasa in Chipata said she had reconciled with the Head of State.
She said her differences with President Sata shouldn't take away the personal relationship they enjoyed.
"President Sata and myself have campaigned on the opposite and remained friends and as human beings you cannot expect that you may hurt each other at one time but he is still a President, I respect. And for me I am one person who believes that it's important to give respect to a person who has been given the responsibility to run the country," she said.
"It's not about an individual's feelings but the fact that people decided.
Therefore we should give him and the office that he occupies the respect that he deserves."
When reminded that she once said President Sata had only reconciled with her late husband, Maureen responded: "I have never said that (laughs). In life aba Bemba balanda ati ifimuti tafibula kukwesana, people differ but at the end of the day the Bible says people must reconcile before sunset."
On the MMD presidency, Maureen said the party needed to put itself in order.
She said MMD would go into oblivion if members themselves felt defeated.
"Democracy can only thrive if there is competition. If we are going to allow one party to take precedence we are encouraging one party state. In modern governance you cannot have it that way," said Maureen.
Labels: MAUREEN MWANAWASA, MICHAEL SATA
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I simply represented a gold buyer’s interest – Maureen
TIME PUBLISHED - Monday, November 7, 2011, 5:03 am
MAUREEN Mwanawasa, wife of late President Levy Mwanawasa, represented a prospective gold buyer, but has stated that the connection was not sinister in anyway as the ‘golden triangle’ unravels.
“I represented one of the people that were interested in buying the gold,” the former First Lady, a Lusaka lawyer from Mwanawasa and Company said, “We gave a South African client the necessary advice and got our fees for the job…that is all we did.”
Mrs Mwanawasa identified the client as a Mr Moto Mabanga who could not meet the sale criteria stipulated by the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) which required the interested party to buy the entire 118 kilogrammes of gold at once.
“Our client just wanted part of the gold and not the entire amount,” Mrs Mwanawasa said, “We just provided the necessary legal documents at Mwanawasa and Company. That is all I know about the gold. I went to see Mr Zulu at DEC with our client’s offer and later he called us to say our client did not qualify to buy the gold.”
The gold with a present day value of about US$6 million or K32 billion was ostensibly sold at US$4 million after being seized from two Zimbabweans. Former President, Rupiah Banda and his former press assistant Dickson Jere recently in Lusaka and Mfuwe met a Swiss man, Nicolae Buzaianu, who is believed to have bought the gold.
Mr Jere did not answer his phone more than three times yesterday when the Daily Mail called him. He is said to be in South Africa on business. The Swiss man has asked Mr Sakwiba Sikota of Central Chambers to sue the Zambian government and demand US$100 million for being linked to the gold but President Sata, who cannot be sued as a head of State has instead challenged Buzaianu, 42, to come to Zambia and “explain” himself if he is not tainted.
The President who has embarked on a spirited campaign against corruption that has won him kudos locally and internationally also disclosed that the Swiss man whom he stripped of diplomatic status at UNESCO in Paris is on a DEC “watch-list.”
Mystery surrounds how the gold was sold while in DEC custody but information reaching the Daily Mail suggests that the seized gold excited lots of top government officials leading to an abortive attempt to switch it for fake bullion while it was still in DEC custody. The attempt to switch the gold for fake bullion was thwarted by a named female senior DEC official.
[Zambia Daily Mail]
Labels: CORRUPTION, DEC, GOLD, MAUREEN MWANAWASA
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SADC engages Maureen to address cross border trade meeting
By Florence Bupe
Fri 29 Oct. 2010, 04:00 CAT
THE Southern African Development Community (SADC) has engaged Maureen Mwanawasa as one of the prominent people to address the forthcoming high level meeting on Informal Cross Border Trade in southern Africa.
According to the official invitation letter signed by SADC deputy executive secretary for regional integration Joao Samuel Caholo, Maureen is scheduled to speak on the topic ‘Why SADC should Focus on ICBTs (Informal Cross Border Traders): Advancing Trade and Women’s Empowerment’ on November 1, 2010.
The ICBT meeting is set to take place in Harare, Zimbabwe, from November 1 to 3, 2010.
Caholo stated that ICBT had continued to be one of the ignored sectors in the region despite its vast contribution to economic growth and development.
It has also been observed that ICBT in the southern African region is a matter of gender as the majority of those actively involved in the sector are women.
And a letter from Maureen’s office indicated that the former first lady had accepted the invitation as well as the role of advocating for enhanced ICBT in the region.
The meeting will be jointly funded by the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) and the European Union.
Two senior government officials from each member state representing gender and trade ministries are expected to attend the meeting.
Labels: ICBT, JOAO SAMUEL CAHOLO, MAUREEN MWANAWASA, SADC, TRADE
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Levy will be remembered for speaking the truth - Maureen
By Ernest Chanda
Thu 19 Aug. 2010, 15:10 CAT
MAUREEN Mwanawasa has said her late husband president Levy Mwanawasa will be remembered for speaking the truth and providing visionary leadership. And Vice-President George Kunda said all those in government owed it to president Mwanawasa.
Speaking at the memorial service for her late husband at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Lusaka, the former first lady said a leader must have an idea of where he wants to take his people.
All of president Mwanawasa’s children, diplomats, cabinet ministers and various other dignitaries attended the service from the church and political parties.
Maureen said her husband had achieved this when God gave him chance to serve the nation.
“In leadership, the most important thing is vision, because the leader, if he has to lead, he must have some idea of where he wants to lead. He must always lead you from your present situation into a better world. And president Mwanawasa can be remembered for having succeeded to do that: he created an environment and left a foundation where each of us has become the change we wish to see in our country,” Maureen said.
Maureen said people could not achieve visionary leadership if they did not tell the truth.
“Indeed to achieve that, we need to take one simple resolution that of always speaking the truth. Once such a simple resolution is taken, you suddenly find that it is almost impossible to commit any single sin because every sin has to be covered with one hundred different lies. This simple resolution should be accompanied with inner spiritual growth,” she said.
“Spirituality is what the world needs. If you put your faith in truth, which is God, you can never fail because God cannot fail. Of course you may not live to see your mission succeed, but that is not important; but your cause cannot fail and to all of us gathered here we can all join hands together to honour the memory of His Excellency Levy P Mwanawasa and recognise that his legacy should be seen as part and parcel of Zambia’s history and after all it is history that builds the future.”
She said president Mwanawasa demonstrated love for his country through dedicated leadership and the words contained in his final Will and Testament.
And Vice-President Kunda said he and his colleagues would forever be grateful to president Mwanawasa.
“All of us in government must acknowledge that we owe it to our late brother Dr Mwanawasa for appointing us into government. For some of us he introduced us into politics and into government. As such we shall remain eternally grateful to him. Those of us who were associated with Dr Mwanawasa in private practice and government know how dedicated he was to duty,” Vice-President Kunda said.
“He was hardworking, meticulous and devoted to detail in his work. Anyone working in his team appreciated these qualities in our team leader, which we had to emulate. Dr Mwanawasa is gone but what he did and stood for is still fresh in our minds. It has made a permanent impression.”
He said the government would build a museum in honour of president Mwanawasa.
“As a way of appreciating his excellent work, qualities and contribution to national development it is necessary for us to preserve his legacy for generations to come. As such we have decided as government to construct a museum/musoleum at the Embassy Park where we put him to rest. This is the best way of remembering and honouring our late president,” said Vice-President Kunda.
President Mwanawasa died on August 19, 2008 at Percy Military Hospital in France after suffering a severe stroke while attending an African Union summit in Egypt and was then flown to France, where he had remained in hospital until his death.
Labels: CHURCH SERVICES, LEVY MWANAWASA, MAUREEN MWANAWASA
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My aspiration is to lead Zambia, says Maureen
By Sututu Katundu
Fri 14 May 2010, 15:00 CAT
FORMER first lady Maureen Mwanawasa has said
her aspiration is to one day lead Zambia. And Maureen has said life hasn’t been easy living on a US $1,000.00 monthly allowance which she receives from government.
Maureen was speaking in an interview with the BBC Network Africa. Asked whether she missed being the first lady, Maureen said she didn’t because she had her chance and was looking forward to becoming a president one day.
“I don’t, I had my chance. My next aspiration is not to become a first lady of course because if I aspire to become a first lady I must find a president to get married to. I’m not interested in that. My next aspiration is one day to lead this country,” she said.
Responding to a question about her having been a flamboyant first lady, Maureen said flamboyant may not be the right word but that she was a tough woman and that led to people thinking there were two presidents running the country.
“I was very hard to the extent that I don’t even have to say it myself but ask Zambians, they believed they had two presidents in State House.”
Asked if she was ruling the country, Maureen said her late husband was just lucky to have a supportive partner.
“That’s what they assumed but I was not ruling the country but to say that president Mwanawasa was lucky to have had a very very supportive partner and that’s the way it is supposed to be,” Maureen said.
Meanwhile, Maureen said life has not been easy since the death of her husband as she faces quite a number of challenges.
“It hasn’t been easy but maybe the advantage I have is that my husband gave me the encouragement when he was still alive. He gave me room to be myself, to be courageous, to work hard and my family, friends have been there for me and just the inspiration that I’ve lost a person who was really vigorous, courageous, so somehow we seem to have imitated part of his character,” she said.
She said it was difficult to move on as she was still mourning her husband and raising their young children single handedly was proving to be a great challenge.
Maureen said the retirement package of heads of state, worse still for her as a spouse who does not get what the presidents get was insufficient.
“I can’t rely on that. They give 50 per cent. That 50 per cent may sound exciting but in dollar terms I’ll tell you I get a US $1,000 per month, in Zambian terms its just about K5 million plus. My school going children, they are in private schools, one of them requires about US $2,000 per term, my daughter in London has to pay 10,000 ponds per year, that is just for fees, less accommodation and air transport,” she said.
