THE Government is pursing the matter in which the New York Times newspaper is said to have reported that President Michael Sata had died in that city where he went to attend the 69th session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly.
Foreign Affairs Minister Harry Kalaba said in Parliament yesterday that his ministry through Zambia’s permanent representative in New York was pursing the media house to find out where it got the information from.
“The ministry through the permanent representative in New York has written to our colleagues in that country as to where they got the information from,” Mr Kalaba said.
Mr Kalaba said this in a follow-up question in which United Party for National Development (UPND) Katombora Member of Parliament (MP) Derrick Livune asked what measures the Government was taking against the New York Times for misinforming the world that President Sata had died.
The follow-up question arose after Mr Kalaba gave a ministerial statement to explain what transpired at the UN General Assembly where President Sata is alleged to have failed to deliver his speech during the meeting and was later reported to have died.
The ministerial statement was issued following the point of order raised by MMD Chadiza MP Allan Mbewe on Friday, who wanted to know what transpired.
UPND Mazabuka Central MP Garry Nkombo also asked the minister to clarify the reports as they had raised alarm in the nation.
Mr Kalaba in his response told the House that Vice-President Guy Scott had adequately addressed the matter and that his duty was merely to execute the directive by the President to deliver the speech on his behalf.
Agenda for Democracy and Development (ADD) Luena MP Gertrude Imenda questioned why the President travelled all the way to New York only to delegate Mr Kalaba to deliver the speech and not give those instructions from Zambia.
Mr Kalaba said it was the prerogative of the President to delegate whoever he desired to execute duties on his behalf.
In the ministerial statement, Mr Kalaba said the Zambian delegation attended to several high-level meetings which highlighted various issues that were of concern to the country.
“The statement I delegated on behalf of President Sata conveyed Zambia’s concern over the growing threat of the Ebola epidemic in West Africa, which Zambia is concerned that unless efforts are undertaken to contain the disease now, the exponential effect of its spread may be difficult to contain later,” he said.
Among the meetings were an official luncheon sponsored by United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA) and the high-level meeting convened by the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region on the oversight mechanism of peace, security and cooperation framework for the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Others were the Climate Summit held on September 23, aimed at complementing the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
Meanwhile, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Mukondo Lungu yesterday sent away UPND Senanga MP Likando Mufalali for inappropriate dressing.
Mr Mufalali, who walked in when the House had started debates, was asked to leave for wearing a famous Nigerian traditional attire, commonly known as ‘Bubu’.
Mr Mufalali walked in the House dressed in a purple Bubu and attracted attention of the other MPs who jeered in protest, prompting a point of order to be raised, which Mr Lungu initially ignored but later asked the MP to leave.
The government should be pursuing who advised the president to travel and waste Tax payers money to stay in hotel all the way in New York… Some UNZA kids could have put the money to good us…..
PF just move on.
Don’t push the USA, they will send in troops in Lusaka. You people have short memories.
Is ”Pursuing” or ”pursing”.Mulebako serious.This is gutter journalism.Why dont you mind about spellings?
Abena Kalaba, Guys natulelota bwino.
Mr Minister don t even waste time finding out who gave that evil news.It was mumbembe
They have failed to fix the Zambian Watchdog, a local media where Zambia is among the poorest countries under the sun with the most impoverished citizens. Now they want to pursue media from the USA, the most powerful nation on earth, in whatever means you can think of! Good luck to Sata & company.
These people have no shame indeed where is the selfsame president as we speak hiding in State House enjoying a free tax-free salary for doing absolutely NOTHING.
I hope they pursue this further so NY Times can expose these Pathetic empty tins.
It is pursuing not pursing
Thanks
The New york times is not beyond reproach and govt must pursue the issue to its meaningful conclusion.
Individual have sued the US govt and won, there is nothing special about New York Times.
