Patriotic Front Deputy Secretary General Mumbi Phiri has sensationally revealed that President Edgar Lungu wants Zambia not to withdrawal its membership to the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Mrs Phiri disclosed this on Wednesday evening when she stormed a live Hot Issue radio programme on Hot FM that was discussing whether the public consultations on the ICC withdrawal are necessary.
She said President Lungu told a recent PF Central Committee Meeting that he wants Zambia to remain in the ICC as there are no any other alternatives.
Mrs Phiri said it is therefore wrong for some sections of society to portray a picture that President Lungu has triggered the consultations to camouflage his pre-determined position to withdrawal from the ICC.
The PF Deputy Secretary General said she was driving home and listening to Hot FM and felt compelled to drive over to the studio after she failed to go through the phone lines which were congested.
“I am here to state that infact President Lungu wants Zambia to remain. His position is that he finds nothing wrong with the ICC especially that there is no any other alternative. He told us in the Central Committee meeting and please you can quote me on this,” Mrs Phiri said.
On the same programme, SACCORD Executive Director Boniface Cheembe wondered why Government has launched a haste consultation process over the ICC withdrawal if President Lungu wants to remain.
Mr Cheembe said the cost rationale of spending 2 Million Kwacha does not make sense especially that the same Government is refusing to launch a Referendum process on the enhanced Bill of Rights owing to lack of funds.
During the first district consultations held in Kabwe on Wednesday, 30 people who submitted want Zambia to continue in the ICC while only three people submitted that Zambia should leave.
Every branch the UPND support base seems to be holding onto is breaking. The only way they are going is down!.Comrade Hazaluza Hagain, hamu yende ku CONVENTION, PLEASE!! Much obliged, madame Phiri.
The fact that lungu authorised spending 2miilion Kwacha on something less than 10 % of zambians know or care about is scandalous.
Poor leadership no vision for sure.
That is not true! Why is the PF government so in a hurry to force Zambia pull out of ICC. We should be very careful as Zambians with the Lungu government. It seems he is trying to pull strings and create a rhythm that will haunt us forever as long as his stay in power is guaranteed. Why is ICC an issue this time? Is Zambia losing anything for her membership with ICC? If yes then what is it? People need to know the reason why Zambia all of a sudden wants to pull out of ICC. If its about a selfish motive to enable PF jeopardise the lives of innocent citizens, then all this evil motive must be stopped at once. PF is just a party that will cease at one point, while Zambia will be there until Jesus comes.
When did Lungu change his mind????
Useless “leadership”!!
He is just afraid will lose this one. His dictator friends in Zim and Uganda and RSA(Zuma in particular) were hoping to get African consensus from the ICC.
Defies logic.
For someone that talks so much drivel, Mumbi is Not quiet recognized in PF.
Deputy….
She has been let down by Lungu, or she offers nothing to the cause and is quiet frankly USED
Thanks
BB2014,16
Damage control. Its too late.
Mumbi stormed in live radio program, if it was Nevers Mumba he could have slept at Woodland station.
ECL read our comments here on LT, those who advocated staying in ICC. At last, sense has taken the upper hand.
Empty tins trying spin sh*t and making a bigger mess…was it not Lazy himself who started this topic immediately he arrived from AU on KKIA tarmac.
This why we need a President to host a press conference every two months…this absolutely poor leadership; we did not elect Mumbi in State House.
We want a confirmation from the horse’s own mouth.
Like anyone would believe this garbage of spin… Mr Lungu wouldn’t have started the process if he really wanted to stay. What triggered him to start this unnecessary venture? Usually your citizens would complain about something and then you start a fact-finding exercise. Somehow Zambians are crying about load-shading, high cost of living, unemployment, police brutality, no press freedom, preventable death, poverty, preventable road accidents, etc. None of these important matters have moved him and compelled him to start an expensive nation-wide consultations. However, the moment his dictator friends chats to him abroad, he comes back and moves the country onto a wild goose chase that has no value whatsoever. And this Mumbi lady wants to tell us the man has no intentions to leave…
… Negro please!
@ Nostradamus, I am in sync with you! When it happened to Nevers Mumba he too wanted to deliver a clarification. Anyway who doesn’t know that PF, and not the Zambian public, owns ZNBC.
By the way Mumbi Phiri had been missing from being the loud PF voice in the media and it has been the most refreshing period.
Hehehe.
We have leadership on autopilot.
Why throw away money for some thing less that 10% of zambians know about ???
Poor mediocre leadership, full of u turns. This is a leadership that seems paranoid about HH and spends all its time harassing UPND.
Its not about your tribal party upnd but one of the ingredients of good governance in a democratic society. Concensus and debates are cardinal for archieving good democracy. Because Ecl as a citizen and head of state has said he wants Zambia to remain a member for icc, tribal party will now start singing choruses that Zambia withdraws membership from icc.
Party for under 5 still has a lot to learn.