Maureen further said she decided that since this life was unsustainable and she cannot manage to educate her children on her US $1,000 allowance, she would use her educational advantage to work in order to make life better.
“I’m lucky that I’m educated, I’m a lawyer by profession and I’ve got a masters degree and I’ve got an honorary degree in law so what I’ve done, I’ve gone back to set up a law practice and I’ll start working,” said Maureen.
Labels: MAUREEN MWANAWASA, MMD
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Maureen not in hurry to have a boyfriend
By Ernest Chanda
Mon 08 Feb. 2010, 04:01 CAT
MAUREEN Mwanawasa has said she is not in a hurry to remarry or have a boyfriend.
Featuring on Joy fm's Tikambilane programme in Lusaka yesterday, Maureen said even though the Mwanawasa family cleared her through a traditional ceremony last year, she did not think of re-marrying anytime soon.
Maureen made the remarks after the presenter asked her which person she would celebrate this year’s Valentine’s Day with since she had been cleared by her late husband’s family.
Maureen said she would wait for God's time.
“Yes, you read in the media that I was cleared by my late husband's family. But you see, I live by God's rules.
God gave me a man late president Levy Mwanawasa whom I lived with and had children, so I have to mourn him for as long as I can. So, marriage is not a priority to me for now, just as I have always said,” Maureen said. “I have a lot of challenges such as reviving the law firm. But I will not say I will not marry again or have a boyfriend. If I say that then I would be wrong because tomorrow you may see me marry or have a boyfriend and then you will say 'remember what you said on air'. So I will wait for God's time.”
Valentines Day falls this Sunday, February 14.
On the fight against HIV/AIDS, Maureen urged women to thank God if their husbands introduced condoms in the home as a way of fighting the scourge.
“We are no longer fighting AIDS through statistics but we are always looking for ways of fighting the pandemic. Men must be able to introduce a condoms in the home. I know this might be difficult to understand but I believe it is good for the fight against AIDS,” Maureen said. “I have told women in many workshops that if a man introduces a condom in a home don't question him. Usually as women, when we see such things in a home, we begin to wonder which other woman our man is sleeping with. If a man introduces a condom in a home just thank God.”
And Maureen said a leader's attributes should not be tied to a degree.
Maureen said there was more connected to good leadership than just a degree.
The National Constitutional Conference (NCC) recently adopted a clause that requires a presidential candidate to possess, among others, a minimum academic qualification of a first degree.
Maureen said education alone did not make someone a good leader.
“The degree clause has brought a lot of debate. I believe that leaders should be chosen by the people and for the people. If there are people who aspire to be leaders I think their attributes should not be tied to a degree. We have others with ACCA, CIMA and other accounting professions, which are quite high. Where do we place them?” Maureen questioned. “We also have military people who are disciplined with other leadership attributes. Some of them are Colonels, but because they may not have a degree should we disregard them? There are other attributes in a person such as integrity which makes one a good leader. And whatever the case, at the end of the day it is the 12 million Zambians who will vote.”
She said the Republican presidency could not be tied to a degree because it encompassed all professions.
“The presidency encompasses all professions, so you can't tie it to a degree. If you say I have a degree in law others will say how are you going to manage the economy of the country? What we should say is that there must be some level of education, experience and integrity in someone aspiring for leadership. After all, at the end of the day, it's Zambians who choose,” said Maureen.
Labels: JOY FM, MAUREEN MWANAWASA
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Momentum to fight corruption has been lost, says Maureen
By Chibaula Silwamba
Thu 31 Dec. 2009, 04:01 CAT
FORMER first lady Maureen Mwanawasa has said the momentum to fight corruption has been lost a bit due to perceived interference in the judiciary by the executive. And Maureen said Zambians need healing and reconciliation.
In an end of year interview, Maureen said the three arms of the government - the executive, judiciary and legislature - must operate independently. Asked if the momentum to fight corruption was still there or not after the death of her husband Levy Mwanawasa, Maureen responded:
“In a way we have lost a bit in the sense that we want to see a situation where the cases which were in court must be seen to their conclusion by the judiciary without intervention from the executive. Our Constitution is very clear regarding the powers of the different arms of government - the independence of the judiciary, legislature and executive”
Maureen said the three arms of government must be seen to be having the autonomous powers that were invented in the Constitution.
“But a minute you see one arm intervening in the other and then having difficulties for the other one to operate freely, that is a problem for democracy,” Maureen said, “So we cannot say we are starting our democracy, what we want is to see it becoming fully fledged and embracing all the tenets of democracy so that these institutions can operate the way they are expected, results can be seen to their fruitful conclusion, there should be fair play as far as cases are concerned, fair justice to whoever is facing the law without necessarily saying that, 'let us stop this case because certain individuals are involved' but allowing the judiciary to do their job.”
Asked about the abolition of the Task Force on Corruption that was established by Mwanawasa in 2002, Maureen said what was important was that the corruption crusade must continue.
“It doesn't matter in whatever form as long as it is being fought by government at the same level that Mwanawasa did, maybe even higher. If the current administration is going to use different institutions so be it as long as we are seen to be doing what the Zambians expect us to be doing,” Maureen said.
“If the current administration has seen some faults in the Task Force, as long as the alternative institutions that have been formed are going to perform the duties that are expected by Zambians because they are the stakeholders, they are the shareholders of this country, as leaders they are just there to manage the affairs on behalf of Zambians. So, whether it's the question of changing the name from Task Force to another at the end of the day we want to see that the job is being done.”
And Maureen urged Zambians to reconcile.
“Before I come to MMD, I think the overall picture in the country, we need healing. This country needs healing and reconciliation for anything tangible and fruitful to take place. We cannot be enemies of ourselves. We cannot be seen to be fighting. We have to take our country forward,” Maureen said. “But at the same time we should allow people to co-exist and belong to parties or institutions or none at all, according to their choice.”
On the internal squabbles in MMD, Maureen urged the party leadership to open channels of communications for members.
“As a party member of MMD, the bickering, I don't know if this is the right word when we say 'people are bickering'. I think they are just trying to speak out and express themselves. But when they speak out outside the institution of the party and they speak out in the press then there is communication breakdown because all institutions have channels of communication but once those channels of communications are closed… you are dealing with human beings if you shut them they will burst,” Maureen
said. “So in order to have a breather, they will speak outside the institution or outside the framework of communication. People are trying to find a platform of expression and it is my hope that the structures of our party can open dialogue because if we are not exchanging views it will be very difficult even to tap into the best ideas that can help our party stand firm and be counted.”
Maureen encouraged the MMD leadership to provide a platform for members to exchange ideas.
“As a member, you have ideas, you have an interest, you want to say something, you need to be given an opportunity to speak within the framework of the institution but if that doesn't happen then you obviously expect a spillover,” Maureen said.
On the social, political and economic status of Zambians in 2009, Maureen said 2009 was a challenging year for her and many people.
“Challenging in the sense that socially, which is a combination of political and economic factors which form an external environment in which we live, you cannot isolate each sector from the other. Normally they are intertwined. So whatever we go through as citizens of this country - the social, political and economical factors have an impact,” Maureen said. “I must say that the standards of living most of us Zambians have been quite a challenge in the sense that Zambia has not been spared like any other country from the financial meltdown which has affected the global village.”
Maureen said due to the economic crisis, many people had lost their jobs while those in employment did not receive the salary increments they expected.
“Those who are in the informal sector, like ourselves in the agriculture sector, we have also been affected. When you look at the agriculture sector, there are both positives and negatives factors that have arisen,” Maureen said. “For this season 2009/2010, we can say that the cost of fertilizer has gone down a bit but the cost of seeds is still expensive. Seeds are fertilizer go together. So if one of the inputs is still not affordable it means that the agriculture sector is still a challenge.”
Maureen hoped that in the 2010/2011 farming season the cost of seeds would reduce so that all necessary inputs that are needed by a farmer were affordable.
“Zambia like any other African country should see the economic meltdown as an opportunity for growth. Zambia, in particular, has got so many resources which we sing about as citizens. It's high time we moved from the word potential to something that can give us value addition so that our economy can grow,” Maureen said. “I don't have to be an economist to understand the economic factors that affect our country. The basic knowledge that I have should allow me to understand what is important for the economy to grow, what affects it negatively and the way forward.”
Maureen said Zambians should divide the economic growth at different levels.
“We cannot give a blanket excuse for all the levels of economic growth for our country. We have local economics, which we should be managing well, we have regional economics, we have continental economics and we have the global economics and these segments are very important for us as Zambians to look at, specifically for our leaders who are carrying the total picture of the country,” Maureen said.
“So we cannot use one single excuse to be a defence for all the problems of all those levels I have mentioned. There are things which locally we should be able to manage and we should be able to look after ourselves and ensure that the lives of people are running, standards of living do not come below the poverty datum line.”
Maureen said Zambia was one of the countries in Africa with so many educated people.
“What we need is to create an environment where you don't have to be a politician; you don't have to be in formal employment; you don't have to be in government in order to contribute to the growth of the country. We have to find a way of how we can tap these different talents which can assist in taking the country forward in our different roles,” Maureen said.
On regional economics, Maureen called on Zambians to utilize Southern African Development Community (SADC) and Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA).
“The question we should be asking ourselves is, how is Zambia benefitting or participating fully so that these regional institutions can make economic sense for Zambia?” she said. “Some of the things we started seeing last year is that industrialists in Zambia became alert that until Zambia start producing competitive products then we can take our products at regional and continental level and I think we need to continue doing that otherwise Zambia will continue being a dumping place of finished goods and services.”
Maureen said there was need to critically look at what kind of duty and taxes to put on some imported goods in order to protect the Zambia
market.
“We have all been told, I think from the time Zambia became independent or even in the colonial days, even in schools, that Zambia is a landlocked country and therefore is at a disadvantage,” Maureen said. “I believe that Zambia is not landlocked, it is land-linked.
