President Sata has dismissed as outrageous and insensitive UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema’s remarks that the state did not accord the late Medardo Cardinal Joseph Mazombwe a befitting funeral.
On Tuesday, during an interview with one of the television stations in Lusaka, Mr. Hichilema criticised President Sata for delegating Hon. Alexander Chikwanda, Minister of Finance, to attend Cardinal Mazombwe’s funeral.
But the Head of State, who described Mr. Hichilema’s remarks as ill-timed and insensitive to the Catholic community, advised the UPND leader to always strive for unanimity and maturity especially in times when the nation is expected to hold together as one.
“It is clear that this deliberate recklessness is calculated at inciting a crisis through the media. This is very sad indeed particularly that common courtesy and decency demand that leaders of Mr. Hichilema’s stature should be cognisant of the fact that funerals are very emotive and private situations where politics should not even be thought about,” President Sata said.
“Funerals are a moment of grief and remembrance and the UPND leader must realise that mourning is a personal spiritual commitment of passion, love and respect for the deceased. And anything short of this is pure hypocrisy and posturing. Let him learn to attend funerals with an upright heart and good intentions. He should know when it’s time for politics and time for mourning.”
President Sata said by coming out so inconsiderate, self-centred and self-righteous at a dignified cleric’s funeral, Mr. Hichilema is only petitioning his own capacity as a leader.
“Mr. Hichilema should be mindful that his routine and embarrassing display of reckless and insensitive cheek will not add any meaningful value to his standing or political ambition. He needs to learn to sell a personal image of unity, humility, compassion and patriotism,” President Sata said.
The President said the state will not lower itself to Mr. Hichilema’s level by publicly announcing the extent of assistance and contribution it made towards Cardinal Mazombwe’s funeral.
“Cardinal Mazombwe was a dignified man and I would urge all of us to mourn him as such,” he said.
Issued by:
GEORGE CHELLAH
SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT
PRESS AND PUBLIC RELATIONS
somethings the gov’t should jst let go
Ghana have assembled their strongest squad to face Zambia on Friday for a play-off spot in the Brazil 2014 World Cup qualifiers.
But the Black Stars are sweating over the fitness of captain Asamoah Gyan, who limped out of training on Tuesday morning after complaining of thigh pains.
Also, in-form Norway-based goalkeeper Adam Larsen Kwarasey pulled out of the 26-man squad due to a groin injury.
The Black Stars have been bolstered by the return of trio Andre Ayew, Kevin-Prince Boateng and Michael Essien.
Ayew took a temporary break from international football in February this year after he was axed from the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations squad after failing to meet the reporting deadline for pre-tournament camping.
The Olympique Marseille ace made himself available and said he…
The president is under lock and key! he can only response and attack softer target!….
George Chella we know about the cardial, if the govt didnot like him much or didnot see it fit to declare it state funeral; NO problem!!. the Vatican did a very good job already befitting a cardial.
What is important at the moment Chellah, is the response from the president on the petition from PF cadres delievered Sata mulenga!
Another misdirected response from State House. HH did not say Government contributed nothing. The response should have been centered on the matter of using discretion to declare a day of national mourning. President’s response reeks of embarrassment from being caught out.
Dismiss the entire man. Vanquish him to western province. Let him eat sand!
#1.1 dont be excited about those injuries. Western Africans are always hard-fighting and hard-working while Zambians are to complaisant and lazy to fight harder. Since Zambia worn Africa cup they have become so lazy and complaisant to push on for the regional cups, let alone the World Cup games. Bangan I ba…
The question is why did he not attend the funeral instead he went for a compaign. Chela learn to answer the question or issue put forward. Stop runting and being emotional. Cartel member, the president can not come out like this considering his humility. Grow up man
Oh my goodness you mean the President didn’t attend the funeral? He has just lost himself the support of Catholics.
Its bcoz of csmpaigns thats why there was no state funeral.
Typical of Ichilema.He always goes for the opposite of what the government does or says.I have no doubt he could have had complained if Cardinal Mazombwe was accorded one.
@soulosi
that response is pointless itself,,,, there more important and urgent issues than that. The presidency should have let that pass without comment, but insteand Sata should have responsed to the petition by PF youths and stated clearly if he`s up for the 10yrs rules
@ndobo the problem is that Ichilema was trying to throw a ka cheap punch. The dude just jumps at whatever opportunity to blame the government.He knows that the constitution doesn`t provide for such when it comes to people like Mazombwe unless the president sanctions it. He is like that child who cried wolf.