This stup1d fear must stop. it shows why we lag behind in everything
Waste of time and embarrassing, who does not know that Sata went to USA for treatment?? His Family and PF have made it worse because they don’t want to accept the man is sick. Let him step down to rest and get proper treatment than be doing things like a thief?? Enough with this nonsense?? Will they be happy if he collapse in public?? Dr Kaseba is such a fo.ol, I have lost respect for her to allow the husband being used in this manner. Wake up SATA family and accept the cobra cannot spit any longer.
Kambwili must go.Kambwili must go.Kambwili must go.must go. Kambwili must go.
Kambwili must go. Kambwili must go. Kambwili must go.
Folks
Kambwili should be fired and replaced with Miles Sampa. What do you think?
Reason: He is stupid and has no acumen to be a youth leader. The man is undermining and worsening PF ‘s popularity. We judge PF as a party for stupid people because such elements like Kambwili.
The Zambian youth need some one else with a logical plan for the youth.
Miles Sampa can do Kambwili’s job perfectly well.
Please Sata fire Kambwili and give that job to Miles Sampa with the right Acumen and understanding.
Mkhondo Lungu,am so disappointed with you.what level of brainwashing is this?You chase somebody wearing an African attire but encourage everyone to wear a suit and a tie,a predominantly European style of dressing.what thinking is this?You despise and ridicule your own african dress and favour the european. This is what i mean that;there has been too much damage done to us.this behaviour is unacceptable,infact he should have chased all those europeans in african skin for wearing suits and let Likando mufalali alone sit.he should have chased himself and his boss the speaker for being such sellouts.wearing wigs which represent white wisdom in an african insaka(parliament).things should change bane!! We should call it Insaka(not parliament),then use another language to describe GOVT etc
Maybe he coded and the report was put through before resuscitation?
Don’t mess with the New York Times Mr Kalaba. They are not like your toothless compromised Zambian newspapers. They will end up exposing more truths about your president and his government which will make it even MORE embarrassing.
LOL. If NY Times hears of this. …
Ba kabala also,,, you know the people who rushed to the scence and said ati Zambian President ana fenta ( ku fenta is collapsing not dead dont twist facts),, Its NYPD ku big apple,,, Go and arrest/allest them,, dont pursue
And that played well in your ears ka? The kind of news you guys in UPND want. You jumped on it and started spreading before it was confirmed.
Tekanyeni, tikali kuyenda….guys.
Why bother so much when there even articles from own Zambians “journalists” like Field Ruwe? He “articulated” carefully what happened.
New York Times can’t be colleagues of PF. Kalaba must be fired from Ministry of Foreign Affairs, why didn’t he storm the UN podium and the news media same day the rumors came out about his boss Sata? Kalaba was in New York himself, why WRITE through the lazy permanent mission? Fire him Mr. Sata, the man didn’t do his job when you were busy watching TV in hotel room.
But it is a bother when our MPs concentrate on issues of no consequence, the past. Why not ask about how we are going to raise funds for our various beautiful projects to develop Zambia?
[email protected]
Last time we had a discussion you attempted to paint ill of my thoughts and basis for accusing PF of failure to plan strategically and lack of Project Management. Your comments above served as a reminder of that discussion and I want to draw your attention to Attanga and ZRA headlines? ZRA need $150m otherwise the $120m already pumped in goes down the drain? Where was the strategic planning or project management? Where was your 6th Development Plan?
Ba Kalaba UBUFI,MULABENJA,BONZA ,BUHATA. Shame less liers.
I hope Kalaba is just playing to the galary. Surely the UNGA fiasco was a big embarrassment and it is better to let sleeping dogs lie than subecting us to it again .
“Government pursing the matter in which New York Times reported that President Sata had died”. Then what, Mr Kalaba???
You’ll always reap what you sowed.Remember the sharp verbal missiles that were thrown by PF into ailing Mwanawasa’s way?? Nuff said.
Media laws in the USA can be very liberal in comparison to UK. In Zambia, the media environment is similar to UK. The sense of humor is quite different in USA. It would be more effective to complain at a lower level than to set the State House machinery into motion involving the White House. The right person to take action was the Information Desk officer at the Embassy in Washington in collaboration with the UN mission in New York.