Until we shift and make bold decisions and see how this land linkage can be a benefit rather than a disadvantage to us, how are we taking advantage of the neighbouring countries that we have?”
Maureen said there was need to look at the advantages that Zambia had that could be used to foster national development.
“In order to do this we need a strong research and development (R&D). R&D in this country is a big gap which we need to fill in and there is no way we can move forward at a faster rate the way we would want to move if our research and development lags behind because we have to capture all the happenings at a very fast rate, evaluate them, monitor them and see how we can make changes and move forward,” Maureen said. “In whatever we are doing we will need to make sure that the research and development becomes one of the big steps that we need to take in order to take a revolutionary approach towards making our country different. When I say revolutionary approach, some of the policies have to be crude in order to survive.”
Maureen said there were some good policies that Zambia had put in place.
“For example, Zambia is reported in the SADC region that is one of the countries that is regarded as almost 100 per cent wheat production.
What did Zambia do? It made sure that we had certain duties put on imported wheat in order to protect the locally produced wheat,” Maureen said. “The other thing is that Zambia is too much dependant on the mining industry and yet it brings in about 30 per cent support to the income that Zambia needs to move forward and yet mining industry is such a challenging industry.”
Maureen called for diversification of economy from copper dependence.
“We need to stand up and say 'what alternative industry should we bring in all these mining towns as a fallback when the prices of our minerals go down to be specific when prices of copper go down?'” Maureen said. “Apart from re-emphasing the need to bring back the windfall taxes, we need alternative industries in these mining areas. If you look at the Copperbelt Province, there are so many things that can be done.”
Maureen observed that in the past, Copperbelt used to boast of the biggest industrial base in Zambia.
“We were producing blankets, we were producing furniture and we can produce many more products which can increase opportunities for employment for people. People on the Copperbelt cannot all be miners but they can participate in other sectors,” said Maureen. “So these gaps can only be identified if we used research and development. For example, we need to understand that for us to say, 'this product, for example, importation of biscuits is unproductive for Zambia', we need statistics.”
Labels: CORRUPTION, MAUREEN MWANAWASA, MWANAWASA, RUPIAH BANDA
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Maureen refutes Times story on 2011 presidential ambition
Written by Ernest Chanda
Monday, September 07, 2009 3:02:01 PM
FORMER first lady Maureen Mwanawasa (above) has said she wants to live a private and quiet life away from politics.
Clarifying the lead story published in the Times of Zambia on September 4, 2009 where she was quoted as having said that she would vie for the Republican Presidency in 2016 and that she currently backed President Rupiah Banda for the 2011 election, Maureen said politics was not a priority in her daily life.
"I want to put matters clear and state that I was misquoted by the Times of Zambia Newspaper dated Friday, September 4th 2009 with a headline MAUREEN EYES PRESIDENCY...backs Banda For 2011 Polls. The news has traumatised me, my family and friends as it has painted me as being active in politics and being judged as such," she said. "I want to state that I want to live a private and quiet life away from political limelight and acclamatise especially after the demise of my late husband. I do not want to discuss politics as priority in my daily life and I want to be left alone to concentrate on my family welfare."
Maureen said she only told the reporter that she had interest in leading the country but that she did not know when the opportunity would come.
"I confirm that I had an interview with Sam Phiri a reporter from Times of Zambia on 31st August 2009 at my office and this was upon their request that I give a story on how life has been since my late husband's death, president Mwanawasa. I gave my story and in conclusion he asked me whether I had any political ambition," she narrated.
"My response was clear and precise to the effect that what I had was a passion to one day lead this country but that I do not know when such an opportunity would occur. I remain a committed MMD member. The reporter said that the story would be published as a feature and as a build-up to the speech I gave on 19th August 2009 during the memorial service of the late president Levy Patrick Mwanawasa SC."
She explained that she was later called by the same reporter to redo the interview another day so that it could be recorded.
"Two days later, Mr Phiri telephoned me to inform me that his boss Mrs [Janet] Ilunga will not publish the story because it was not recorded on tape and that he wanted another opportunity to repeat the interview and this time on tape. My response was simple, I told him that I was quite busy until after 3rd September 2009 and that I would phone him to agree on the time and date. He agreed and told me that the first interview will be put away since it was not taped. I agreed to that arrangement," Maureen said.
She said she was surprised to see the story in the newspaper despite the earlier arrangement that the interview be redone.
"To my surprise and disbelief, I saw the said shouting and disturbing headline in the Times of Zambia. Immediately I phoned Mr Phiri to express my belief and disappointment and asked him at what point did I express[ly] say what they had quoted. I demanded an apology," she said.
Maureen said despite her demand for an apology from the newspaper, she could not get one.
"I was annoyed with him and I was made to speak to his boss Mrs Ilunga [to] whom I expressed my disappointment and asked for an apology for the misrepresentation. Mrs Ilunga told me that it was not possible for them to carry an apology but that my feature story would cure the misrepresentation the following day," she explained.
"The feature was carried in [the] Times of Zambia on 5th September 2009, but it did not cure the misrepresentation and many people did not even read it."
She said she has been forced to speak out through another medium because the Times of Zambia had chosen not to correct the misrepresentation.
"Efforts to get the Times newspaper to apologise have been futile. I have decided to explain this issue in detail with another media because the Times of Zambia is adamant to make my position clear. The media should also not make capital out of a misrepresentation," said Maureen.
On Friday last week, Maureen was quoted in the Times of Zambia as having said that she would stand for the 2016 presidency.
The newspaper also quoted her as having said that she supported President Banda's sole candidature for the 2011 election.
Labels: MAUREEN MWANAWASA, MMD, RUPIAH BANDA
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Levy protected freedom of expression and press – Maureen
Written by Chibaula Silwamba
Friday, September 04, 2009 5:15:42 PM
FORMER first lady Maureen Mwanawasa has said her late husband, Levy Mwanawasa, protected freedom of expression and press as mandated by the Zambian Constitution. And president Mwanawasa's biographer Amos Malupenga said it pained him that people who worked closely and loyalists of president Mwanawasa are not defending or clarifying the wrong and incorrect things that are being said about the late president.
Meanwhile, former president Dr Kenneth Kaunda said the biography is a great narration of the life story of president Mwanawasa, whom he described as a great statesman and revered African leader.
Speaking at the launch of the biography Levy Patrick Mwanawasa - an incentive for prosperity written by Post managing editor Amos Malupenga at Hotel Intercontinental in Lusaka on Thursday night, Maureen said Mwanawasa invoked the provisions of Article 20 of the Zambian Constitution on the protection of freedom of expression.
"Above all he had sworn to uphold the Constitution to its fine details and Zambians came to understand that the rule of law was president Mwanawasa's yardstick of measuring power and authority and God consequently helped him to lead this beautiful country, Zambia," Maureen said.
"Allow me your Excellency, ladies and gentlemen to underscore this point by reading Article 20(1) (2) in the interest of justice and fair play. I need my glasses! Your Excellency Article 20 (1) reads: except with his own consent no person shall be hindered in the enjoyment of his freedom of expression. That is to say freedom to hold opinions without interference, freedom to receive ideas and information without interference. Freedom to impart and communicate ideas and information without interference whether the communication be to the public generally or to any person or class of persons and freedom from interference with his correspondence. Article 20 (2) Subject to the provisions of this Constitution no law shall make any provisions that derogate from freedom of the press."
She explained why president Mwanawasa allowed Malupenga to write his biography.
"Many of you present here tonight as well as those not with us must be wondering how president Levy Mwanawasa could allow his biography to be written by Amos Malupenga, the managing editor of the most controversial newspaper in our land, The Post to be specific," Maureen said.
"The answer is simple. President Mwanawasa agreed to this arrangement and he said, and I quote, 'I want my biography to be written by someone who can even have the courage to punch holes in my character and my administration'."
She said president Mwanawasa had realized that Zambia had been challenged with the misuse of public funds which made the country's treasury suffer.
"President Mwanawasa believed that there was need to cure the cancer that had gripped the nation and efforts to grow the economy would be futile without change of attitude towards public property and resources," she said
Maureen emphasized that president Mwanawasa spearheaded the corruption crusade on behalf of Zambians and at no time was it a personal agenda.
"President Mwanawasa understood that corruption retarded the economic growth of nations and Zambia was no exception. He recognized one of the factors that has seen Zambia lag behind and remain mired in poverty as the tendency by some leaders and public workers to look after their own interest at the expense of national interests. This in many cases results in dictators who hold large amounts of money in foreign accounts," Maureen said.
She said one of the greatest challenges facing Africa and Zambia in particular was to develop leadership corps that was not entangled in corruption practices.
"The onus is on the electorate to vote for quality leadership. At a higher level, the constitutional level there is need to put in place safeguards that will ensure that there will be no rigging of elections so that the leadership that is put in place in any given African country reflects the will of the nation," Maureen said. "The above stated tenets espoused by president Mwanawasa are by no means exhaustive. What president Mwanawasa stood for cannot be summarized on a platform such as this one."
She said Zambia needed more people of president Mwanawasa's caliber in order for the country and Africa to grow in a sustainable manner.
"President Mwanawasa's visionary leadership can be called an institution and the more we read, talk and champion some of these beliefs, the more we can make a difference for ourselves and the generations yet to come," Maureen said.
She said president Mwanawasa's administration brought the cost of doing business in Zambia down.
"I am sure we have not yet forgotten his famous quote: 'putting money in the pockets of ordinary Zambians and creating a middle income economy'," Maureen recalled. "He believed in hard work. His message was simple, yet poignant. President Mwanawasa believed in leadership for transformation. Leadership which is able to change the way things stand and chart a new path of prosperity into the future. A leadership that can make a country enjoy a great degree of stability and economic growth."
