Former President of Zambia Mr Rupiah Bwezani Banda has urged African leaders to consider public good over personal interests if the continent’s democracy is to flourish.
And the former Zambian head of State has been described as a living embodiment of democracy who has shown the continent that there is life after leaving political office.
Delivering a keynote address at a two-day conference titled Elections March 2013: Imminent debates in the event of a Presidential run-off’, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Nairobi today, President Banda said it was important to ensure that democratic systems were respected.
He told a packed conference that included delegates from Sierra Leone, Ghana, Liberia and Senegal that African democracy was taking root and urged the media to highlight electoral success with the same vigour that they reported on failed elections.
The former President also urged young Africans to strive towards creating an environment in which leaders and their followers would not have to worry about retribution if they lost elections to their competitors.
Earlier, Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission chairman Ahmed Hassan and Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa (EISA) Kenya country director Felix Odhiambo described President Banda as a true democrat who was magnanimous enough to concede defeat in the 2008 Presidential elections, thereby ensuring that Zambia remained a peaceful country.
“The message from President Banda is very pertinent as we go towards elections. Indeed, public good overrides other factors. President Banda understands the dynamics of free and fair elections. We are very grateful for the message you have brought to Kenya,” Mr Hassan said.
And Swedish Ambassador to Kenya Johan Borgstam said he hoped the Kenyan people would learn from President Banda’s experience and prepare well for the Presidential and Parliamentary elections set for 4th March, 2013.
President Banda later addressed a Press conference where he answered several questions regarding what compelled him to accept the results of the 2008 elections and what advice he had for Kenyan politicians ahead of the March elections.
The two-day conference has been organised by the Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa in partnership with the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, the Kenyan Judiciary and the Kenyatta University School of Law.
Malabishii.
Practice what you preach.
lucky you now have a platform.
wouldnt cross the road to listen to this-he was dragged out of state house kicking and screaming by the us state dept he is now claiming to be a democrat.
You are a liar and it proves you were not there!
Pure lack of respect and real concern for fellow Africans / countries to try and cast President R.Banda as a hero, either that or a false sense of superiority by Kenya and Ghanaian governments and Ambassador J. Borgstam. That man, MMD government, diplomats and family are thieves who who plundered Zambia of millions of dollars of public money and resources as well as tried everything in and out of the book to rig election. His government murdered people in western province and cpperbelt. President Rupiah Banda’s legacy is that of hyper corruption and murder. His immunity will be lifted soon and he will dance to Zambian justice.
Please leave RB alone.
Awe he is not a thief please how many months or years has it taken for him to be charge ati ni kababwabuka.
politics are politics. Mukandandeni tumone ati ni kabolala.
Leave the old man alone ama zebige
Ba PF when are you going to get tired of your false propaganga against RB. If you have any speck of evidence for your wild accusations why have you not lifted his immunity. You have all the investigative wings who are earning billions of old Kwacha at the task force and all you still have is zero apart from false Post propaganda. By the way what happened to Judge Chikopa and the K18bn Mmembe took from DBZ.
this guy is a criminal. he deserves to be behind bars for plundering of national resources.
What are you waiting for? cage him but that wont change anything.
The real criminal currently resides at plot 1 nkhwazi house
That’s the man, a democrat.
A democrat and a statesman.
WHAT HYPOCRICY ON THE PARTY OF RB AND SHEER STUPIDITY FROM THOSE KENYANS. WE CHESSED HIM FROM STATE HOUSE AND THE DEMAGOGUE IS CORRUPT TO CORE .STUPID AFRICANS WHO NOT OBJECTIVE .
He can b honoured by dose chaps whose democratic standards are far lower than ours.What democracy can u talk about in his tenure of office and prio 2 de general elections. Anywhere u want 2 use him to compel yo dictator 2 reliquensh power though.lol!
What do you know about democracy OS? Which countries are you referring to? Please blog some sense rather than trying to show your apathy here.
At least he allowed every one to hold rallies and campaign agaist him which is more than I can say for your icon.
Him and his Children were like Monkeys in a maize field,his wife refused to form an NGO to help the poor in society but concentrated all her energy on Stealing having come from a poor background herself.
