Secretary to the Cabinet Roland Msiska must clearly state whether he prepared the letter of transfer of the instruments of power for President Michael Sata to formerly hand over power to Justice Minister Wynter Kabimba.
But Dr Msiska has refused to comment charging that although it was his responsibility to perform such constitutional functions, he was not going to state whether he did or not.
People’s Party president Mike Mulongoti has warned that it was treasonable for anyone to take over power without authority.He said it had become imperative that Dr. Msiska tells the nation if Mr Kabimba who is Patriotic Front (PF) secretary general was formerly given the instruments of power by President Sata before leaving for Israel for medical treatment.
[pullquote]Zambians are asking if President Sata was in a stable mental state to formerly perform a handover ceremony before he left for Israel[/pullquote]
Mr Mulongoti said if there was a breach in the procedure on how the handover of power was done, it was likely that Mr Kabimba could have committed a treasonable offence of usurping power from a legitimately elected President.
He told the Daily Nation that the correct procedure of handing over power to the acting President was that the Secretary to the Cabinet prepares the letter, deliver to the President and witness the signing of the document.
Mr Mulongoti said the systems and procedures were established for the purposes of ensuring order and lawful conduct by those who were appointed constitutionally to perfume smooth governance functions.
The letter of transfer of power each time the President was leaving the country was done on a special paper that is kept in the Secretary to the Cabinet office and is often prepared by Dr. Msiska and his two secretaries.
On June 20, 2014, in the still of the night, President Michael Sata left for Israel and government was forced to announce the arrival of the Head of State in Tel Aviv after the nation woke up to a flood of rumours that the President had been evacuated.
And a week after President Sata left the country, the country has yet again been chocked with speculation that the Head of State did not hand over power to Mr Kabimba who is acting President because the Secretary to the Cabinet did not prepare the letter of the transfer of power.
When contacted for a comment, Dr Msiska refused to comment charging that although it was his responsibility to perform such constitutional functions, he was not going to state whether he did or not.
“We have systems in this country and we cannot be making systems and breaking them. Without being rude, I do not want to comment on this matter because government has an official spokesperson who is the Minister of Information and Broadcasting. Call him and I will ask him that you will be calling. That is the best you can do if you want to help this country. I am a man of procedure,’ Dr Msiska said.
Dr Joseph Katema when contacted said he was unable to speak because he was in church.
But Mr Mulongoti has charged that it would be irresponsible for Dr Msiska to refuse to tell the nation if the transfer of power was done according to the provisions of the constitution.
“Zambians are asking if President Sata was in a stable mental state to formerly perform a handover ceremony before he left for Israel and that it is the responsibility of the Secretary to the Cabinet to inform the nation. And if the President was in a state called diminished responsibility because of his state of health at the time he was leaving, then it was not possible for him to have performed such a constitutional function.
If established that he was in diminished responsibility and could not perform that constitutional exercise, then we would be interested to know how Mr Kabimba acquired the instruments of power and it is Dr Msiska who must clear the doubts,” Mr Mulongoti said.
He observed that it would appear that the people in authority had a lot to cover up and that was why they were acting angrily to concerns by Zambians wanting to find out the true and correct health status of the President Sata.
Mr Mulongoti said accusing the Daily Nation and online media such as the Zambian Watchdog of malicious reporting was not going to help stop the speculation that there was a breach in the transfer of power to the acting President.
The People’s Party leader said Zambians were avoiding a situation where precedence would be created where masqueraders would usurp power and ignore the provisions of the Constitution.
“We are not against any individual but we are trying to avoid creating a precedence where masqueraders can usurp power and ignore the provisions of the Constitution. We demand that power must be transferred in a lawful and orderly manner so that those who ascend to power with clean hands can be respected and supported. We have heard of the cartel and we hope this is not the work of the said cartel,” Mr Mulongoti said.
He stated that the current and never-ending speculation that Mr Kabimba could be illegally acting as President were making Zambians feel short-changed warning that such could be a recipe for anarchy and disloyalty. Mr Mulongoti said there was a danger that people would begin to refuse to take instructions from authorities they strongly believe they obtained power through fraudulent means.