Maureen said having worked closely with president Mwanawasa as one of his special assistants, though not on salary, she was duty bound to be among the advocates of the late president's legacy.
"The date 3rd September bears special significance in the life history of the late president Mwanawasa. President Mwanawasa was born on 3rd September 1948, he was buried on 3rd September 2008 and today [Thursday] 3rd September 2009 we are launching his visionary biography," said Maureen. "Is this mere coincidence? Whatever the reason behind these coincidences, 3rd September will remain a magical and memorable date to me and the children and the rest of the family."
However, government officials or any ministers serving in the current administration who were close allies of president Mwanawasa shunned the ceremony.
And in his speech, Malupenga wondered why president Mwanawasa's loyalists were not defending the decisions of the late president.
"Without sounding political, I just want to say that it pains me, it pains my heart sometimes especially in the last few months when I see the people that worked closely with Mr Mwanawasa. Those who the public know as members of the family tree; you know the story. Those are the people who were considered, not necessarily that they were members of the family tree, I think there was that expression but I am referring to those people who were considered to be Mr Mwanawasa's lieutenants, those who knew him better, those who understood what was happening in the background," Malupenga said. "Of course I discussed this issue with him several times during my interactions with him about the need to appoint people with the necessary competence to execute national duties and he kept on insisting and he said, 'that is very important but sometimes you need to strike a balance because you need to find people who need to be loyal to you, people who are ready to die for you'."
He said during his interaction with president Mwanawasa, the late president mentioned a few names of the people he considered to be his loyalists.
"Of course I singled out that name in the book and that is Mr Alfred Chipoya and he is here, so I want to commend him because I see that he is trying to die a little for Mr Mwanawasa," Malupenga said. "But a point I am making is that there are a few of those who worked very closely with him, who understood him better and he considered these men and women as his loyalists, so to say. There are so many things that are being said about Mr Mwanawasa today, most of them wrong, incorrect and I expect that those loyalists, those who understood him better, those who knew the behind the scenes should cease the opportunity since the man is not here to clarify or defend his position. But unfortunately most of these are very quiet and it pains me that they are not clarifying. They are allowing, to borrow honourable [George] Mpombo's words, they are allowing the legacy to be harassed. I hope honurable Mpombo will not accuse me of practicing politics of braggadocio."
Malupenga said he initiated the idea to write president Mwanawasa's biography when the late president was in Mfuwe during his last working holiday.
"I mentioned to him that there will be need for me to put his life in form of a book by way of writing a biography. He didn't seem so much interested but he welcomed the idea. He said, 'put it in writing. Let's consider it when we get back to Lusaka.' And indeed that is what I did and of course he was busy, there were so many things to look at but in April we met and resolved that we proceed as I proposed," Malupenga narrated. "He was a good family man and goodness, his love was not just confined to his children, I think it was to the entire family."
He commended The Post for giving him time to work on the biography and the editor of the biography, professor Fackson Banda.
"The Post gave me all the support; sometimes they allowed me to stay away from work just to concentrate on this project. I think the entire management and staff, they gave me all the support that I expected and I need from them, for that I would like to thank you all my colleagues," said Malupenga.
"President Jakaya Kikwete wrote the foreword. This foreword in my view is a huge contribution to the summary of the life of president Mwanawasa. He [President Kikwete] has ended his foreword by throwing a challenge to us, he said: 'President Mwanawasa lived his life, our challenge is to live his legacy.' This is a challenge for all of us in this country."
Meanwhile, Dr Kaunda said Malupenga, through the biography had paid a fitting tribute to president Mwanawasa.
"Most of us believed that we knew him [Mwanawasa] well during his lifetime, yet this book tells us more about his story. Amos Malupenga has through his writing this book demonstrated his impeccable aptitude to put together Levy's thoughts before his passing."
He said the story of president Mwanawasa went beyond Zambia's boundaries.
"I am in this regard delighted that another distinguished son of Africa and head of state of Tanzania President Jakaya Kikwete has provided the foreword to this book in glorious terms," said Dr Kaunda.
The event attracted a cross section of people in society drawn from the diplomat corps, financial, banking, political, educational, and media sectors.
CK
Labels: AMOS MALUPENGA, KENNETH KAUNDA, MAUREEN MWANAWASA, MWANAWASA
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Levy deeply despised corruption and opportunism, says Maureen
Written by George chellah and Ernest Chanda
Thursday, August 20, 2009 4:58:08 PM
FORMER first lady Maureen Mwanawasa yesterday said the late president Levy Mwanawasa deeply despised corruption and opportunism, adding that the best way to remember him is to try and champion some of the causes he stood for.
And President Rupiah Banda urged people to refrain from making unnecessary comments which create the wrong impression that president Mwanawasa's legacy is in question, saying the comments only hurt the family.
During the first memorial service for president Mwanawasa at Cathedral of the Holy Cross yesterday, Maureen - who was accompanied by her children - said she had come to learn that president Mwanawasa was loved and respected by many. "Allow me to walk you down the memory lane of the life of president Mwanawasa and to highlight some of his salient characteristics, what he stood for and what he experienced as he led this great nation of Zambia. President Mwanawasa believed that to lead was to live dangerously. When leadership counts, you have to lead people through difficult times of change. As you advocate for change, you challenge what people hold dear i.e. their daily habits, tools, loyalties and ways of thinking with nothing more to offer perhaps than a possibility," Maureen said. "President Mwanawasa came to understand that people push back when you disturb their personal and institutional equilibrium, and that people resist in all kinds of creative and unexpected ways that can get you taken out of the game, pushed aside, undermined or eliminated all together. President Mwanawasa also learnt that however gentle your style of leadership, however careful your strategy, however sure you may be that you are on the right track, leading was a risky business. But these facts did not deter him.
"Instead he gained more courage and passion to lead Zambia to the best of his ability together with his team of men and women who believed in his vision for Zambia. He was anxious to do what he could to bring relief to the people's suffering and to find solutions to the many problems besetting the nation."
She said the late president Mwanawasa hated conduct and practices that were detrimental to the development of the country.
"He deeply despised laziness, corruption, opportunism and self-serving pursuits. He strongly believed that these vices were an impediment to national development. His stance on corruption was the same to those close to him as it was to others. He repeatedly warned all those who were close to him not to expect any sympathy or protection from him if they engaged in corrupt practices and he meant every word he said," Maureen said. "President Mwanawasa believed that leadership was also worth the risk because the goals he aimed at, extended beyond material gain and personal advancement. He meant to serve and lived what he preached. His vision was to see the lives of Zambians improved and for life to have meaning and purpose."
He said the late president believed in the rule of law and not the rule of men.
"President Mwanawasa's leadership over the years was anchored on listening to people and dialogue with people from within the country, from other nations and walks of life, including workers, managers and activists, Presidents of other countries and multinational corporations, parents, clergy, generals and admirals as well as lieutenants, captains and privates, senior and junior executives within business and governments, teachers, doctors, nurses and principals and trustees and generally men and women and the youth from all walks of life," Maureen said. "President Mwanawasa took on leadership when the country had many economic challenges. The expectations from the nationals were high. He made several trips abroad to plead for help from the IMF, World Bank etc, he consulted many economic experts at home and abroad and president Mwanawasa knew that any practical solution would require each region and sector of society to endure considerable pain, at least in the short term."
She said the absolute selflessness and passion with which president Mwanawasa served the nation should serve as an example.
"And be emulated by those aspiring to positions of leadership for the benefit of our nation. As we commemorate the first anniversary of our beloved president's passing-on, allow me to suggest that the best way to remember him is to try and champion some of the causes he stood for while he had the privilege to lead this country," Maureen said. "Our late president stood for a fair society that was governed by the rule of law. President Mwanawasa fought to emancipate our country from poverty so that all our children could grow up in good health and security. He believed that employment brought dignity to people and family life. He wanted the people of our country to responsibly explore and yet promote the well-being of our natural environment."
She said memories were equally filled with his passion for justice.
"In his public as well as private life, he thirsted for fairness. He desired that everyone be considered and treated equal under the law. He genuinely believed equality before the law was the bearest minimum requirement for fair society," Maureen said. "Our memories are filled with the late president's passion for the development of our country. He expressed this through his promotion of the agriculture and mining industries. President Mwanawasa took bold steps in response to the economic challenges and that is what forms the Mwanawasa legacy."
She said president Mwanawasa lived his purpose.
"He showed the world how to embrace people who hold different opinions from us. He challenged unfairness even when it came from his fellow heads of state as was stated in his last will and testimony which was broadcast on our electronic media," Maureen said.
She said president Mwanawasa was aware of his shortcomings and that he asked for forgiveness for the mistakes he may have made.
Maureen said she had come to learn and appreciate that she was not alone in the grief.
And President Banda said the country had gone through a difficult year since the loss of president Mwanawasa.
"Levy Mwanawasa may be gone but his words still inspire our debate, his ideas animate our politics and his works call us to uphold good values as he did. This is what constitutes Levy Patrick Mwanawasa's legacy. Mwanawasa's legacy is about an ideal or vision of the type of country that he wanted Zambia to be," President Banda said. "The general outlines of this legacy can be deduced from what the late president stood for and some of the decisions that he took to realise this."
He said the fight against corruption was probably the issue for which president Mwanawasa was most remembered today.
"In the fight against corruption, president Mwanawasa summed up the hopes and dreams of this nation and inspired even his critics to embrace the ideal of a clean, corruption-free Zambia," President Banda said. "I want to urge all compatriots to refrain from making unnecessary comments which create the wrong impression that the late president's legacy is in question. It is not. The comments just hurt the family and add no value to the cause our late president believed in. Let us kindly allow him to rest in peace."
He said president Mwanawasa's legacy called on individuals to unite and work for justice.
