STATEMENT BY ZAMBIAN VOICE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR MR. CHILUFYA TAYALI ON THE LIFTING OF RUPIAH BANDA’S IMMUNITY
As organization that promotes good governance, justice and human rights, we want all our leaders to be accountable. We are therefore in support of all initiatives, procedures, processes and laws that help leaders to be accountable. We are also in support of the immunity removal of a former leader if at all there cases that he should answer.
However, on the issue of Rupiah Banda, we wish the matter was handled differently than the route taken for the sake of moving forward as a nation. We see this move as retrogressive.
Firstly, we do not support the removal of Mr. Banda’s immunity totally because the process lacks integrity by those who are orchestrating it.
Secondly, how can you have a man like Wynter Kabimba be the mover of the motion when he himself was just dubiously cleared by the ACC?
[pullquote]As far as we are concerned, Mr Kabimba has not been cleared in the eyes of the Zambian people because his counterpart GBM could not have spoken from without when he made the allegations.[/pullquote]
As far as we are concerned, Mr Kabimba has not been cleared in the eyes of the Zambian people because his counterpart GBM could not have spoken from without when he made the allegations.
Mr. Kabimba himself admitted that corruption took place in the oil transaction because one of the bidders offered him money but he refused to take the bride.
It can be assumed that he refused money from this company because he had already taken from the other company.
The immunity debate in parliament was also hypocritical to have people like Gabriel Namulambe contributing to the motion when they are the beneficiaries of the alleged plunder.
Mr. Namulambe should not even be near the leadership of this Country if our leaders are to be measured by the same yardstick being used on Mr. Banda.
Panji Kaunda also debated the issue as if taking the opportunity to avenge for the suffering of his father. What happened to Kenneth Kaunda was bad but should we continue embarrassing our leaders.
[pullquote]The immunity debate in parliament was also hypocritical to have people like Gabriel Namulambe contributing to the motion when they are the beneficiaries of the alleged plunder.[/pullquote]
The fundamental question should be, how does Zambia benefit from this?
Apart from embarrassing our former leaders when the International community is dignifying them, the common person on the street will not benefit at all.
Since leaving office, Mr. Banda has brought pride to Zambia as a Statesman on different International assignments. Why do we want to destroy this pride?
The third issue is that as we bend down scavenging the rubble, the clever ones, who orchestrated the removal of the immunity, will be busy looting from the reserves.
This is like giving a bone to a dog to destruct it, while thieves get away with their crime.
[pullquote]We need accountability but not at the expense of other corrupt leaders blindfolding us so that they can steal.[/pullquote]
Instead of thinking of developmental issues, we will be preoccupied with this case, losing a lot of money and getting nothing out of it.
The only people that will gain are the Prosecutors, bearing in mind that the DPP is also defending himself in courts, and the lawyers have not really helped the situation thus far.
We need accountability but not at the expense of other corrupt leaders blindfolding us so that they can steal.
Our position is that we reconcile as a nation and move forward. It is time to develop and not unraveling issues that will not benefit us.
Most of the politicians both in Government and opposition are not clean in one way or the other so why play Holier Than Thou.
If RB did no wrong then it not a big deal
RB is corrupt today is not Zambians you forget
I don’t understand why we so love shooting ourselves in the foot. RB is not important, development is.
WHOEVER WROTE THIS ARTICLE IS A HEEP OF FART. YES, BY THE WAY THERE MUST BE SOME INTEGRITY IN THE MANNER IN WHICH RB’S IMMUNITY IS BEING REMOVED BECAUSE RB, HIS SONS AND FRIENDS WERE STEALING FROM ZAMBIANS WITH DIGNITY.
WHOEVER WROTE THIS ARTICLE IS A HEEP OF FART. YES, BY THE WAY THERE MUST BE SOME INTEGRITY IN THE MANNER IN WHICH RB’S IMMUNITY IS BEING REMOVED BECAUSE RB, HIS SONS AND FRIENDS WERE STEALING FROM ZAMBIANS WITH DIGNITY. JUST THE ARTICLE TITLE TELLS ME IT IS A STUP!D ARTICLE AND IT WOULD WASTING TIME READING IT. THIEVES ARE THIEVES AND MUST BE TREATED AS SUCH.