[DailyNation]
Just shut up you Mulongoti ! Why do you have to yap nonsense all the time in an aim to show your relevance in Zambian politics ? Smh
Who said that government has to explain everything anyway ? Just let it go old man.
W.Kabimba is a LIAR ,NO MORALS, where is our draft constitution?…Kabimba and PF are law breakers with impunity.
Kabimba lied to the Zambian people,PF Manifesto under page 42.That; “the PF government shall:review all previous Constitutional Review Commissions submissions thru a Committee of Experts for submission to a referendum and enactment only,by the National Assembly.(22 LEGAL AND CONSTITUTIONAL REFORMS.PF Manifesto 2011–2016,page 42),broken promises, Absolute liars! Look at the issue of Lombe chibesakunda and the argument against former CJ SAKALA-Indeed PF and Kabimba are liars!!
PF has no heart for the Zambian people, Look at Petauke, solwezi central, mulobezi ETC-NO MPS, no representatives,it’s against the LAW 90 DAYS, bunch of LIARS and demagogues with no shame or morals!
@ Saulosi- Everything that questions PF govt for you is rubbish- You must be having a very serious problem which will need a long psychological therapy. I for one, I rarely take you seriously this days- you are more of a joker than a serious citizen. The issues raised in this article are serious and affect every right thinking Zambia. Treason is an offence and when people ask for right procedures, they are not just not yapping. Grow up and distinguish reality from fiction. I feel sorry for your thinking- Anyway, I know you are joking-
@saulosi… why are you so bitter? just debate & give us your side of the story, esp if you talked to Dr Msisika
@Ola
I expect you to do that.It is just natural for you to look at me in that way because we don`t share the same views and opinion.Enjoy your moral high ground.
Keep up with your thumbs down.I want 100 or more today.How i enjoy this.Democracy is a sweet thing.Opinions opinion ! Keep em coming.
Spot on Saulosi.This Mulongoti has so many issues that he can talk about but he just wants to concentrate on this which is folly of him.Finished politician.
Someone very soon will be charged for treason for masquerading as Head of State using a fake certificate of handover of power. Wina azalila. There has to be order in thenation again not what we are seeing now under PF. You cant run a country like kantemba.
It is this kind of attitude that keeps Africa backward and in perpetua;l civil wars. Get a grip Saulos.
@ Saulosi, I like Kabimba and I admire his manipulations and opportunistic lifestyle which might not be popular for many people who believe in other values. Kabimba is also able to make us realise that what matters is knowing people in high places and taking advantage of their weakness to rise up. It might sound philosophical and evil to some misguided believers- but with these qualities, Kabimba might end up becoming the President of Zambia because is a very shrewd operator who can even smuggle Kenyans to manipulate votes-and no one dares to arrest him- that is the man who might change the way we look at politics in Zambia- is not in charge and if elections are held today- what will prevent him from smuggling more Kenyans just to win?
One thing i like about my political views is that i am not like the majority in the sense that i don`t easily just on “popular bandwagons.” I used to jump on bandwagons in the past.I jumped on Dean Mung’omba`s ZDC in 1996.In 2001 i again jumped on the Mazoka bandwagon. When i joined PF in 2006 i promised myself to remain loyal to the party.This is the reason why this HH(Joker) bandwagon can`t excite me because i have been there,done that.HH will soon go and another bandwagon will come into town and people who will be supporting the new populist politician will start saying HH supporters are backward and don`t think properly and must get a grip on reality.Human nature is amazing.
@ saulosi
Loyalty to the party in lieu of the loyalty to the Country is a treason. Shame. I thought that you are smart chap instead of been just another “big mouth-small brain”.
@142
Smart is relative.It depends on your reference point.We all have different outlooks on life.
Saulosi! Oh boy this guy always makes my day.He always finds a way of outwitting his critics.I always wait for his comments even though i hate PF.
Mary, the only argument Saulosi ever has is ‘we all have different opinions’ and to me that is pretty shallow. I have never seen him tackle point by point an issue that has been raised by whoever is raising an issue. We bring in arguments about the validity of certain pronouncements by the niconpoops in power and our arguments are never countered point-by-point. It’s always the ‘we have different perspectives and opinions’ which anyone with half a brain and no valid argument points will always hide in. He has never defended his PF convincingly. He plays around with words to dazzle the already easy to impress PF brood out there. No offence to you Mary.