"The reason we still hear the echo of Levy's words is that they stand in stark contrast to the disharmony and acrimony that we have in this country today. Our country has in the last two decades faced many difficulties," President Banda said. "Even as we are building and consolidating our democracy, there is need to maintain peace and harmony. I therefore, urge you fellow Zambians to unite in order to preserve peace and unity as we remember the late Dr Mwanawasa. Let us desist from all forms of antagonism that could put the peace at stake and derail development in the nation."
He said president Mwanawasa reminded the nation of the need to work together to achieve prosperity for all.
"He reminds us still. He reminds us that we should put aside our political and religious differences and work for the good of the country. My message on this sombre occasion therefore, reiterates his message. It is time for us to start praying for the healing of our nation. Let us pray so that we build a country of people who love one another and believe and practice justice for all," President Banda said. "Let us promote love and unity in Zambia even as we face challenges. Let us remember also that Dr Mwanawasa's love for peace and commitment towards reconciliation went beyond the Zambian borders. You will recall how often he travelled, even when he was not too well, to attend meetings where peace was the main objective.
"Indeed he died on duty, in pursuance of unity, peace and development in Africa. This is the message of hope that Levy left us with. It is a message that points down the road Levy never finished travelling. It is a road I hope our politics and our country begin to take in the months and years to come."
He said the loss of president Mwanawasa could have led to confusion and disruption of peace and stability, especially that the country had to go to elections soon after burying the late president.
"But the Zambians remained united and peaceful during this difficult period and ensured that elections were conducted peacefully," President Banda said. "I have travelled to many countries in our region and beyond and everywhere I have gone, people have expressed admiration for the manner that we conducted ourselves during the time that my late brother was ill, his death and subsequent elections."
He thanked the Mwanawasa family for having accepted to bury president Mwanawasa at Embassy Park contrary to his wish to be buried at his Palabana farm.
He said the government had declared Embassy Park a national heritage in honour of the late president.
The memorial service was attended by President Banda and first lady Thandiwe, Dr Kenneth Kaunda, Chief Justice Ernest Sakala, Speaker of the National Assembly Amusaa Mwanamwambwa, PF leader Michael Sata, UPND president Hakainde Hichilema, Heritage Party president Brigadier General Godfrey Miyanda, Cabinet and deputy ministers and MMD members of parliament, diplomats, the clergy and senior government officials.
Conspicuously missing was former president Frederick Chiluba, who was said to have travelled to Mazabuka to visit someone in hospital.
Later during the wreath laying ceremony at Embassy Park, president Mwanawasa's youngest children, Lubona and Ntembe, moved the hearts of several people as they broke down before, during and after laying wreaths at the grave.
As all of president Mwanawasa's children were called upon to lay wreaths just after their mother, the two girls were seen shedding tears when they were about a few metres away from the grave.
The children, who could not hold back their tears, broke down and several other attendants were also seen shedding tears and holding hands in sorrow.
President Banda, who was the first to lay wreaths, represented all government officials and ordinary Zambians.
Other notables at the ceremony were Dr Kaunda, Sata and Hichilema.
Several dignitaries from the diplomatic corps were also called upon to lay wreaths.
Meanwhile, Maureen refused to shake hands with chief government spokesperson Lieutenant General Ronnie Shikapwasha.
When the ceremony was over and just after President Banda and other dignitaries left Embassy Park, several well-wishers walked to the tent where Maureen was and lined up to shake hands with her.
She was seen shaking hands with several people, but when Lt Gen Shikapwasha's turn came, the former first lady did not extend her hand.
Instead Maureen stretched both hands down and gave a smile to Lt Gen Shikapwasha.
Lt Gen Shikapwasha smiled back and walked away.
The incident attracted the attention of several onlookers who wondered what could have been the reason behind Maureen's action.
Labels: CORRUPTION, MAUREEN MWANAWASA, MWANAWASA
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Levy deeply despised corruption and opportunism, says Maureen
Written by masa
Thursday, August 20, 2009 3:25:39 AM
FORMER first lady Maureen Mwanawasa yesterday said the late president Levy Mwanawasa deeply despised corruption and opportunism, adding that the best way to remember him is to try and champion some of the causes he stood for.
And President Rupiah Banda urged people to refrain from making unnecessary comments which create the wrong impression that president Mwanawasa's legacy is in question, saying the comments only hurt the family.
During the first memorial service for president Mwanawasa at Cathedral of the Holy Cross yesterday, Maureen - who was accompanied by her children - said she had come to learn that president Mwanawasa was loved and respected by many. "Allow me to walk you down the memory lane of the life of president Mwanawasa and to highlight some of his salient characteristics, what he stood for and what he experienced as he led this great nation of Zambia. President Mwanawasa believed that to lead was to live dangerously. When leadership counts, you have to lead people through difficult times of change. As you advocate for change, you challenge what people hold dear i.e. their daily habits, tools, loyalties and ways of thinking with nothing more to offer perhaps than a possibility," Maureen said. "President Mwanawasa came to understand that people push back when you disturb their personal and institutional equilibrium, and that people resist in all kinds of creative and unexpected ways that can get you taken out of the game, pushed aside, undermined or eliminated all together. President Mwanawasa also learnt that however gentle your style of leadership, however careful your strategy, however sure you may be that you are on the right track, leading was a risky business. But these facts did not deter him.
"Instead he gained more courage and passion to lead Zambia to the best of his ability together with his team of men and women who believed in his vision for Zambia. He was anxious to do what he could to bring relief to the people's suffering and to find solutions to the many problems besetting the nation."
She said the late president Mwanawasa hated conduct and practices that were detrimental to the development of the country.
"He deeply despised laziness, corruption, opportunism and self-serving pursuits. He strongly believed that these vices were an impediment to national development. His stance on corruption was the same to those close to him as it was to others. He repeatedly warned all those who were close to him not to expect any sympathy or protection from him if they engaged in corrupt practices and he meant every word he said," Maureen said. "President Mwanawasa believed that leadership was also worth the risk because the goals he aimed at, extended beyond material gain and personal advancement. He meant to serve and lived what he preached. His vision was to see the lives of Zambians improved and for life to have meaning and purpose."
He said the late president believed in the rule of law and not the rule of men.
"President Mwanawasa's leadership over the years was anchored on listening to people and dialogue with people from within the country, from other nations and walks of life, including workers, managers and activists, Presidents of other countries and multinational corporations, parents, clergy, generals and admirals as well as lieutenants, captains and privates, senior and junior executives within business and governments, teachers, doctors, nurses and principals and trustees and generally men and women and the youth from all walks of life," Maureen said. "President Mwanawasa took on leadership when the country had many economic challenges. The expectations from the nationals were high. He made several trips abroad to plead for help from the IMF, World Bank etc, he consulted many economic experts at home and abroad and president Mwanawasa knew that any practical solution would require each region and sector of society to endure considerable pain, at least in the short term."
She said the absolute selflessness and passion with which president Mwanawasa served the nation should serve as an example.
"And be emulated by those aspiring to positions of leadership for the benefit of our nation. As we commemorate the first anniversary of our beloved president's passing-on, allow me to suggest that the best way to remember him is to try and champion some of the causes he stood for while he had the privilege to lead this country," Maureen said. "Our late president stood for a fair society that was governed by the rule of law. President Mwanawasa fought to emancipate our country from poverty so that all our children could grow up in good health and security. He believed that employment brought dignity to people and family life. He wanted the people of our country to responsibly explore and yet promote the well-being of our natural environment."
She said memories were equally filled with his passion for justice.
"In his public as well as private life, he thirsted for fairness. He desired that everyone be considered and treated equal under the law. He genuinely believed equality before the law was the bearest minimum requirement for fair society," Maureen said. "Our memories are filled with the late president's passion for the development of our country. He expressed this through his promotion of the agriculture and mining industries. President Mwanawasa took bold steps in response to the economic challenges and that is what forms the Mwanawasa legacy."
She said president Mwanawasa lived his purpose.
"He showed the world how to embrace people who hold different opinions from us. He challenged unfairness even when it came from his fellow heads of state as was stated in his last will and testimony which was broadcast on our electronic media," Maureen said.
She said president Mwanawasa was aware of his shortcomings and that he asked for forgiveness for the mistakes he may have made.
Maureen said she had come to learn and appreciate that she was not alone in the grief.
And President Banda said the country had gone through a difficult year since the loss of president Mwanawasa.
"Levy Mwanawasa may be gone but his words still inspire our debate, his ideas animate our politics and his works call us to uphold good values as he did. This is what constitutes Levy Patrick Mwanawasa's legacy. Mwanawasa's legacy is about an ideal or vision of the type of country that he wanted Zambia to be," President Banda said. "The general outlines of this legacy can be deduced from what the late president stood for and some of the decisions that he took to realise this."
He said the fight against corruption was probably the issue for which president Mwanawasa was most remembered today.
"In the fight against corruption, president Mwanawasa summed up the hopes and dreams of this nation and inspired even his critics to embrace the ideal of a clean, corruption-free Zambia," President Banda said. "I want to urge all compatriots to refrain from making unnecessary comments which create the wrong impression that the late president's legacy is in question. It is not. The comments just hurt the family and add no value to the cause our late president believed in. Let us kindly allow him to rest in peace."
He said president Mwanawasa's legacy called on individuals to unite and work for justice.
"The reason we still hear the echo of Levy's words is that they stand in stark contrast to the disharmony and acrimony that we have in this country today. Our country has in the last two decades faced many difficulties," President Banda said. "Even as we are building and consolidating our democracy, there is need to maintain peace and harmony. I therefore, urge you fellow Zambians to unite in order to preserve peace and unity as we remember the late Dr Mwanawasa. Let us desist from all forms of antagonism that could put the peace at stake and derail development in the nation."
He said president Mwanawasa reminded the nation of the need to work together to achieve prosperity for all.