And the lifting of FTJ’s immunity by LPM?
Surely do Zambians know exactly what they want?
The other two should also in time be brought to justice! It can’t be one rule for one and another for everyone else. Justice must prevail throughout the board.
Its “accross the board”……nonetheless,i emphatically agree with your point.
Well articulated… a lot of wisdom.
The zambian ACC had to have prior permission from Sata to cross examine his close buddies but for anyone else,especially opposition , you’re roasted already and guilty even before you can shout JUSTICE! This whole govt needs to be recalled.
Government to be recalled…it’s not a car or a Dreamliner battery please….oops… which opposition will win the elections if they were to be conducted today…then pf would have to be both the opposition and the government I guess. keep dreaming
@Big L ,don’t display your ignorance ati car or batteries? Recall elections happen all the time when whole govts or individuals within it are recalled before end of term to limit damage to taxpayers.
Yes, Enka Rasha is right; that is what happened to Thabo Mbeki in RSA. It is only in Zambia where damage control is left to the gods.
let him clear his name so that we respect him. Or else MPUNDU FLATS WILL TURN INTO GOVT FLATS. I cant wait.
Why do we hate to see the success of others? You fail to prosecute real criminals like Kabimba (NO ZAMBIAN EVER VOTED FOR THAT CLOWN) and Nchito and want to bother an old retired man, you will regret this for the rest of history..future generations will blame us for our like of decisive and progressive thinking and leadership. What a bunch of failures we are.
Fwefwefwe, unfortunately old age does not excuse anyone from answering to his deeds or misdeeds. Notice how recently an Asian accused died while facing trial – only death can save you from a misdeed once you have registered one. Those of us who know the history of RB are not surprised that he is finally being called to account. Being a diplomat and charming people has nothing to do with commission of crimes that must be answered…
let him clear his name so that we respect him. Or else MPUNDU FLATS WILL TURN INTO GOVT FLATS. I cant wait. That s how govt will benefit. please visit MPUNDU FLATS. IF HE got a loan records are there. this man was yawning at the farm. bearly 3 yrs at state house he came up wit an estate that no zambia head of state has achieved.
its like satan himself wanting to cage Eve for the problems we have now. deliver on ur campaign promises, if u fail resign now
immunity is a man made thing and if deep down your heart you know u are clean, you dont need to worry as the law will vindicate you. we the people are watching
clearing your name is not as easy as it sounds. even when you are innocent, losing immunity or being summoned is a big thing. in the process of exculpating yourself, your have to go through a lot of inconveniences, humiliation and even being detained.
it cost money and time to attend these court issues…who benefits?
Hear Hear!! Mr Banda used my (tax) money to do whatever he chose to do. I need to know that it wasn’t my money that paid for those mmd lollipops etc. I also need to know why this man could reasonably not have known that some of his obese government ministers had gone supervising cash-burying mini-projects at their farms. I need to know why contracts were opaquely awarded to people connected to some ‘Banda’ (James or Andrew or other) somewhere in the chain of “deals”. I hope the little inconvenience that Mr Banda will no doubt be subjected to will be interpreted as him continuing to serve Zambia for transparency’s sake. Thank you Mr Micheal Sata for being brave and bold enough to lead us like this.
Firstly people,immunity is a privilege not a right.Secondly,removal of immunity does not mean RB has been convicted and is going to jail tomorrow.Please let us stop honouring criminality.We are all witnesses,any Zambian alive today and now knows how wreckless RB and his regime was.This man abused his office and mandate,to go to the extent of amending a law which helps in combating abuse of office.And some goons should now stand up and pretend to be activists and cast this criminal suspect as a victim!Come on Zambia.
Do you know what we will be creating by not taking action against RB?We have people in govt now and they are also watching.What will stop them from going on looting rampage.Rb deserves whatever has befallen him,he claimed to have been stubborn after all
well said but we goons on here who do not want to be rational just because its Sata’s government taking RB to court otherwise if it was upnd they would praise their small time crook HH…this is good for future reference my fellow compatriots.
there is nothing new under the sun, we’ll see in time. the damage RB did in three years on zambia are nothing compared to the “atrocities” Sata and FTJ did in ten years.