@Dudelove
It is a very good argument when he says that.Its a powerful punch line.Most of you are apologists and self indugent individuals.Saulosi is always on point because humans are not monotonous by nature.It is folly of you to expect you and him to always see eye to eye on issues.I don’t support him but I appreciate his independent thinking and analysis.Try to think outside the box for a change.
I said it that its teason… @Saulosi, your Kabimba will be arrested by Sata when he feels better.
Wow ! This is interesting.Too bad my free time is up.Love the comments.Seems like we have so many self glorifying egoists in our midst.@Mary thanks for that.Good day yal !!! Am out
Data, what am saying is your hero never counters our arguments. We point out what is wrong with certain government decisions and pronouncements and he never points out what is right about those same decisions. Thats all. A person who always scrurries behind the veil of protection the ‘opinion’ gives is a flipping coward in my book.
@Dudelove
Why should he counter your arguments? He has the main story to stick to.Saulosi is one of the brightest bloggers here.You surely can’t see sense in his posts because of your different party affiliations.Your only drive here is your hate against the ruling government.If you think you are more clever than him then i suggest you have your brain checked.Keep it up Saulosi.
Not only will it be Kabimba in trouble, IF IT IS INDEED FOUND THAT MSISKA has covered up this transfer of power, he too will be liable for ABETTING TREASON – so Msiska think LONG & HARD – PF WON’T PROTECT YOU!! YOU WILL BE THE FALL GUY!!
Aba bena Donchi! They will Donchi Kubeba You!!
On reflection; If everything was above board, would the Secretary to Cabinet hold back that information,… why should he?
My goodness. Thats the problem with being a disciple. I said your hero would impress most of us if he gave us convincing reasons about certain government pronouncements that we find bad. That has never happened. I have been in debates with extremely well articulated individuals with impeccable academic backgrounds who are leaders in their chosen fields and we have been head to head over certain policy and financial matters. That is why am appalled that mediocre word play by a person who has the same defence day in and out and only confuses you disciples because he re-arranges the words, impresses you. You are the type of guys who would cheer yourselves hoarse at debate when someone goes ‘as i stand perpendicular to the ground ….’ It’s sad really.
Pan,yo pako mambala iwe
Look at who is insulting now. The same Saulosi who rebukes others for doing so. This is not a partisan issue. If the law has been broken then people have to account for their actions. This is a potentially serious matter whether it is PF, MMD or any other party in power.
PF a part of disorder
Iwe Mulongoti. You were not there!!!
But Mulongoti is as a Zambian as you are, if you are. He has a say too.
The question here is: is Kabimba acting illegally or not?
If he can smuggle foreigners to come and participate in elections while in opposition, what can stop him usurping power with the backing of the cartel.
What is Msiska scared of? It’s clear Kabimba grabbed power fraudulently.
FAKE “acting” President with FAKE paper FORGERY!
Remember, that is how Hitler came to power. He also was NEVER elected. The next thing he did was BURN DOWN the German Parliament! To eliminate the opposition completely.
Where is Sata to answer these questions i am tired of this nonsense Zambia is turning into an animal farm where there is no order i am sure PF will tell us that Sata will be back in 90 days and you know what that means(BUFI)
I have been trying to analyze the pipo that are talking bad and wishing death upon Mr Sata and those that are wishing Mr Sata well.I got a small sample and I tried to code and apply excel and later SPSS.I found one thing those who wish Mr Sata well are those who have always supported him,admire him and voted for him.The biggest joy he brought to them was to lead them to victory in 2011. While those wishing Mr Sata death and bad are those who have always hated him, never voted for him, will never like him.The biggest crime he made was to defeat their preferred candidate.
I wish we can achieve unity in diversity in this country
Spot on ba Moses.And most of the chaps wishing him dead are just internet politicians.They don`t even vote.When election day comes and PF wins they will cry foul forgetting that they never voted, but were instead busy writing drivel on the internet.
