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IT HAS BEEN A WEEK SINCE WE, THE LEADERS OF OPPOSITION POLITICAL PARTIES, HELD A PRESS CONFERENCE TO SHARE OUR CONCERNS REGARDING THE REGRETTABLE DECISION BY THE REPUBLICAN PRESIDENT TO SUSPEND THREE JUDGES AND THE SUBSEQUENT APPOINTMENT OF A TRIBUNAL.
AT THAT PRESS BRIEFING WE INFORMED THE NATION THAT EVEN THOUGH IT WAS WITHIN THE PRESIDENTIAL POWERS TO SUSPEND THE JUDGES AND APPOINT A TRIBUNAL, OUR POSITION CONTINUES TO BE THAT PRESIDENT MICHAEL SATA HAS NOT FOLLOWED THE DUE JUDICIAL PROCESS. IT IS CLEAR THAT NO OR LITTLE CONSULTATIONS WERE MADE REGARDING THIS WHOLE PROCESS.
AT THAT PRESS BRIEFING WE RESOLVED TO CONTINUE INFORMING VARIOUS STAKEHOLDERS ON THIS ISSUE, PARTICULARLY ON THE FOLLOWING:
(a) OUR FIRM POSITION IS THAT WE ARE NOT AGAINST THE FIGHT AGAINST CORRUPTION AND GENUINE JUDICIAL REFORMS. HOWEVER, IN THIS CASE THE PRESIDENT HAS ABUSED HIS POWERS BY SUSPENDING THREE JUDGES AND SETTING UP A TRIBUNAL WITHOUT FOLLOWING AND ALLOWING THE DUE PROCESS, UNDER THE GUISE OF FIGHTING CORRUPTION. THIS IS ESPECIALLY SO IN THAT THE SUSPENSION OF JUDGES CAME SHORTLY AFTER ONE OF THEM PASSED A RULING AGAINST MR. MUTEMBO NCHITO (DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC PROSECUTION), HIS BROTHER MR. NCHIMA MUTEMBO AND MR. FRED MMEMBE OF THE POST NEWSPAPER IN A MATTER INVOLVING K14 BILLION WITH THE DEVELOPMENT BANK OF ZAMBIA.
(b) WE DEMAND THAT THE DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC PROSECUTIONS (DPP) MUST RESIGN AND A RELEVANT TRIBUNAL BE SETUP TO INVESTIGATE HIS CONDUCT IN THIS AND OTHER MATTERS.
(c) WE REJECT THE APPOINTMENT OF THE TRIBUNAL ON THE BASIS THAT THERE WAS NO OR INSUFFICIENT CONSULTATIONS ON ITS COMPOSITION. IN ADDITION, WE BELIEVE THAT THERE IS A POSSIBLE CONFLICT OF INTEREST BETWEEN PRESIDENT SATA AND A PARTICULAR JUDGE. FURTHERMORE, WE WISH TO EMPHASIZE THAT WE ARE SUSPICIOUS OF POSSIBLE VERBAL MESSAGES THAT MAY HAVE BEEN COMMUNICATED TO THE MALAWIAN JUDGE WHEN THE APPOINTMENT LETTER WAS BEING DELIVERED TO HIM BY THE DEPUTY MINISTERS IN THE OFFICE OF THE VICE PRESIDENT, HON EDGAR LUNGU.
(d) WE ALSO DEMAND THAT A TRIBUNAL BE SET UP TO INQUIRE INTO THE UNDUE INFLUENCE OF THE POST NEWSPAPERS ON THE EXECUTIVE PART OF GOVERNMENT.
SINCE OUR INITIAL PRESS CONFERENCE, WE HAVE ALSO COME INTO POSSESSION OF LETTERS AUTHORED BY THE MINISTER OF FINANCE AND NATIONAL PLANNING AND THE SOLICITOR GENERAL INSTRUCTING THE DEVELOPMENT BANK OF ZAMBIA TO WITHDRAW THE K14 BILLION CASE INVOLVING MR. MUTEMBO NCHITO AND MR. FRED MMEMBE. THIS CONSOLIDATES OUR POSITION THAT THE REPUBLICAN PRESIDENT AND THE EXECUTIVE IN GENERAL ARE INTERFERING IN THE JUDICIARY FOR PERSONAL AND POLITICAL GAIN, UNDER THE GUISE OF FIGHTING CORRUPTION.
THE DEVELOPMENT BANK OF ZAMBIA (DBZ) HAS A LEGALLY ASSIGNED BOARD WHICH IS MANDATED TO RUN THE INSTITUTION. THE POWER TO RUN DBZ DOES NOT LIE IN THE MINISTER OF FINANCE OR THE SOLICITOR GENERAL. THIS IS THE EPITOME OF BAD GOVERNANCE. INTEGRITY, WOULD IN FACT SUGGEST, THE RESIGNATION OF THE MINISTER OF FINANCE, HON CHIKWANDA AND THE SOLICITOR GENERAL MR. MUSA MWENYE OVER THEIR BEHAVIOR IN THIS MATTER.