UPND are not so du.ll and corrupt to insist on spending 2 million tax payers Kwacha on some thing so trivial.
2 million Kwacha can be used to educate a few poor youth at university.
PF is a corrupt party. Why waste money on consultations if Lungu want Zambia to remain in ICC. Is this not the same Lungu who was lashing out at those who are against Zambia withdrawing from ICC? Who do you want to fool?
wonder shall never cease…watching
LIARS!!!
Why the haste then?
Politicians kubeja!
If he “The Brother Leader” wanted to remain in ICC why did he not use parliament where PF is the majority to decide on the issue without necessarily incurring the expense of consulting the uninformed Zambians.
The constitution demands that such issues of international membership nature must be decided by the people. Mwefibantu fyapala ingombe mwabashani?
Iwe chipuba Ken, firstly, how do we find ourselves in this debate? No one from us UPND ever doubted the benefit (for African nations) from ICC. This issue came about because of Lungu. Now he says he does want to move the country out of the ICC, why then do you spend 2M of this useless exercise? Useless “leaders”!!
“This issue came about because of Lungu”-How in your brainless state did you conceive such an idea???????? President Edgar Lungu as head of the Republic of Zambia attended an AU summit where a “COLLECTIVE CONSENSUS” was tabled about the membership of the ICC, how can it be president Lungu’s idea alone?? then HOW CAN THE UPND (for African Nations) decide for the whole continent and Zambia??? Mwefibantu fyapala ingombe mwabashani?-I THINK KEN IS SPOT ON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Why didn’t LUNGU tell his fellow dictators at their club AU that withdrawing from the ICC was not in the interest of the people.LUNGU DESIRES TO EXIT ICC DUE TO HIS POOR LEADERSHIP PERIOD.
Donald Trump has decided to cut spending on hand outs to the likes of Zambia and these morons sees it fit to spend colossal sums on a non issue. If he wants to stay, then why spend this money which could be channeled to other needy areas? Just say that when your rubber stamp parliament votes to leave the ICC the vsionless one will say I was of the idea to stay. Chimayo keep quite, you make us puke every time you open your beak.
Don’t you see what has happened here already? Chi Mayo is saving the President’s face because this thing has been rejected already. Just a few kilometers from his new home (State House), in his former Constitutiency, some houses are in water and have been vacated, other people with no means of finding alternative accommodation are living in houses which are flooded with water. Just take a drive on the good tarmac behind Shoprite, Down town and see for yourselves what is happening there? Then Mr. Lubinda goes on National TV to launch this ICC thing which is there to help the helpless in that crooks can face the Law at the International Level?
you know it is not good for a woman to lie, woman need to be trusted because they take care of us!
now this woman called mumbi phiri makes me wonder with her lies.
Not to worry @ st for as true as it is that women generally take care of us there are also those on the shallow end who fail us.
But why the Consultation and expenditure? Who has complained? Let us just remain then
Then parliament should debate and pass a vote…….don’t waste our money period……
Which Parliament you also? The first thing those MPs are gonna do is to sing the DR (PF Slogan) song and will vote for this thing to go through when the majority of them do not even know what the words ICC stand for. The way it has been handled to let the people talk is the best way to go. People out there are sick and tired of being abused by Politicians who were put there by the very people? No no, Parliament is heavily compromised including the Speaker. The truth is already coming out. you cannot buy people who are forever hungry and everyday brings added stress on what to eat etc. wouldn’t a caring Government have thought of spending this money to buy mealie meal for those thousands of Lusaka folks who went to line up for free handouts of food packages? people died for…
Did we ever get consulted when joining the ICC? May be my memory is grey. Someone please remind me.
I think they are trying to make an impression that they believe in democratic values by consulting Zambians on this petty issue whose outcome may have already been predetermined. They have now realised that Zambians have seeing through their dictatorial tendencies of almost turning this country into a police state and squeezing the independent media institutions. What a govt!!!!
That is right. Ontop of that they were also trying to impress the IMF which was in the country and demands good democratic governance.
Hey Lusaka Times – Can you use the right preposition in your preamble. We do not ‘withdraw to’ instead we ‘withdraw from’. Pay attention to the basics when constructing sentences in English. You are causing a lot of grammar pollution in the minds of young bloggers not only in Zambia but also outside.
If Lungu keeps Zambia in the UN ,ICC can still come after him if he has committed crimes against humanity. Al Bashir is going to be tried at ICC even though Sudan is no longer a Member of ICC. So there is no way of escaping ICC for Lungu. This also means Lungu cannot refuse to hear the Presidential Petition at ICJ. Even if Lungu was to pull Zambia out of UN the ICC can still go for him if he has committed crimes against humanity or war crimes. The net is closing in on all Dictators in the World. Too bad for Lungu. #Let the Petition be heard in Court without further delays.
Mumbi Phiri where have you been hiding you went quiet?