@moses
you did your sampling from your head eeehh? have you been to university? you dont undertake sampling in your head and take it as a research result based on your opinion. come down here in walale luanshya and ask the locals who voted for pf and what they now think of sata. then your sampling could be rendered valid. not from the comforts of USA
I never liked RB. I actually joined an FB page called ‘RB Must Go’ But then I noticed he had a brain and that the country actually had sound fiscal policies and people were really not that broke or suffering. My attitude towards him changed and I began to like him. I never like sata. 3 years down the line and with the nonsense that is going on in the country, the lack of clear economic policy, i fcuking hate the bastard. So Mr. Moses, I think your kama analysis is flawed or your excel worksheet has a trojan.
@Moses, did your Excel and SPSS expose the fact that some beneficiaries like Saulosi stand to lose everything if the worst was to happen?
You have a good point there big Moses.
Mr Matipa my contribution to the article above was to stir debate thats why i mentioned some terms used in any research especially in social sciences.If u read again my posting you will realise that i was trying to be objective even though in actual sense i did not carry out a research.My aim was to encourage unity in diversity. Iam sure you have been to the University just like me infact both Unza and CBU.
I believe a graduate like u as u claim is suppose to show maturity in the way you contribute unlike portraying some elements of immaturity. Cheers my Brother
Mike Mulongoti should tell us who Mwanawasa left the instruments of power when he left for Egypt Mpombo or RB?
We will never achieve unity in diversity in a country that has a Government that HIDES THE TRUTH away from the people that voted them into office!
The only reason for HIDING things away is because they are CRIMINAL. if they were LEGAL there would be nothing to hide!
So we end up having a Government of CRIMINALS!
If it was Chikwanda,GBM,Sampa ,or Kambwili people would not have been talking negatives.Now because it’s Wynter Northerners & Luapulans are complaining.Why Tribalism in Bembas?
@Lusa which Northerners & Luapulans are complaining and which tribalism are you referring to? Even the people you are mentioning Chikwanda,GBM,Sampa and Kambwili have said anything here. In your mistaken tribal oriented opinion,Mulongoti is a Northerner or he is from Luapula!! But the truth is that he is from Copperbelt rural hence Lamba, Lambas are not Bembas so it is not about Bembas but about what procedure and the law say.
All those names mentioned are of low capacity. Try better names. There are so many Zambians with much palatable brain sense. Am serious.
The daft secretary to the cabinet like all the PF leaders has failed miserably to come out clean. I am no fan of Mike Mulongoti but on this one he is spot on. This is a serious issue affecting every Zambian including the military.
@THE LONDON EYE
Agreed. He is a man without integrity if he wants to subvert the constitution.
And where is our Minister of Defence????????????????
Defending Zambia from a COUP D’ETAT which is his DUTY???? Or on the beer again?
Mumushi mwaluba umokote, Kabimba anye mfwi. Bring back our Cobra!! This is an abduction, or worse still a coup. PF should get this into their wax ears: Sata belongs to Zambia now, not to PF only!!
Spot on Lusa! This controversy is all tribalism. Why should there be complaints when Kabimba acts?
Mulongoti is right.. THE CARTEL was involved…Anyway Kaseba will tell us the truth one day.
Mike Mulongoti should tell us who Mwanawasa left the instruments of power when he left for Egypt Mpombo or RB?
Winter to answer (2) qns to Zambians in 2016
1. How did the Kenyans rig elections
2. How did he grab that power
The truth will be known soon and very soon. My preside please get well soon. I strongly believe that even your sickness we masterminded by Kabimba.
There are questions for him NOW!
Who appointed him “acting” President? Where is the document, or has he hidden it away in his office like he did with our new CONSTITUTION?
Is it real or a FORGERY and FAKE? Or will the Zambian people just get more LIES???
Ba Musisha yoboyani waka viluchitika plse
@dudelove
What makes you realy think that HH will win 2016 election, cauze all the past elections has been won by over 40%, yet UPND can not even get that even after doubling the results they got.
@GRAND.
ARE YOU SUGGESTING THAT YOU NEVER THRIVED TO IMPROVE ON YOUR GRADES THROUGHOUT YOUR SCHOOL LIFE ?
Grand, am convinced he will win coz of the mess PF have made of almost everything. If they had kept even half their promises, I would not be so certain. Never mess with the stomach mudala. If you starve your citizens by causing things to be more expensive and you render them homeless by bulldozing their homes in the middle of a freezing night……well, you do the math….