"He reminds us still. He reminds us that we should put aside our political and religious differences and work for the good of the country. My message on this sombre occasion therefore, reiterates his message. It is time for us to start praying for the healing of our nation. Let us pray so that we build a country of people who love one another and believe and practice justice for all," President Banda said. "Let us promote love and unity in Zambia even as we face challenges. Let us remember also that Dr Mwanawasa's love for peace and commitment towards reconciliation went beyond the Zambian borders. You will recall how often he travelled, even when he was not too well, to attend meetings where peace was the main objective.
"Indeed he died on duty, in pursuance of unity, peace and development in Africa. This is the message of hope that Levy left us with. It is a message that points down the road Levy never finished travelling. It is a road I hope our politics and our country begin to take in the months and years to come."
He said the loss of president Mwanawasa could have led to confusion and disruption of peace and stability, especially that the country had to go to elections soon after burying the late president.
"But the Zambians remained united and peaceful during this difficult period and ensured that elections were conducted peacefully," President Banda said. "I have travelled to many countries in our region and beyond and everywhere I have gone, people have expressed admiration for the manner that we conducted ourselves during the time that my late brother was ill, his death and subsequent elections."
He thanked the Mwanawasa family for having accepted to bury president Mwanawasa at Embassy Park contrary to his wish to be buried at his Palabana farm.
He said the government had declared Embassy Park a national heritage in honour of the late president.
The memorial service was attended by President Banda and first lady Thandiwe, Dr Kenneth Kaunda, Chief Justice Ernest Sakala, Speaker of the National Assembly Amusaa Mwanamwambwa, PF leader Michael Sata, UPND president Hakainde Hichilema, Heritage Party president Brigadier General Godfrey Miyanda, Cabinet and deputy ministers and MMD members of parliament, diplomats, the clergy and senior government officials.
Conspicuously missing was former president Frederick Chiluba, who was said to have travelled to Mazabuka to visit someone in hospital.
Later during the wreath laying ceremony at Embassy Park, president Mwanawasa's youngest children, Lubona and Ntembe, moved the hearts of several people as they broke down before, during and after laying wreaths at the grave.
As all of president Mwanawasa's children were called upon to lay wreaths just after their mother, the two girls were seen shedding tears when they were about a few metres away from the grave.
The children, who could not hold back their tears, broke down and several other attendants were also seen shedding tears and holding hands in sorrow.
President Banda, who was the first to lay wreaths, represented all government officials and ordinary Zambians.
Other notables at the ceremony were Dr Kaunda, Sata and Hichilema.
Several dignitaries from the diplomatic corps were also called upon to lay wreaths.
Meanwhile, Maureen refused to shake hands with chief government spokesperson Lieutenant General Ronnie Shikapwasha.
When the ceremony was over and just after President Banda and other dignitaries left Embassy Park, several well-wishers walked to the tent where Maureen was and lined up to shake hands with her.
She was seen shaking hands with several people, but when Lt Gen Shikapwasha's turn came, the former first lady did not extend her hand.
Instead Maureen stretched both hands down and gave a smile to Lt Gen Shikapwasha.
Lt Gen Shikapwasha smiled back and walked away.
The incident attracted the attention of several onlookers who wondered what could have been the reason behind Maureen's action.
Labels: CORRUPTION, MAUREEN MWANAWASA, MWANAWASA, RUPIAH BANDA
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Maureen defends Levy
Written by Moses Kuwema
Monday, August 10, 2009 2:06:31 AM
MAUREEN Mwanawasa has said there are organs in the country that can investigate if there was any corruption that was committed during late president Levy Mwanawasa’s rule. In an interview last Friday, Maureen said her late husband did not take over the country on a clean plate because there was a lot of cancer.
"What I hate is to portray that Levy was the one responsible for stealing... Levy is one president who took the bull by its horn and if anyone says he stole then prove it," she said.
Maureen asked people that were making innuendos about late president Mwanawasa to let him rest in peace because he would not wake up to come and answer back.
"Levy must be given credit because he did his best, Zambians across can testify," she said
Maureen called on the police to strengthen their role and ensure that every citizen in the country was protected.
On the continued harassment of journalist by the ruling MMD cadres, Maureen said violence should not be condoned.
Maureen said as a country which respects the rule of law, there was need for the police to strengthen their role and protect every citizen.
She said in a democratic country like Zambia, violence should not be encouraged.
"We can only hope the police will arrest the situation and ensure that every profession in the country is protected," she said.
Maureen also called on the government to concentrate on governing the country as opposed to responding to whatever the opposition said.
"The job of the opposition is to oppose those in government, so the government should instead concentrate on governing and when you have governance rules, they help you govern," she said.
Earlier during the launch of Revlon products in Zambia at Pamodzi Hotel, Maureen said the country's geographical positioning makes it a positive place to engage in business.
"I know many sectors would argue about Zambia being landlocked as a barrier but I want you to move away from this myth and see Zambia as a land-linked country with many investment opportunities," she said.
Maureen said the land linked Zambia had, with eight neighbouring countries, made it easier to get to the sea and also created an immediate market for many products.
She urged Glamour management team, the company responsible for bringing Revlon products to Zambia, to awaken their leadership team and ensure that they brought a culture of gender balance.
"You need to define the business case by identifying opportunities for growth in harnessing the talents or purchasing power of women. And as you walk this business path, take along potential champions and supporters for the bigger picture of your market; make it a business issue and not a women's issue," she said.
Maureen said there was need for the management team to be smart and avoid the cost of correction.
"If you are convinced that gender is a strategic issue for the future of your business, take the time to start smart as you have begun. Roll the business out quietly by getting credible role models respected by both men and women to lead and champion the cause and communicate with the outside world only when you have something to show, not just something to say," said Maureen.
Labels: MAUREEN MWANAWASA, MWANAWASA
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Pay striking health workers, Maureen urges govt
Written by Zumani Katasefa, Mwala Kalaluka and Mwila Chansa
Sunday, June 21, 2009 3:23:22 PM
FORMER first lady Maureen Mwanawasa has urged the government to look for money to pay striking health workers in the country. And Civil Servants and Allied Workers Union of Zambia (CSAWUZ) Ndola branch chairperson Joy Beene disclosed that Cabinet Office has sent a circular to health workers, urging them to go back for work.
Speaking to journalists in Kitwe last Friday, Maureen said the striking health workers wanted to be heard.
"We have an emergency. I do not think nurses do not want to go back for work. They want someone to hear them as a parent. Our government system must look for resources, they [health workers] still want to serve, the issue of bread and butter must not be debated," she said.
Maureen said the government should re-organise resources in the country and create wealth for the people.
She said the government should use part of the profits that some parastatal institutions were making to help cushion the economic challenges the country was faced.
"Government should come up with a broad-based policy for civil servants for which they (civil servants) are worth," she said. "The government must be able to provide. The government cannot meet your wishes but can meet you in the gap."
Asked whether she had any presidential ambitions, Maureen said the presidency was given by the people.
"We want our leaders to start answering to the challenges of the people. The presidency is given by the people," she said. "We want to hear it from HH [Hakainde Hichilema], Sata to say 'our people have no water, have no food'. We should not start politicking. People want to eat, people want water. Anybody can stand up and say 'I want to be president'. The poverty levels in the country are just too high," Maureen said.
And health union officials in Kaoma said they were greatly disappointed with the 15 per cent salary increment that their national leaders had signed with the government.
Health Workers Union of Zambia (HWUZ) Kaoma District Hospital chairperson Royd Musangu said even though nurses at the health institution had not gone on strike, they were nevertheless disappointed with the increment.
Musangu said given the poor working conditions, the nurses at Kaoma Hospital had considered downing tools but that they waited patiently for the outcome of the negotiations between the national union leaders and the government.
"The strike was not active. Some are trying to consider going but there has not been a meeting; there has never been a meeting for us to decide as a team," Musangu said. "Operations are very normal except workers are demoralised. They are not happy with the 15 per cent that has been signed for."
Musangu said the union leaders needed to comprehensively explain to the membership in the countryside.
"If anything the members will decide. I think people were patiently waiting for the outcome, they really supported their friends who were striking," Musangu said. "We are very disappointed with the 15 per cent. We wanted something more than 30 per cent or something even better than 100 per cent."
Musangu said he was also disappointed that the national union leaders had not been communicating with the grassroot membership during the negotiation process, as was expected.
Asked on the way forward following the signing of the 15 per cent salary increment, Musangu said: "It will depend on the mood of the workers."
He said the pressure from the workers would determine whether there would be a health workers' strike in Kaoma or not.
"When you are not happy even when you are reporting for work you do not do what you are supposed to do properly," said Musangu, a radiograph technologist.
Zambia Union of Nurses Organisations (ZUNO) Kaoma Branch chairperson Entridah Mundia said the nurses in Kaoma had not gone on strike although they were not happy with the conditions.
"We are not happy with the 15 per cent," she said. "We have to wait for the top leadership to address us. We have to wait until things stabilise. We have to follow the right channel."
Mundia declined to comment on whether she was describing the on-going strike action by health workers in other parts of the country as illegal.
"We have to meet as nurses and decide and inform the higher authorities," said Mundia, a nurse.
And giving an update on the strike situation by health workers on the Copperbelt, Beene said Secretary to the Cabinet Dr Joshua Kanganja released the circular on June 15, 2009 although it only reached health institutions two days ago.
"We have received a circular from the Secretary to the Cabinet Dr Joshua Kanganja who is reminding workers to go back for work. The circular is saying that we are essential workers and should therefore go back for work," he said.
"There is also a form to be filled in which they are calling essential workers' certificate so that once you feel it in, then you are bound never to go on strike."
Beene said the local union leadership would on Wednesday meet their members and explain the implications of filling in the said form.
He said it was surprising that the government had now recognised health workers as essential workers and yet their pronouncements did not match with the salaries and conditions of service offered to them.