1,2,3. Please you dreamers stop dreaming this is day time. What did RB steal which upto now you have failed to show us, it’s simple just show us than you are just telling us your dreams, we are not interested in lies anymore please. You lie us today that he stole gold, the next day that he stole money to build flats, the next day that he stole 5bn which he is keeping in his account, the next day this, the next day that KASI YOU ARE JUST DREAMING IT’S NOT REAL, WAKE UP MAN TIME IS RUNNING OUT TO DELIVER DEVELOPMENT AS PROMISED, no wonder the masses say that you just cheated your way into govt. Prove the opposite to us. Not even your president is able to answer what Jr Chipimo has asked him on his daylight lies … 3.5 years to go no dev. to be seen but still very busy dreaming.
You are an ***** and will never accept that President Sata is the President of Zambia for the next 9 years.
Citizen wa lasa. the thieves are now feasting over the RDA contracts at nkhwazi house. These are the culprits we need to have their corrupt activities documented including all their family Forrest appendages. Wait 2016 is but around the bend
2008 elections? This is what happens when you feed lies to outsiders. 2008 is the year he was elected for a caretaker job and lasted only for 2 years and lost the elections, why is he not correcting the people who are praising him that he lost the elections in 2010?
The international community know that he lost elections and they respect him for that. The problem is that many Zambians have a warped idea that losing an election is a sin. It is not. It is but a competition to serve the country and he is still doing so by projecting our country’s name abroad.
RB to launch new UTH unit
Time Posted: October 28, 2010 11:59 am
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University Teaching Hospital Operating theater
President Rupiah Banda is wednesday expected to officially launch the newly established Renal Unit at the University Teaching Hospital UTH
The President will also commission ten brand new Dialysis machines as part of his health care programme.The Renal Unit has been refurbished at a cost of over 3.5 billion Kwacha.
The ten dialysis Machines have been bought from Japan as part of President Banda’s wider health campaign programme aimed at delivering quality health care to Zambians.The machines will help cut government costs as most patients with renal problems were sent abroad…
I have posted the above for a reason. A pregnant woman I know almost lost their lives at a highly acclaimed hospital during an emmergency ceasarian section due to a severe PPH. Doctors struggled to save mum and baby and they did all they could to save her. Thank God baby was saved but mother was rushed to ICU. What is my point? The theatre did not run out of oxygen or any other vital equipment needed to save lives. I was so humbled at the way the team pulled together and did all they could for this woman. Everyone involved acted swiftly including porters running to get bloods for transfusion. Why should the whole of UTH run out of oxygen needed to save lives of women, babies and others who need it urgebtly no medicines. Who is the Director of UTH and what is he/she playing at?
Thats my president being accorded recognition and great respect.A true democrat,a statesman of international repute and a well educated man unlike the toad at plot1.Thank you kenya for recognising our visionary son and thanks RB for flying our flag high.
Well said my bro/sis.RB is most certainly a respectable zambian political gem.
I am sure RB is banging your mom or sister?
Your Excellency President Rupiah Bwezani Banda (Rtd),
You have unerringly done it nafuti nafuti leaving us more proud. As it were we are unflinchingly in solidarity with your wisdom, rational acts, temperament and exemplary intellect.
Bravo!
SC
That’s certainly rich coming from a guy who embezzled….. Shame he will never be brought to justice. He thinks he has got away with it but alas he will be judged and punished accordingly by you know who… It’s easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than a corrupt rich man to enter the kingdom of our Lord.
# 11 chuulu,
And that Renal Hospital RB administration did deliver. The beautiful and well equipped hospital is there for every referral patient to use. Last year between September and October 2012 PF cadres went there and stole seven CT scanners with accessories leaving patients vulnerable. PF militia in state police uniform were dispatched to stage an arrest but all thugs have since been released on orders of miscreant Kabimba and league because it was a PF project to destroy what the previous administration left regardless of the loss of life caused.
That is so sad. All we are seeing now is people insulting each other in public, people denying that things are not right currently. Who is the Director of UTH please. I think he should resign because he does not care what is happening at UTH. Why can’t he just say he does not have a clue about running a health instution.
What is going in in Zed kanshi or should I say what is not going on?