This is what you get when you have people who have nothing to do. Just opening mouths anyhow. Mlongoti, look for a Job!!
@Saulosi
Spot on!
There is nothing on “LT Related News” because LT has never reported in the past on how Chiluba or Mwanawasa or RB did it whenever these guys went to see Pastor fimo fimo in Nigeria until Sakala came out of prison!
LUAPULA is overwhelmingly behind WK.
We r not raising any issue around WK.
Its HH, Sakala and their minions who are sick cos they know that they will not get Sibuyunji next time around!
ba mulongoti mwafunta nangu ninsala yamipama.
Ok, Roland Msiska is a ‘full’ if he can not tell the nation if he did his function or not. Simple
Okay mwebantu!Am die hard,stonecode supporter for PF.But the current mumble jumble happening in my party is worrying me & most of all the silence & abrupt movement of my dear President.My President,please respond to the peoples speculations that you not on some machines more especially for me,am not at rest.Long live king cobra.
accept reality dude, nobody lives forever except the Creator. sata’s days on earth are over. just move on until your time also comes. never crammer to own this world coz it is going to be destroyed and a new earth recreated. put trust and faith in your creator
@Chief of Grief
It’s so sad ba PumbaFu don’t mind even doing a ‘donchi’ on their own loyal followers. Since ba PF will never tell the truth (truth telling is against their nature) see John 8 vs 44. So this is how you arrive at the truth regarding Sata, since the silence from PF is loud you can safely assume something bad has happened to the president. As the silence in this particular case is deafening, it follows that Sata is definitely in very critical and dire health condition. That my friend is how you squeeze truth out of PF, by postulating your very own home grown theories, conjectures, speculations and educated guesses.
@Wantanshi
ati ” by postulating your very own home grown theories, conjectures, speculations and educated guesses.” hehehe lol
Point of Order;……Will the honorable bloggers please debate the matter at hand that has been raised by the President of an Opposition Party in steady of digressing and trying to show how smart they are or who pays their airtime.
@ Mr Chairman, thank you for bringing this forum back to order.
Currently Zambia DOES NOT HAVE A PRESIDENT. This is the first item of business on the agenda.
All other business is secondary to that. Do not get bamboozled with other issues and speeches that are just diversions to hide the TRUTH away.
Anyone claiming to be “acting” President of Zambia better have convincing proof that his claim is legitimate.
Otherwise he will be committing TREASON and attempting a COUP D”ETAT. It is the job of every Zambian Citizen to prevent this coup from succeeding and restore Democracy and the Rule of LAW.
Lusaka times is it formerly or formally
Some criminals have just stolen the whole of Zambia and all you are worried about is spelling?
Wake up my friend, it’s time to smell the coffee!
Blood will be next. Is that what it needs to wake you up?
Where is Gen miyanda to give his opinion?
Iwe Ronald…….landafye ifyachitike? Did you or you did not? We cannot depend on ifyabukaya. This is serious staff!
Zambians, why can’t you concerntrate on your work rather than talking from morning to sun-set. This is counter productive, bane. Please let us work. There is no leadership crisis at now. Let our beloved president go and take a break in Isreal. After all, he is also human and he can fall sick like any one of us.
For Mwanawasa . we know ati ashile amaka na ma instruments ku Mpombo.
From most of these comments above, i can tell people are still sleeping! A whistle- blower says watch out!! Zambians, here is someone stealing power from you he gets insulted! Sleeping Zambians disguised as Peace-lovers!!!
After all that lambasting and being shouted at by Katongo over SI55 or is 33, If I was Lucky Msiska, I would tell the truth and nothing but the truth.
@MATIPA,
There is not political party that has gained more than 100 %, of the total votes in the recent past. What makes you think that UPND can win a general election tooday.
am sick and tired of peoplple pretending to be [patriots] when they are just vuvuzelas.HH chabe. make no mistake. we need order in the country else bokoharam mayhem may be better.common sense.
Ba Roland Msiska you are a strong christian I believe. Serve this country from crooks and Devil’s agents by exposing them. If the right procedure was not followed, then say it so that a redress can be done and those wishing to usurp power by trickery can be exposed.