The first two paragragphs of this article reflects the views of the majority on the lifting of the immunity.The process lacks integrity.Are you going to ignore these concerns? If we are to go by how the late HE Mwanawasa SC(Rest in internal Peace) approach, the nation ought to have been given the basis( charges) for lifting the immunity.This wasn`t done.The approach is som bad that one doubts the chances of RB being given a fair hearing.Its like orchestrating it the whole thing have already written the judgement.
Problem is you shallow minded chaps are so overtaken by m’membes and ZNBC propaganda that you can not read between the lines. Yes, lift RB’s immunity, yes let him answer to ACC/ DEC, but let kabimba and GBM also answer before the evidence is swept under the carpet. The disregard for the court order injunction for the matter to be tabled in parliament by the executive will work against you same chap when you need justice the most. The executive is abusing their authority and you are cheering them on. silly chap. You will reap, Just wait and see
Valid points Mr. Tayali.
I believe Zambia and Zambians are better than this, how can we have our whole government being so petty and unfair. These guys will cry when their time comes, the president has already made so many infringements on the law to a point where he could be impeached and they force this agenda? Fine. Kabimba is the foremost Hypocrite, he reminds me of the word back biting and back stabbing and jackal and would in sheep’s skin, he is not a leader but a bloodhound. he is also a muzungu anikonde kisass. But it is fine, he has only till 2016.He will dance to the tune of his own song when we vote them out.
Dear Zambians, surely this is RB’s chance to clear his name if he did not do what he is accused of. We should rather be concerned with ensuring that the people we put in state house, be they PF, MMD, UPND, NAREP, ADD etc remain true to their oath of office to protect Zambia and the Zambian people. If RB did remain true to this oath then he will prove it in the courts of law. The Presidential immunity is a privilege which the Zambian people give to their presidents and it is not a right. The people therefore remain at liberty to remove it or not.
Yes RB may have gained a lot of respect internationally since leaving office, but he is not accused of looting international wealth, neither did he swear to protect the international community. RB is first and foremost answerable to the Zambians!
Am not against it but with this witchhunt and intimidating Govt we hav now they will make sure they create somthing to convince the people his not innocent.all they want is to humiliate him.
I DONT THINK THERE IS ANYONE TRYING TO INTIMIDATE OR HUMILIATE BANDA. AT THIS STAGE BANDA IS NOT A FACTOR. HE HAS ALREADY BEEN HUMILIATED BY BEING REJECTED BY ZAMBIANS IN 2011. WHAT WE NEED IS ACCOUNTABILITY PERIOD. IF HE STOLE, LET HIM ACCOUNT FOR IT. THOSE WHO FEEL LIKE THEY CAN DEFEND HIM IN COURT AND HAVE EVIDENCE TO THAT EFFECT CAN TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY AND STAND FOR HIM. THAT IS THE BEAUTY OF GOING TO COURT. WHAT ARE YOU PEOPLE HIDING? THE COURTS WILL DEAL WITH HIM FAIRLY. WHEN CORRUPT JUDGES WERE EXPELLED AND A COMMISION CONSTITUTED TO PROBE THEM YOU PEOPLE RUSHED TO COURT AND BLOCKED THAT. AGING A THIEVING PRESIDENT IS BEING CALLED UPON TO ACCOUNT FOR SOME SERIOUS ALLEGATIONS AGAINST HIM YOU ARE REFUSING THAT. SO WHAT ARE YOU HIDING?
I don’t see any sense in this article which is suggesting theft by people in Government. You mean that we leave thieving politicians alone just because they are attending some international conferences? No way man. All thieving politicians must be brought to courts of law to account for their criminal actions. RB should clear his name, why is he fearing if indeed he did not steal?? The same applies to PF and Sata, if they are stealing our money we shall prosecute them ..period.
Peace and Prosperity to Mother Zambia.