YOU WILL ALSO RECALL THAT IN THE POST NEWSPAPER OF 4TH MAY 2012 IN AN ATTEMPT TO DEFEND THEMSELVES, ONE OF THE INTERESTED PARTIES IN THIS CASE, MR. MMEMBE AND THE POST NEWSPAPER, PUBLISHED LETTERS BETWEEN THEMSELVES AND THE OFFICE OF THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE. THIS ACT ITSELF IS AN ABUSE OF THE MEDIA, BORDERING ON THE CONTEMPT OF COURT. IN FACT, WE HAVE NOTICED A DELIBERATE ATTEMPT BY SOME MEDIA HOUSES TO PORTRAY THE OPPOSITION POLITICAL PARTIES AS CONDONING CORRUPTION IN THE JUDICIARY. THIS IS FAR FROM THE TRUTH.
YOU MAY WISH TO KNOW, HOWEVER, THAT IN THE SAME LETTERS PUBLISHED BY THE POST NEWSPAPER, IT IS QUITE CLEAR THAT THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE BEHAVED IMPROPERLY BY DISPARAGING THE JUDICIARY IN A CASE INVOLVING INTERESTED PARTIES. THIS BEHAVIOUR IS UNACCEPTABLE BY A MEMBER OF THE EXECUTIVE.
SINCE OUR LAST PRESS CONFERENCE, AND IN ACCORDANCE WITH OUR UNDERTAKING TO SHARE OUR POSITION WITH VARIOUS STAKEHOLDERS, WE HAVE MADE CONTACT WITH MANY INTERESTED GROUPS BOTH LOCALLY AND INTERNATIONALLY. IN PARTICULAR, AS A GROUP, WE HAVE MET WITH ZCTU AND THE EUROPEAN UNION DELEGATION. OUR PURPOSE WAS TO BRIEF AND INFORM THESE STAKEHOLDERS AS TO OUR VIEWS AND CONCERNS. WE WANT TO CATEGORICALLY STATE HERE THAT WE ARE APPALLED AND DISGUSTED BY PRESIDENT SATA’S REACTION TO OUR MEETING WITH THE EUROPEAN UNION. TO IMPLY THAT A MERE MEETING OF OPPOSITION POLITICAL PARTIES AND DIPLOMATS AMOUNTS TO INTERFERENCE IN INTERNAL AFFAIRS OF THE NATION IS IRRATIONAL. IT IS ALSO HYPOCRITICAL FOR PRESIDENT SATA, WHEN IT IS WELL KNOWN THAT HE, AS AN OPPOSITION LEADER, SPENT A GOOD AMOUNT OF TIME COURTING THE SAME DIPLOMATS.
THE OPPOSITION POLITICAL PARTIES ARE IMPORTANT STAKEHOLDERS IN MATTERS OF GOVERNANCE AND WE MUST BEAR IN MIND THAT OPPOSITION POLITICAL PARTY MEMBERS ARE ALSO CITIZENS OF ZAMBIA.
WE WISH TO STATE TO THE NATION THAT WE WILL NOT BE COWED OR DETERRED IN MEETING AND CONSULTING STAKEHOLDERS IN THIS AND INDEED ANY OTHER MATTER, INCLUDING DIPLOMATS BECAUSE OF PRESIDENT SATA’S IRRATIONAL REACTION. IN THIS REGARD, WE WILL CONTINUE TO MEET OTHER STAKEHOLDERS SUCH AS THE HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION, ANTI-CORRUPTION COMMISSION, TRANSPARENCY INTERNATIONAL ZAMBIA, THE CHURCHES AND NGOS. IT IS ALSO OUR INTENTION TO MEET WITH THE LAW ASSOCIATION OF ZAMBIA.
IT IS CLEAR THAT SINCE PF CAME INTO GOVERNMENT THE COUNTRY HAS BEEN TURNED INTO A POLICE STATE WHEREBY OUR HUMAN RIGHTS ARE BEING INFRINGED UPON. EXAMPLES ARE ABOUND WHERE THE GOVERNMENT IS USING STATE AGENCIES AND PF MEMBERS TO INTIMIDATE, HARASS AND ABUSE INDIVIDUALS AND INSTITUTIONS. THIS CANNOT BE ALLOWED TO CONTINUE.
ONCE MORE, WE WISH TO APPEAL TO ALL ZAMBIANS AND OTHER STAKEHOLDERS NOT TO ALLOW THIS COUNTRY TO DEGENERATE INTO LAWLESSNESS AS A RESULT OF THE PF GOVERNMENT’S MISRULE. FURTHER, WE URGE ZAMBIANS NOT TO BE INTIMIDATED BY PF AND MR. SATA.
WE THANK YOU.
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