This is a serious issue , why do we have a vice and why was he passed over, we know our president is sick and his real condition hidden from us , that raises questions if he was in the right state of mind to hand over power to Kabimba , these guys are really mocking our laws . We definitely don’t want to give power to Kabimba on a silver plate
He doesn’t deserve and he is going to abuse
Pupils in a class were suspecting and complaining that their friend Musisika did not do activity 5 of his homework.
Teacher:Musisika, clear the air, did you do activity 5 of your homework?
Musisika: Teacher, I will not tell you whether i did it or not.
Since the manner in which Kabimba assumed the functions of Acting President are TREASONABLE ISSUES,The PF Members of Parliament are best advised to pluck some courage and table a Motion in the National Assembly to summon the Secretary to Cabinet Dr. Msiika to explain how Kabimba assumed his current role as Acting Republican President.
We are not administering a Tea Club, but expected to apply constitutional provisions in the governance of this country. The Police and the Army must be on full alert so as act swiftly to restore normality in the country. The matter is GRAVELY SERIOUS.
The time to administer secrecy on the health of a Republican President is OVER. Israel has revealed that the President is gravely ill with multiple organ failure – and in a prolonged coma. The cat has been let loose from the bag. Parliament must play its role by defining the meaning of “THE BLOODLESS COUP”. The State machinery should now conduct itself responsibly by sorting out the culprits.
What a torture to read some of the articles (I am NOT talking about the comments by individuals) in the Lusakatimes! The often so shoddy use of English is frightening – and makes one doubt whether the contents of an article are to be viewed with as much suspicion as the English used. – No problems with genuine spelling-mistakes, but three times “formerly” instead of “formally” is just too much.
So I stopped reading the rest.
Does Lusakatimes not have a proofreader?
This is a sad turn of events … one which can be rectified relatively quickly and easily!!
Let Dr. Msiska prepare the Power Transfer letter and send it to the president (DHL?) for a signature. A government official can witness the signing of the document wherever HEMCS is.
Problem solved.
Tomorrow we can be talking about something else.
#OneZambia
#Bufi
Iwe maikalange uli wamano sana
@Saulosi, whatever the name you call yourself, you do present symptoms of insanity and disillusionment. It’s either you are highly medicated or suffering from a mental illness. Believe me, if you were in the Western world you would have been confined to a mental facility and given restricted movements.
He lives somewhere in Europe and seems to think he has a monopoly of knowledge on Zambian politics. If you ask me he just has a big ego, which unfortunately in this free world he is entitled to have whether justified or not.
A pig with his snout deep in the Government coffers! It is the only rational explanation.
Guys, whichever side you are on, you have to agree this is messed up! Running a country on rumours? There is no order at all! If the president handed over the powers according to the law, why would they refuse to comment? Why is the acting president quiet about this?
it is the right of every Zambian to question the goings on especially if they are not explained to us properly: Kabimba is not the right person for president in this country;he is an oppotunist who has been waiting for just this; and on top of it according to him, the PF is an illegimate government as they rigged the elections; we Zambians are too easy going for our own good:
I don’t know why these bastards, (I mean cabinet punks) with constitutional provisions in place empowering them to take action in this situation where Sata is incapacitated to govern, lying helpless on life support machines, won’t set the process in motion to install an interim president. How can a whole bunch of ministers be this stup!d. Scared Sata might just come out of his coma and inflict retribution on them? What yellow cowards we have! No wonder he calls them stup!d in front of their wives and children and they simply swallow the insult and move on like it was a kiss of love.
Please please my brothers and sisters let us not exchange insults but debate the matter at hand in a constructive manner. No matter what happens God is watching.
Zambians enjoy being cheated, Kabimba knows that.
God of our fathers help this nation
Ask Martin Mwalambale, DG OP. He was reportedly present at the hand-over of power.
Whatever it is one day the truth will come out as to what exactly happened and people will be held answerable for any treacherous acts. Msiska knows there is no document and if the matter is ever raised in parliament the speaker will curtail any debate on the matter because Kabimba is a personal friend.
@Dudelove slow it down man, these fool can’t understand your terminaloges
One zambia, one nation