@ Dr. Makasa Kasonde (Private Citizen)
Who has told you that media laws and environment in Zambia is similar to UK?
If you believe that, please come and see REAL pink elephant landing (using ILS) at KKIA!!!
I vividly remember how government ranted over a South African source who broke Mwanawasa’s death “prematurely”. I doubt very much that the NYT will reveal its sources. I would imagine that the wisest move is to move on. There evidently was justified reason for alarm considering our Head of State did not even carry out the task of addressing the GA. That has not been articulated intelligently to date aside from the amorphous phrase of “fit, healthy and working hard”. Could be the jogging connotation has been upgraded in this case.
How can the President go all the way to the US to delegate from there? When, on earth, did the President’s office become a ‘mobile office’ for operating all over the world? When are these govt officials ever going to say the truth about Sata’s failing health? Even such clear issues sure are for beating about the bush – when there is no bus even to beat!
You already wasted tax payers money and you should be apologizing instead of issuing silly statements. Besides they already issued an apology in the matter. Now PF should own up and apologize to the Zambians for misleading the patient to travel and end up hospitalized in a hotel room!
There are real guys in UPND. VIVA UPND 2016
Even the lie about him being attended to in the Hotel room should be pursued
Thanks
When you are in a hole, stop digging.
but kamushota do you think ?
Be nice muma
Thanks
Sata is deadwood anyway. …how can pursue an issue of someone who is already dead; didn’t people hear him on 19/09/2014?
The paper didn’t report that the president had died but rather reported that the president was being attended to by doctors in his hotel room. When the president was in Israel, it was the same thing the government kept dodging the issue of Sata’s health. The question that lingers is, does it mean that all the people hate the president to the extent that wherever he travels there should be rumors about his health? When according to kalaba, “The president is fit and working?”
Mr. Kalaba please contain your dullness within Zambia because we Zambians understand you. Out there people cannot believe that intelligent Zambians (be it whether educated or not) went and voted for Sata. Believe this, I had no one to vote for that time and stuck with the devil I knew…Alabi!!!!!
…and then what!
@Mbalaso no.1.2
‘Pursuing or Pursing!’
Forgive LT it’s English language grammar and construction mistakes because there is humour in some of them!
Transposing those 2 words demonstrates perfectly the term; Freudian slip
Word Origin
noun
(in Freudian psychology) an inadvertent mistake in speech or writing that is thought to reveal a person’s unconscious motives, wishes, or attitudes.
So LT writer might possibly really be thinking in their subconscious mind that the gov’t are in the business of ‘Pursing.’ Some of these mistakes are quite revealing!!
I think it correct and reasonable for the gov’t to raise a complaint with NY Times et al.
There was confusion and an embarrassment to our Leader, we have to show some concern. However going as far as a court case, might just be what they are after! Accept an apology…….unreservedly.
Problem is they may give a ‘double handed,’ apology on one hand and in the other hand mockery.
One must be careful if Western countries, it is wise not to rely on their ‘political’ friendship. Remember Saddam and Gaddafy(spelling), were both supported by the West until they lost favour. Next thing we saw was Saddam coming out of a hole looking dishevelled, with all his boasting and brio ( Vigour or vivacity of style or performance) gone!
No, leave well alone after an apology is gone.
This is just sabre ruttling bluster on the part of a dumbstruck government.It will go nowhere. Kalaba knows as much I do that Sata dare not permit questions about his health to be raised in an American court of law.We are talking about the Land of the free here not some obscure third world banana republic. By the way, when will Sata take to the stand for his cross examination in his libel case against the Daily Nation?
That libel case should be so ‘dead in the water’ by now. It detracts from the elegance of Presidential standing. Far too many politicians/public figures are taking to libel courts cases which really are about abusing office in order to intimidate the Press. Granted some gentlemen/ladies of the press push the envelope too far!
Illterate Kamwili, tell your ka Palan Mulonda in New York to revise his law notes! Media do not reveal sources more so in the USA. Aren’t you following ‘donchi kubeba’in ka pf? *****ic family!