We should appreciate that some leaders wouldve resisted leaving state house.Although our democracy is not perfect its way above so many countries in Africa.I am sure we are in the top 3 on the continet,We should however stand firm against PF and Sata who are busy taking us to pre 1990 times when dictatorship was ripe.It has coincided with lack of essential commodities such as mealie meal etc.Wake up Zambia
Sata has already started resisting leaving the seat of power in 2016 thru acts of obliterating the opposition. He wants zambians to have no altenative so he can scamper for that simple majority trick win.
@Senior citizen,yo can b so unobjective u junior citizen.Going the madness that rb was displaying during his term and u did not see wrong u must sick.His days are numbered and those demagogues giving false accorlads wil b embarrased.Shame upon u !
Be proud of your leaders RB IS SUPER STAR OF FORMER PRESIDENTS CLUB,IF AFRICA PRAISE HIM BE PROUD HAS ZAMBIAN STOP CRITISING THE GOOD MAN.
RESPECT ABAKALAMBA MWE BAKABWA.
In Zambia It will be very difficult for an unpopular President to hang on to power. This may not be because they are true democrats but due to the fact that We Were the country that showed the World that an African ruling party can be peacefully replaced. We set the pace.
As hopeless as he may have been KK set a precedent Rupiah couldn’t have breached. If Sata is found in a similar spot he will just have to go. Having done it twice Zambians, not just Rupiah should be hailed by Revolutionaries wanting too remove tyrants in Kenya Zimbabwe, Swaziland and Morocco.
By the way other so called democracies in the neighbourhood have never been so tested. Just check out SADC. Only us and Malawi have changed govts. We should be very very proud of this record. Viva Zambians! Viva Chipolopolo!
I agree. He shouldn’t claim to be a hero. He was under big presure to acept the results
“Former President of Zambia Mr Rupiah Bwezani Banda has urged African leaders to consider public good over personal interests if the continent’s democracy is to flourish”
Had he and his MMD followed this advice, we wouldn’t now have a kabova society calling the shots and on whom everybody’s hopes for a happy Zambia hinges. Zambia already would have been a paradise of extremely educated homo superiors dictating the direction Africa should go. Alas, we are still wallowing in unwarranted poverty forced upon us by this arrogant characters now masquerading as champions of democracy. The man spent most of his official time travelling the world. He only turned his attention to cosmetic development when he sensed that he might jeopardize his lifestyle if he didn’t do something to get…
Thank Ba Kenya and thank you RB for your wise and visionary leadership.This is a well deserved recognition from our african sister-state that RB was a great leader but some shortsighted zedians were too blind or too tribal to see objectively.
RB, you had the opportunity to prove that your intentions were indeed for public good. Levy is only president whose intentions were intend to benefit Zambians. If some of you see visionary leadership in RB,then I urge you to conduct DNA tests on all your children as you are too stupid or blind see that you are raising your neighbors’ children.
Either, the millions of dollars that RBI And his sons stole are invested in Kenya, or the current Kenyan leadership live in a parallel universe!
I think both scenarios are true. There is no way that Kenya, which has high commission residing in Zambia would not have known what a bunch of thieve RB and his children were. I now believe that Henry Banda and that Kibaki in Kenya are business partners of sorts. What a shame
Ba CNP wake up my brother, arrest him he is very much available, you have all instruments of power in your hands to an extent of even forbidding indoor party executive meetings in areas were there are by-elections. Give us some new lies please we are sick and tired of the same lie.
chitole chakwe nkusa uyu!!
Even your chief chisunka from kumenshi – luapula because of just following blindly what the president and all wise and all knowing Mmembe says that RB stole this, RB stole that the man was taken to court and he went pants down without any evidence, he run to the people and was very disappinted that despite their respected status they were just talking using feelings without facts – mere dreams. And your chief went begging from RB that ‘mune shaishibe apo nalelanda, shaishibe ati nabena baleilandilafye,bufifye.njelelako napapata’. And as usual RB being a statesman just said i understand, you are forgiven and withdrew the case from court.
Its a pity how KK’s acceptance of 1991 election results is never appreciated
I think that time democracy was not so much talked & appreciated in africa, the man was an icon especially that in those days it very hard to leave power but he did relinguish. HANDS OFF to our great son, father of africa. It’s just that these same people in MMD and PF did everything possible in their powers to discredit him.
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blessing be upon you Mr bwezani.no one can block blessing be upon u