@Saulosi, the constitution provides for Freedom of Expression. How many times have police denied any one with dissenting views from those of the PF permits to gather and express such views? Constitutionality should not only apply when it suits the PF. That is why HH used the word “DISCRETION.” The same discretion that has been used to silence the opposition.
Did your king M.C say something about the funeral he abandoned, and instead decided to campaign. Can someone tell him to keep away from us and the lord. So shameful, people came all the way from Kenya to Vatican, and they find head-of-village away drinking and shouting at subjects.
He is ex-communicated!!
chela as usual always exhibiting immaturity and rhetoric as though he is wise. your choice of words chela sells you off as an immature and pompous cantankerous character not befitting that of a presidential spokesperson. please strive to learn and mature your language to a suitable level of diplomacy not this rubbish you exhibit when ever a statement comes from you. you should’ve told the nation why a state funeral did not auger well for the bishop
What did you expect from a reporter plucked from The Post. Lack of maturity is one of their trademarks.
These are not Sata’s words, but chelah’s. This has become commonplace in Zambian politics for Chelah to make his own statements with or without the blessing of Satan. Chelah and Kabimba are cut from the same cloth. They are arrogant, disrespectful and very vindictive. The language of the statement clearly gives it away. Sata does not write like that.
Does he know how to write if he mourns with the dead?
So it is Chellah who wrote this! & the president?
Strong words these eh? An explanation that Medado Mazombwe’s position is not listed as one entitled to a state funeral in our laws will have sufficed.
but a mere Father mwebe was entitled??????
the doctors who died in NW province had a state funeral, foreigners for that matter. what about this prominent son of the soil. Grow up please. HH has a point.
masiku yonse,
The personalities entitled to state funerals are the President, Vice-President, Chief Justice, Speaker of the National Assembly and Cabinet ministers…. all former holders of these offices will be accorded the status of a state funeral and the period of mourning for a serving President is seven days while that of a former President is five days….five days of national mourning will be accorded to a serving Vice-President and three days to a former Vice- President…..Speaker of the National Assembly and Cabinet ministers will all be accorded three days of national mourning while former holders of these offices will be accorded one day.
N.B I cannot answer for the president’s decision to accord father Mwebe and not the cardinal a state funeral. Chellah left that out…
But the question still remains the same, why was the national morning not granted if they can be granted to other bemba priests? We still need an answer to the equation failure to which what will stop us concluding that it’s because he was no a bemba?
xata or jogy chella saying this…
from the best of my knowledge
ni ka jogy chella ke kakamba
Why would a president respond to this….And by responding to HH, the president is telling us that he was wrong by not attending the funeral.
In my own opinion, as a president and a Catholic, Sata should have attended the funeral the late Cardinal. And he should have accorded him a state funeral, sometime last year, the president accorded a state funeral to 2 American young missionaries who died in a light plane in Kafue gorge, i think that the late Cardinal Mazombwe did more for Zambia than the 2 missionaries who were in Zambia for a short stay.
I have come to hate Zambian Politians. They have done more harm to this country than good. Apart from high poverty levels, they have brought tribalism in this country. The division between Bembas and Tongas/Lozis has become visible in work places. My fellow Zambians, let us hold back and reflect. How far have gone esp in this tribalism thing. Let us not be carried away by these politicians, I for one has vowed never to say anything negative against my Zambian brother. May God bless you all.
I agree. Just go to ZWD and see the insults levelled against Sata and Bembas regarding Cardinal Mazombwe’s funeral. It is really sad what people resort to when they are disgrantled.
Is ZWD still accessible?
He helped Zambia’s debt forgiven by the lending institution, what more would we have done to in honouring him? and now, SATA and the group are busy borrowing huge sums of money we are going back to square one. I think HH was correct.
If Sata had accorded the cardinal a state funeral, it would have been a very different case altogether. There will always be people who will criticize something regardless of the decisions made and hence sometime it is better to just keep quite and move on. HH as issued many statements that the president has not responded to and I wonder why Chella and his boss were quick on this. By the way who is entitled to a state funeral in Zambia anyway and does it matter or change anything?
The personalities entitled to state funerals are the President, Vice-President, Chief Justice, Speaker of the National Assembly and Cabinet ministers…. all former holders of these offices will be accorded the status of a state funeral.
However…
the President shall reserve the right to decide which other persons shall be accorded a state or official funeral other than those listed in the guidelines and in such circumstances.