Masons galore in Zambia!!!
The lies are shocking and I can’t believe the MPs asking these Qns can accept these kind of stnpid answers. “…it was the prerogative of the President to delegate whoever he desired to execute duties on his behalf…”. What a stnpid answer! Who said the so called president has a prerogative to waste tax payer’s money by traveling to NY to be holed up in a hotel room? Even the so called delegation didn’t happen. When his allocated time slot to speak came up this Kalaba f00l never stood up to deliver the speech. UK PM took the slot eo what delegation is he talking about?
And he’s just lying about pursuing the NY Times. Let him report his findings. At best let them try to dare the Times and we’ll hear the full story of what really happened.
By the way Mr Kalaba for your information the NY Times isn’t like your Times of Zambia which you can control. These guys don’t even answer to President Obama. Their editorial staff can do anything within their freedom of speech which is enshrined into their Constitution. So don’t be surprised if they won’t entertain your stnpidity.
The government need to drop this matter, otherwise they will open up a massive can of worms. The phone call to the emergency services was recorded and the New York Times have actually challenged that they are prepared to play it back. Perhaps you should listen to it privately before you blow your trumpet. What exactly does this muppet intend to do with the result, sue them? I hardly think so. Drop it and move on to more pressing matters.
Welcome to the land of the free and the brave,Zambian govt is welcome to be taught what free speech is.just a recap,the health care law was reported as having been struck down by the supreme court last year because the event was being reported in real time and the last judges were four apiece,for and against,the chief justice who is a Republican nominee concluded that the law was a form of a tax and it was upheld.to this day some USA media which reported false were not sued.Ap reported sata ‘s sickness in real time.
And the Village Id1ot, walked into a parliamentary session wearing a ‘purple’ Nigerian Bubba and was booed!! Late as well!
UPND has Nigerian connections? Did he forget which country his constituents come from?
Why are Zambian Politicians taking to wearing foreign made African attire? All Politicians have a duty to promote Zambian textiles and fashion business. And they have to be Patriots.
infact Likando mufalali should be commended for even trying to represent the african by wearing an african attire rather than all those in there who were wearing suits and ties.he was the closest to a Zambian attire. how do you know that the bubu was not made in zambia?but atleast it was african. And what is wrong with a purple color? efyo bamifunda abakuwa ati mu’nsaka, you should wear black,grey dull colors? we’ll discuss colors later,but first we africanise all those parliamentarians.wearing ifima white curly wigs, looking ridiculously stupid.ati it is a sign of wisdom?so wisdom is white curly southern european hair? Be real,you s.t.u.p.i.d africans and embrace africa.Lets use our zambian languages also to describe some aspects of governance (parliament=insaka),(minister=induna) etc
Zambians they suffer from inferior complex, freedom of expression has the limit such as freedom of movement or rights. You can not publish a false information and call it it’s normal . Any journalist worth a word will apologise and it’s there in their guideline regardless of the New York times or the post . Shallow thinking USA will send soldiers it’s really typical of contribution from someone who is an illegal immigrant hiding to say the truth. New York times got it wrong and they know they are likely to be sued but will apologise and move on. The post said GBM was in CB campaigning but it turn out to be false Mmembe apologised falsing informing the nation
Anytime you start a sentence with “Zambians they….”, it means we have a serious problem.
There is no smoke without fire.
There could be a silver lining to what the minister wants to do. Law enforcement in the US will provide a transcript and audio (if available) of the 911 call made from the hotel on the day in question. I would urge the govt to be careful because it sounds like some people are under the impression that suing the NYT would yield anything, on the contrary, it will only embarrass this stupid govt. Remember, this is the paper which published gory details of ex president Clinton’s affair with Lewinsky, and you think they are worried about what some third world country is going to do if they published a story about his illness? I don’t Bremen the last time i told anyone that I was from Zambia because of this kind of foolishness.
Ba Kalaba, what can you do, about the statement issued by New York Times, just shut up, mulekafyafye. Are government people can listen to.