Beene said the workers had maintained that they would not resume work until their demands were met.
Health workers in most parts of the country have been on strike for over a month now, pressing for improved conditions of service.
Labels: CSAWUZ, HEALTHCARE, MAUREEN MWANAWASA
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CORRUPTION? WHOSE CORRUPTION? - By Unknown Author
WHO PERPETRATED THE CORRUPTION IN THE NEW SCAMS AND REVELATIONS
Rupiah Banda’s government is only six months in power, yet it is blamed for the corruption revealed in the 2007 Auditor General’s Reports, the USD53m purchase of mobile hospitals, the purchase of USD2.9m 100 Hearses and others. But is he to blame? What is this campaign aimed to achieve?
CORRUPTION? WHOSE CORRUPTION?
While many are genuinely shocked at the extent and blatant acts of corruption at the Ministry of Health, it is however, not surprising to the critics who opposed the major policy shift that President Levy Mwanawasa undertook at the Ministry.
The rot at the Ministry of Health is rooted in one single decision made by the government of Mwanawasa.
On 25th July 2004, President Mwanawasa announced that he would abolish the Central Board of Health (CBoH) arguing that it employed the bulk of health professionals leaving hospitals and clinics unmanned. He also accused CBoH of carrying similar functions as that of the Ministry of Health.
This position was supported by his Minister of Health, Dr. Brain Chituwo and his Permanent Secretary, Dr. Simon Miti.
Chituwo informed the nation that to carry out the dissolution, government needed K400 billion to cover the cost of the structural changes and also required statutory amendments to the National Health Services act of 1992.
He said that since cooperating partners had pledged to meet some costs of this transformation, he hoped that they supported the dissolution idea.
When Dr. Simon Miti pushed hard for the abolition of Central Board of Health (CBoH), many didn’t see the sense or fathom the logic behind it.
This is because CBoH was a successful and efficient health delivery system that had ensured that healthcare country wide was delivered while the Ministry of Health remained preoccupied with policy issues and only played supervisory and regulatory roles.
The formation of CBoH was central in the reforms and changes that came with Democracy in 1991. The changes were designed to improve health service delivery. Like other services weaned off government such as collection of taxes (Zambia revenue Authority (ZRA) transformed from Customs Department) and delivery of road, traffic and infrastructure services (Road Development Agency (RDA) and Road Transport and Safety Agency (RTSA)), it was critical that Ministry of Health was left with policy and supervisory issues while providing health care was done through an streamlined agency.
CBOH was an autonomous body delivering health to Zambians in a more efficient and professional manner.
To achieve government goal of delivering equitable access to cost-effective and quality health care to the family, government in 1992 embarked on ambitious health sector reforms that saw the creation of CBoH through an act of Parliament, the National Health Services Act of 1992.
The Act created an autonomous health service body that left the Ministry of Health to rightly deal with policies and care for hospital and clinics infrastructure. The management and delivery of health care was left to CBoH.
There was a trouble in this arrangement for the corrupt few. Donors and government disbursed funds directly to CBoH. Accountability was high and authority over the expenditure of this money was diverse.
The Ministry of Health is key to the development of the country and receives 15% of the National Budget as funding and 42% of project monies from multilateral and cooperating partners to Zambia goes to it.
They needed to centralise all funds received from donors and government and place it under one single authority. For until the ministry was a monolithic structure laden with layers of bureaucratic structure, their plan could not work. Crime thrives in chaos not in transparent and accountable systems. CBoH was a clear danger to them!
They pushed for the immediate abolition of CBoH claiming that the board tied too many skilled and, senior and technical health workers to administrative roles.
They succeeded.
In 2005, Parliament passed amendments to the National Health Services Act which saw the immediate abolition of CBoH. The Board’s roles quickly reverted to the Ministry of Health and consequently to Chituwo and Miti.
So began the crime. It was dastard in nature and bold in its impunity.
MODUS OPERANDI
Most of the money from western donors is designed to cater for costs of awareness and education of health workers. In Zambian parlance, it’s called Workshops!
Regular funds from cooperating partners were targeted. Also funds that came from the President’s Emergency Plan for HIV/AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and funds from the Global Funds against HIV/AIDS, TB, and Malaria. And funds from the National Budget.
A nursing school was quickly set up and friendly lodges were recruited or built to cater for the workshops.
And a friendly banker in Suresh Gupta was available.
The Ministry of Health receives a third of Zambia’s national Budget. It receives corresponding and similar funding from western donors.
Yet all this money is kept at a small bank with only one branch in Zambia. - First Alliance Bank.
The bank is run by Astro Holdings Chief, Suresh Gupta, like Rajahn Mahtani, is no stranger to financial controversies and dealings, and has a way of using money to skirt out of troublesome issues.
What started as small and minor role of banking transactions by Ministry of Health at First Alliance Bank under Dr. Kashiba Bulaya has over the years grown under Dr. Simon Miti, to house Ministry of Health main kwacha and forex accounts.
This is an extremely expensive way to deliver Health care in Zambia as the bank only has one single branch based at Bata House (Now Alliance House after Astro Holdings bought the building from Zambia Bata Shoe Company at a cost of USD1.6m) in Cairo Road.
It means that bank transaction attract costly fees and charges as the small bank has to use bigger banks such as ZANACO, Barclays, Standard Chartered and Finance Bank to channel funding for the ministry to its outlying hospitals and clinics and salary payments to health workers country-wide.
Dr. Bulaya after many years away from the ministry and currently in prison still receives a monthly stipend from First Alliance Bank! One wonders what benefits Dr. Simon Miti receives after ‘enhancing’ the financial relation of Ministry of Health with the Bank.
Investigators are also looking at Gupta’s other banking transactions. The bank is said to keep record and transaction of its valued and personal customers in the strictest of confidentiality.
A separate ledger is kept and managed by Gupta himself away from the prying eyes of the bank staff and regulators.
It is this ledger that has attracted attention from investigators.
Dr. Simon Miti and others are said to appear on this ledger.
So is Mrs. (Dr.) Maureen Mwanawasa who is said to have USD10million (K47bln) in her account!
WHAT IS THE EXTENT OF THE THEFT AT MoH
The extent of the theft of public monies for the period currently under review 2008 and partly 2009 is over K27billion. But the theft is said to be as high as K64billion since 2006.
In these recent revelations, most of the monies have been paid to a newly established nursing school housed at a private house in Chudleigh, Lusaka.
The school, ESU Nursing School has received over K7billion (USD1.2m) just in 2008, on the pretext that it is training government nurses, mid-wives and clinical officers and the continuous training of health workers through workshops.
This is more money given to a single and private institution than government and legitimate nursing training institutions ever receive from the Ministry. These government nursing schools are lying in a state of disrepair and are run under deplorable conditions. Yet ESU Nursing School was paid over K7billion in one year!
One of the Directors to ESU Nursing School is Joshua Ushibantu Simpaya, a Ministry of Health employee! However it is known that such persons as Simpaya and Henry Kapoko are mere fronts holding such assets in trust for the big fishes in loftier positions.
The now infamous civil servant Henry Kapoko received over K10 billion for his lodge Best Home Lodge based in Roma, and for his other companies Hesaka Enterprise, Kahekam ltd.
Other notable recipient was Royal College of Business and Management (Royal Secretarial and Management College) received K4.3billion in 2008.
HOW KAPOKO ‘MESSED’ UP EVERYONE
Thanks to a jilted lover, the lid has been blown that exposes the worst corruption cases in Zambia.
Rudo Tukuza Chitengu, a planner at the Ministry of Health and has a child with Henry Kapoko vowed to bring Kapoko down after a ‘marital’ dispute in February 2009.
When Kapoko broke her arm in an ensuing fight, she reported him to the Police for assault and occasioning serious bodily harm.
She lamented at the Police that she had been in a longstanding relationship with Kapoko would not allow him to leave her for his other numerous girlfriends. She cried that she was only expected to fight with Kapoko’s wife and not fight about his girlfriends!
She promised to bring his arrogant ‘ass’ down and bring his financial empire and that of his ‘bosses’ to the drain.
She took matters in her own hands and made frequent visits to Kulima House (where the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) is housed).
This resulted in a sensational case where Kapoko has been exposed. ACC picked Kapoko and restricted and seized his newly acquired assets. Among the assets seized is an executive lodge, Best Home Lodge built in Roma.
Other vehicles impounded were two 4X4s, a BMW X5, and a GM Hammer. The ACC also seized two Mercedes Benz cars, two Lexus cars, a 30 tonne Nissan Truck, two pick-ups, a Mazda and Ford Ranger.
To seek ‘protection’ Kapoko quickly offered his new but ill-gotten wealth to political parties and attempted to ingratiate himself to its leaders. Patriotic Front (PF) leader, Michael Sata was among the beneficiary. He was given undisclosed amount of money and he held several meeting at the lodge.
Also, Rupiah Banda’s consultants during elections, from Bell Portinger a UK, PR and publicist specialist also stayed at Best Home lodge.
Although acting as a whistle blower, Rudo Tukuza Chitengu has not been spared! She used her own ill gotten wealth received from Kapoko, to illustrate how Kapoko, Miti and others stole public monies.
The ACC has however acted prudently seeing through Rudo’s anger and intention. The ACC has consequently seized or restricted Rudo’s flat no 27 ZNBS Complex in Musonda Ngosa Road in Villa Elizabetha.
Her account at Intermarket Banking Corporation with a K200million deposit has been frozen. Her mother’s (Ann Ngoma) assets have also been frozen. Rudo’s assets in shares at ZANACO and ZAIN have also been restricted.
Further her government bonds valued at K350million has been restricted including cash amounts seized while conducting a search at her house.
Rudo is also among the 32 workers suspended and being investigated at the Ministry of Health.
OLD CORRUPTION, HOW OLD?