You people Zambia is bigger than one Rupia. If he is innocent, let him prove it. To me the die is cast, any President who steals will be prosecuted chapwa. Why are you crying when it is the poor man’s money being safed guarded in the long run. Italian Prime Minister has been convicted of Corruption and is still appearing in court today, was it politically motivated, ati iyo pantu basungu bali fwaya imilandu.
Iwe did you go to school? remember that a suspect is presumed innocent untill proven guilty. so RB is innocent, the burden of proving he is guilty lies with GRZ.
“Ati let him prove himself innocent….” Govt should prove that he is guilty. With such low levels of brain cells, you should go and hibernate in Muchinga.
am so ashamed to be part of this so called Zambia for now..eish..
baBlacky you are ashamed of your own genes! Unfortunately, you will always be Zambian!!! But on an honest note, there is nothing in Zambia that warrants anyone being ashamed. If anything, you should be very proud! Zambia built you and put you where you are now and probably has demanded nothing back from you. What is happening in our country now is that we are shifting up a gear. We want ACCOUNTABILITY.
Tayali whatever you call yourself how can you be supporting crime…? do you realize the magnitude of this saga or you dont..? only those who benefited from RB’s looting can support the fella…too little too late
booring who is really interested in prosecuting RB…..Meembe or Winter? boring just give us development and leave the old man alone
This ka man aba ichimutwe kwati wishi alimuponyeshe kubwaice ninshi nakolwa
This topic is getting rather old fashioned! Am yawning hope i wont be reading over this same thing the whole week, otherwise, i will log off, Yes immunity has been lifted, make noise however you like, but please lets now move on, whats the next step, NEXT PLEASE!
You people why are you crying for RB? He is old enough to cry for himself! After all, he has done that before when he was handing over the instruments of power to King Cobra! Let him carry his own cross mwebantu mwe twapapata you are irritating us! Seleni tubombeko!
@ Blacky
Butukila pa Congo boi nangu pa Rwanda! Zambian borders are wide open to purge dimwits like you!
The PF governement (represented or directed by the Bwinjimfumu cartel) will also face the same. Kabimba made his oil deal already which he does not want to be interviewed over by ACC, PF cadres have alrerady been murdering each other for looted money (unless you tell me that the money comes from Sata’s pocket (maybe Mahtani’s), breaking of constitution with impunity, worsting billions of kwacha of Tax payers’ money on unnecessary byelections etc etc. They will also be called to explain about all these issues very very soon.
I dont care who is the culprit, whether RB,MCS. If found guilty, thats the dipper to throw away. It mat stink but thats yours my man
This is the most useless article o have come across. The writer has no direction and on many occasions admit that R.B is corrupt. So if R.B is corrupt and Winter moves the motion R.B remains corrupt. You mention Namulambe to have embezzled funds with R.B showing that you agree that R.B is corrupt. So what are you trying to defend? A culture of stealing? Please let us analyse these issues on the interest of Zambians as opposed to a personal agenda.
When late Chiluba realised that he had not delivered enough, he gave out houses. Banda did the same though he had improved the economy. There are some institutional houses to be given,yet by president sata. And I pray that he also, like Chiluba , does not deliver……
Do you know who lack integrity is you, you can continue mourning until the sun goes down, your RB is going to pay for his sins.
Thieves know each other. Send a thief to catch a thief. I can’t see any difference between Sata and RB, except for the methodology on how the vise is conducted. Both are rotten eggs in a basket.
Boring! Every NGO wants to be seen to say something and make money.
I really cannot understand why the fuss about lifting immunity from RB. Firstly being granted immnunity is not a right but a temporal priviledge. If there are overwhelming allegations againt RB then let him prove his innocence before the courts. Courts are not for poor but for every one. Does RB international recognition praises take precedence over zambians people if zambians were deprived of their resources. Handling of such huge sums of cash raises also issues of money laundering and tax evation. if at all it was donation, will ZRA be able to trace the sources for tax purposes. After all political donations are not illegal but should be disclosed. If money was printed privately and put in circulation and thereafter withdrawn then that is another serious issue.