Its George Chellah who has written this and a Bit Membe in it..how long is the president going to sit back and let other pipo talk.. I think Zambians want a press conference by his excellence.
Personaly I feel the statement still does not answer the question. The question was why Sata delegated to a minister and chose to go for campaigns instead of attending the funeral himself considering the status of the late Cardinal Mazombwe.
Have you asked the relatives of Mazombwe if they wanted the President to attend
just Goerge Chella, istead of wasting yo time to mention the president
Zero answers to the question and issues HH has candidly raised. Instead, this monologue purported to be from Statehouse press office is a load of hyperbole empirically from a childish reactionary mindset devoid of common sense and clarity.
If this is the reaction of President Sata which i doubt so much, then it explains the quagmire Zambia has found herself in.
HH: 10-point
Statehouse: 0-Point
which is the best, to go to the house of morning or to go into politics as a Christian and Leader?
To the house of morning.
CHILDISH CHILD! HH…
STATE FUNERALS FOR THE HEADS OF THE CHURCH IN ZAMBIA? ELYO LWANYA….
HOW MANY?
1. Jehovah’s Witnesses? 1
2. SDA ? 1
3. APOSTOLIC ? 3
4. EVANGELICALS? 10
5. PENTECOSTALS? 30
etc
Kabimba
This country doesnt belong to politicians only. It is for every citizen including you. The two missionary were non of the people you mentioned. Lets face facts the president messed up on this one Chella has even made it waste by his runting. He is not helpig matters here.
6. ONLY (C) FATHERS
So if chibesakunya dropped dead today she will get a State Funeral?
I hope not as she is acting.
Acting State Funeral?
When i started reading this article i felt good thinking Micheal`s grammar has steadily improved, then i read“ issued by Chella“ am feeling bad, how can we have a grade 2 for a president? Chellas press statements are so childish, they sound bitter and boastful. Whats wrong with this imbecile kanshi?
soccer reply:if Zambia will feature this line up we will win 1.mweene 2. nkausu 3.mbola 4.h.h 5. sunzu 6.sinkala 7.kalaba 8.chishamba l.9.mayuka.10.tembo.f 11.katongo. without this line up then forget guys coz all those players I have mentioned are fast and accurate.
I WAS WITH PRESIDENT SATA
AT THE CATHEDRAL IN LUSAKA WITH LUSAKA
ARCHBISHOP ARCHIBISHOP
TELESPHORE MPUNDU TO PAY THEIR LAST
RESPECTS TO THE LATE CARDINAL
MAZOMBWE ON MONDAY.
DID WE WANT THE PRESIDENT TO CAMP AT
THE FUNERAL HOUSE?
Q # 2. WHAT ABOUT STATE FUNERAL?
Agreed. Why declare 3 days of national morning to ….CY. and a day to Mailoni brothers and not declare any such to Mazombwe? Belittling the late general of the catholic
Written from bwinjimfumu command poste . Sata would have said “GO AND TELL ECHI-ECHI i will not respond to him because his party is only popular is southern province
@chib
I AM IN SOUTH AFRICA.
HAS THE USA EVER SET ASIDE DAYS OF MOURNING
FOR THE MANY CARDINALS WHO DIE IN THAT COUNTRY?
DID ITALY OBSERVE DAYS OF MOURNING OR
WAS IT THE STATE OF ROME WHICH DID WHEN
THE POPE DIED? DAYS OF MOURNING AND
THEIR DURATION, AND WHO SHOULD BE ACCORDED
STATE FUNERALS ARE DETERMINED AND GAZETTED BY
PARLIAMENT YEARS AGO. IF HH IS NOT AWARE THEN HE
IS TOO RAW IN POLITICS.
Dont put sata at same level with Obama
We are comparing with the 3 days national mourning for the Mailoni Brothers… hahahahahaha. Come back here and you will surely start talking like HH. No ARVs, NO BCG, No X Ray films, No water, More Load shedding, High taxes, High fuel pump prices, High mealie meal prices …..
Kabimba
Still missing a point, by the way, this is not USA waste still South Africa. What happen in those country are not a standard to Zambia. We have our own way we look at issues. South Africa has embrassed gay wrongs and for us it abomination. So let us talk about what is about us, Zambians. What is good for the gender….., you can finish it.
Actions speak louder than words. It would have been better for the president to remain in state house while the funeral was going on than send a representative and then go campaigning in Mkaika. This single act shows were the presidents priorities are despite wanting to be seen as a devout catholic. In Ireland a poet noble winner was being laid to rest. The president, prime minister etc were all in attendance. Our president of course didn’t find it in his discretion to declare even a day of national mourning. Thank you.