It is clear that recent revelations of suspected corruption cases were actually committed during the reign of President Levy Patrick Mwanawasa.
Ministers defending Rupiah Banda are always at pains stating that the corruption being exposed occurred before he took office. They continue to remind Zambians that Banda is only six months in power.
Yet they can’t call a spade a spade -that this corruption that occurred under Mwanawasa’s reign and by him or his officials.
There is a lot of trouble with that line. And Fred Mmembe and The Post are sensitive to how corruption cases are exposed. So are the western donors! There is an attempt to depict Mwanawasa’s corruption as civil servants' corruption enjoying no political support or involvement.
The empire portrays the cases in a manner that does not touch ‘Mr Integrity’ for they had washed him so white that they are guarding the ‘legacy’ with jealous.
But the legacy was painted so falsely white, that every new revelation is making a stain, a conspicuous blot! One wonders how long the lie will hold that Mr. Integrity was not so clean after all and he was soiled by his corrupt acts and that of his wife.
And that the charade and mirage created while ‘fighting’ corruption faces collapse, as their own theft and corruption is catching up. The so called Fight against Corruption will stand as exposed as the acts of corruption they hid.
The day of reckoning is making dreadful calling and coming. How will the donors explain the millions of dollars spent in the so called Fight against Corruption? What happened to ‘Zero Tolerance against Corruption Policy’? How could the game rangers turn on the Game the nation trusted them to keep and become the worst poachers?
It is no wonder that the cases of corruption are reported in a strange and skewed manner.
It is either reported as Frederick Chiluba’s corruption the man that left office 9 years ago or Rupiah Banda’s corruption, the man who only ascended to this office six months ago!
The Mwanawasa period is skipped with such skill that it is difficult to recognise that the worst corruption in Zambia in fact, occurred under Mwanawasa, under his watch, mostly by his family, his friends and his officials!
Many are joking that what occurred under Mwanawasa’s reign was in fact not corruption. It was just THEFT! Grand THEFT!
Take for example press reports emanating from the Public Accounts Committee in Parliament that is discussing the Auditor General’s report.
The misappropriation and irregularities are cast in bold exposure that you might not notice that the report under discussion and on the table is a 2007 Auditor General’s Report! And no mention is made to who was in power in 2007!
And the opposition have not helped matters. United Party for National Development (UPND) leader Hakainde Hichilema issued a statement stating that ‘I miss Levy (Mwanawasa), Corruption under Rupiah’s government has worsened!’
Reuben Lifuka, Head of Transparency International also issued a statement claiming that the political will to fight corruption is NOT as strong as it used to be under Levy Mwanawasa.
Mwanawasa could have shouted loudest against corruption. It is another matter if he really fought COORUPTION! Although he fought his political adversaries with a whip of corruption, this does not mean that he was fighting corruption.
It is clear that they do not recognise that Banda is in a dilemma. If he chooses to fight corruption, the immediate victims and culprits will be Maureen Mwanawasa, her family empire and the so called ‘legacy’. For he might find himself in the same position as Mwanawasa, where he will be accused of ‘fighting’ those that brought him and favoured him with the privileges of power.
Transparency International, western donors and The Post have perpetuated a myth that fighting corruption is jailing Chiluba and his officials!
Unfortunately, fighting corruption is a much higher principle and would require and mean that WHOEVER has dipped their hands in the public purse and kitty should be brought to book without exception.
If this was followed, it will without doubt, bring in sharp focus the strong allegations of corruption against Levy and Maureen Mwanawasa, Mutembo Nchito, Mark Chona, Fred Mmembe and others who have helped themselves to public monies. They should be exposed and be brought to book.
But how could the ‘angels’ of the Fight against Corruption be involved in stealing public funds and with such impunity? The very fight against corruption was their shield as focus and attention was deliberately cast elsewhere!
It is for this reason that Mmembe has busied Rupiah Banda with corruption allegations so that the nation can skip scrutiny of Mwanawasa’s serious allegations of corruption and observe only Chiluba’s allegations and jump to Rupiah Banda’s rule.
History repeats itself. Earlier The Post helped the nation skip allegations of corruption against Kenneth Kaunda’s rule.
A Taskforce was even instituted with official and express limits to probe only Chiluba’s rule! They foolishly portrayed Corruption in Zambia as starting and ending with only Frederick Chiluba. Not Kaunda and not Mwanawasa!
And similar attempts are being made to make the nation jump to Rupiah Banda’s corruption and avoid Mwanawasa’s? And The Post is a veteran institution at providing the nation with such ‘skilful guidance’.
The allegations of corruption against Banda’s government have also helped Mmembe as the Zambian Airways issue is now shelved on the list of priorities. Mmembe and his friends in the donor community have piled pressure on Banda that the focus has now shifted away from them to the ‘new’ scandals!
But it is now clear that attempt by Rupiah Banda’s enemies to depict him as corrupt and selfish has back fired. It has now emerged that the corruption being exposed as Banda’s in fact occurred or was sown under Mwanawasa.
USD53M FOR MOBILE HOSPITALS
Then Department For International Development (DFID), head Joy Hutcheon ‘leaked’ documents to The Post about the mobile hospital purchases many were quick to call the deal as corrupt and placed President Rupiah Banda at the centre of the deal.
Yet the deal is old.
In order to attain the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in health, government planned two years ago and under Dr. Simon Miti/ Dr. Brian Chituwo that government should construct 15 more hospitals in 19 districts. The Ministry of Health 5 year national strategic plan covering the period 2006-2011 also envisioned these expansions in infrastructure and health service delivery.
Further that mobile hospital should be procured to compliment the investments required in the health sector and attempts to attain the MDGs by 2015.
The mobile hospitals were to be procured from China with a USD53m loan from that country’s Export and Import Bank (EX-IM Bank). The equipment would be procured from China’s industrial giant China National Aero Technology Import and Export (CATIC).
DFID and other donors seem too object to this deal because the procurement is being done outside Crown Agents (managers of Medical Stores), outside their plans and their preferred suppliers.
The donors even threatened to with-hold aid to the health sector if government went ahead with this Chinese deal.
Many should remember that in 2003, DFID offered Zambia, Malawi and Zimbabwe a loan of USD42 million to buy Anti Retrovirals (ARVs)! Only when international charity organisation raised alarm that Africa was being laden with ‘stupid’ and unsustainable debts such as the DFID ARVs debt that they offered to convert it to a grant! How could they give a loan of USD42 million for a purpose that would last few months and was not sustainable but allow these country a long-term loan?
The threats against Banda’s administration have nothing to do with either the mobile hospital deal. Some donors have even now used the recent scam at the Ministry of Health to freeze aid to the health sector. Sweden and Denmark have announced that this year’s funding to the sector will be withheld until investigations are completed in the fraud at Ministry of Health.
The threats lie in politics and a grander plan.
THE 100 HEARSES –COST USD29M
The deal was mooted under Silvia Masebo and has seen the procurement of 100 Hearses by the Ministry of local Government.
The vehicles are meant to be used by districts to help people bury the departed with dignity.
Although the cause is noble, it is said that the true costs of the 100 Vehicles is USD900, 000.00 and not the inflated USD2.9miilion as each vehicle is said to cost USD9000 and not the USD29, 000.00.
Masebo budgeted for K8billion (USD2.9m) but owing to exchange rate fluctuations, the cost is now K14billion.
CONCLUSION
The Post and its seasonal allies have ratcheted up the political pressure against Rupiah Banda’s government. They are succeeding in portraying Banda’s administration as corrupt and inept.
Their list of acts of ‘corruption’ is growing. There are counting: The award of a contract worth USD2.0million to R. P. Capitals of Cayman Islands to value ZAMTEL assets. The cancelled deal to supply, install and commission of air traffic management surveillance radar systems at Lusaka and Livingstone Airports.
They now include the USD53million for mobile hospitals and USD2.9million for Hearses. They are also citing the amendments and transformation of the law relating to the Zambia National Tender Board now changed to Zambia Public Procurement Authority. The amendments although mooted by the Mwanawasa administration are now a source of accusation that Banda wishes to facilitate corruption through this change of the law which gives more latitude to controlling officers.
And the ‘cream’ of it is the theft of billions of Kwacha by ‘civil servants’ at Ministry of Health.
Some cooperating partners are freezing aid and PF leader Michael Sata is attempting to create an election fever. He has embarked on a country-wide tour drawing crowds in his campaigns.
Clearly one could admire the skills, though evil of The Post in managing to bring ‘crises’ to Banda’s doorstep.
The aim is to make Banda succumb to public pressure and befriend The Post and drop all investigations against Mmembe, Mutembo Nchito, Maureen Mwanawasa and others.
This will restore them to a position where they dictate the pace and direction of their brand of the Fight against Corruption. They also wish to ‘restore’ national hatred and interest, and strong feelings of antipathy against Frederick Chiluba as days hurtle towards July 20th 2009!
They also hope to slow down tremendously, the perception of corruption fast emerging against the administration of Levy Mwanawasa. The blemishes and dark spots against ‘Mr. Integrity’ are sprouting everywhere on his white washed image. The marks appear indelible and might hurt the grandiose memorial plans currently underway!
The war is becoming desperate and it is clear that this empire is determined to collapse a legitimate and elected government.
Will Rupiah Banda succumb? Will he drop the strong stance he has taken against the empire? Or will he go for the Jugular?
Minister of Local Government Benny Tetamashimba at a recent press conference promised the nation that the country will be shocked with the new corruption revelations coming!
He called it the Mother of all Corruption in Zambia. He also urged Zambians to note the gender of his terminology! The Mother of All Corruption! Teta, Zambia is watching, Zambia is waiting!
END
Labels: CORRUPTION, DONORS, MAUREEN MWANAWASA, MWANAWASA, RUPIAH BANDA, THE POST
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