Fo o lish politicians and crooks have resorted to tribalism as an escarpe goat especialy the anti Sata. We are watching u ,educated i dio ts.
Just go back to school. Dont be jealous of educated people. they drive the world.
THE PRESIDENT NEEDS TO BE RESPECTED. MOST OF YOU BLOGGERS ARE ALWAYS DISRESPECTFUL ABOUT OUR H.E. MCS. PLEASE LETS DEBATE IN A SOBER MANNER WITH RESPECT.
Respect does not come with the position, but must be earned from the very same people which have voted to allow you to have that position.
He should have just answered the question, not going into unnecessary attacks on HH. The question was why did you fail to declare a state funeral for Zambia’s first and only Cardinal, when you did so for his junior, your tribesman Fr Mwebe?
Its like state house personnel studies English and call for English experts once HH speaks in order to respond to him in a scholarly manner. When one is wrong it does not pay to ask best teachers of English including books to simply show that you have those tools to use. As a Zambian, I would appreciate if state house staff could speak and respond on a subject in the context and in the manner it comes!
Bwana Akashambatwa, assist us to understand what sort of a president we have in state so that we don’t wrong conclusions otherwise failaure to which our conclusions will be right;
1. Why fail to declare a national morning for a great son of the soil and instead do such for a bemba catholic priest, you mean he didn’t know the two? Even declare for foreign missionaries who were just in the country for a short time? Are we going to be wrong if we conclude that that is as a result of having a tribal and nepotist president who just does everything to his own/
2. Why even shan the burial ceremony when everyone including the same catholic bishops were expecting and even mentioning him in protocals, couldn’t he have gone for those campaigns a day before?
– Bwana Aka as i said assist us
What wud have changed supposing he was accorded a state funeral?? Wudnt he still have been buried in the same way he was buried. What’s dis nonsense with state funerals each wik forcing the entire nation to morn honestly. If he was gud so be it. At the end what’s most central in any funeral is family not forcing entire nation to cry. RIP
It is as clear as that why making an issue over a funeral of a dignified cleric? Does HH want to appeal for support to the teeming catholic community in Zambia? Does he envy Sata that he won because of overwhelming catholic support? It doesn’t pay like this. Sata was given massive support by Catholics and non-Catholics alike based on his political stamina. People support an individual in a political contest across religious and doctrinal divides provided they get a convincing message.
In the USA, the catholic church commands the largest single christian following but they significantly contribute to king making of presidents who are not catholics. In the recent past, it was only John F. Kennedy who was a practicing catholic while he was president in the early 60s. So even if you…
walanda mwandi,
efilanda abaume ifi.
We will go to court for a review. Once the court finds otherwise, we will exhume….
iwe, finshi upepele?
kalale nabwila…
This bellicose rhetoric is a familiar hallmark of Chella. In any country, the President is a chief mourner and his attendance symbolizes unity of a nation and brings comfort to the bereaved.
Cardinal Mazombwe wasn’t an ordinary citizens and for the President to choose to attend a campaign rally of an unpopular by election, hundreds of miles away and snub a funeral of a prominent Zambia, just 2km from State house is gullible to say the least and is a slap in the face of the catholic church. He deserves the criticism he’s getting. Hichelema isn’t politicking, he’s right on.
if i were HH, would ve restricted my criticism to why the cardinal was not accorded state funeral not sata’s attendance. HH heard the annoucement apologising sata’s last minute change in schedule. I sat near HH and NAWAKWI and i must congratulate the two for their puncturelity unlike most other prominent pipo who came late disturbing other pipo by looking for seats.
Disabled pipo re dificulty to understand!Hichidisabled(Hichilema) incorigible chap uli ci puba!State funeral fr His Eminent Mazombwe?Why?U under 5 State funerals re constitutional ofice bearers.Politicians!Mazombwe workd fr God’s mision.Yes had voice fr the poor & national duty bt not state funeral.U re realy itchng fr State hse!
Sata did NOT write this!!! If it was Sata it would have strted with “You, Echi Echi and yowa so called party and intelligence blah blah blah…”
We know how Sata responds to these things eg “First tell me who voted you as president of yowa so called UPND then I will tell you why there was no national mourning.”
You did not do your research. The picture you are showing is not Catholic women’s league. It is BUOMBA KAUNDA SQUARE CATHOLIC CHURCH.