This is not true. If it was, the President could have just said “Zambia is not withdrawing from the ICC”,period.It is obvious that more than 80% of Zambians want us to remain in the ICC.Were we consulted when joining this international court? Why consult us now and spend such a colossal sum on it?? Contractors and pensioners have not been paid, some schools have remained dilapidated yet we have the morality of spending K2m on this consultative process! It is just that here in Zambia we are too docile. If it was in other countries there could have been mass demonstrations on the streets.
We will tell from the end result. The outcome is always what the government wants and not what the people want. Lets not talk much for now
Comment:why did not say that in the first place. He has seen that people are against him in his dictatorial ways. Don’t take Zambian people for granted lungu ask Kaunda.
Zambians are docile people…you have already been taken for granted
IF HIS EXCELLENCE ECL IS, UPND ARE ALL IN, MIKE MULONGOTI IS IN, MULYOKELE IS IN, PETER SINKAMBA IS IN, FDD ARE IN, THEN WHO IS OUT?
This prostitute is lying in fact Lungu is the one who want Zambia to pull out of ICC but days are numbered for chakolwa drunkard president Lungu.
Zambia is the only country where Politicians are paid to do nothing…these people simply wake up and do as they wish!
An exercise in futility. ICC is just alright for Zambia to continue belonging to. No need to even waste two thousand kwacha, or whatever the amount or the resources, sampling opinion about there’s need to iccexit or not, because there just isn’t.
An exercise in futility. ICC is just alright for Zambia to continue belonging to. No need to even waste two thousand kwacha, or whatever the amount or the resources, sampling opinion about whether there’s need to iccexit or not, because there just isn’t.
Zambian Citizen – CHI COLOUR IWE WALITEMWA UKULYA T/BONE BUT ULETUKA ABA SUNGE NG’OMBE.
Uletwala T/bone ne ng’mbe shenu kumbi, wechinangwa!! Small brains always resort to insults. Even if you keep your cows, someone else will fill the void because it is our money that we work hard for that they want!! Frustrated failure, no wonder you lost the elections!! come 2021, we shall DUNUNA AGAIN AND YOU KA god HAZALUZA HAGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!
Ka ngo ka Mumbi Phiri, mane inge ya nunkile fa mupweletete wa mucembele mumbulu wa muloi. And in the picture above, Mrs Lungu seems to be telling Mumbi, and quote: “Hey, iwe, keep your distance from my husband”, and Dununa retorts in reverse still: “Ala mwine Kasama waumfwaka, abakashi basosa, ala sela fastele”.
thats not mrs Lungu iwe naiwe, thats mrs Mayela night club
When is George W.Bush and Tony Blair going to be taken to the ICC for their crimes against humanity aka the illegal Iraq war? Until that is done then Zambia has no place being in ICC.
When you present a case to the ICC. So far no country has filed a case against them but are busy complaining here!
So, who the f’ck authorised the sending of K2m of tax payer’s money?
If Lungu wants Zambia to remain in the ICC, who sanctioned Lubinda to go out and start wasting K2m on an this stupid exercise? Who is Lubinda’s boss if Lungu does not want Zambia to quit the ICC? Who allowed Lubinda to go out there and start wasting away our money when our kids at UNZA are not able to get financial support for their studies? This scenario where a cabinet minister starts wasting public funds on a sick errand while his boss does not approve of the errand makes me believe that the PF are a senseless bunch of criminals good at nothing other than wasting money!
I don’t care. Let LUNGU withdraw Zambia from ICC. He will not be President for life. When he is out of that office, someone will come in and chase him all over and lock him up mercilessly because the new Zambian leadership at that time will not be accountable to the ICC. This government has plundered so much of our economy and I can’t believe how i.d.i.o.tic they can be to begin inciting the country into withdrawing from ICC. It’s them who will suffer the most. How dull are these leaders?
I THINK WHAT ECL HAS DONE IS GOOD. CONSULTATION IS ALWAYS IMPORTANT. HOWEVER THER COULD HAVE BEEN OTHER STRATEGIES THAT COULD HAVE BEEN USED WITHOUT SPENDING THAT MONEY. REMAINING OR EXITING THE ICC IS NOT AN EMERGENCY. WE HAVE A LOT OF UNCOMPLETED PROJECTS THAT NEED FUNDING. THAT MONEY COULD HAVE BEEN CHANNELED THERE. YES THE ICC IS BIASED AGAINST AFRICANS. BUT EVEN WE AS AFRICANS MUST DO A SERIOUS INTROSPECTION. WE HAVE ALWAYS MESSED OUR COUNTRIES. IF THE ICC DOES NOT HELP WITH WESTERN DICTATORS THAT IS NON OF OUR BUSINESS. BUT AT LEAST IT DOES HELP WITH OUR AFRICAN DICTATORS WHOM WE HAVE FAILED TO HANDLE. SO LETS REMAIN IN ICC BUT CONTINUE POINTING OUT THE UNFAIRNESS IN ICC WHEN DEALING WITH WESTERN DICTATORS AGAINST AFRICAN DICTATORS.
can the president,a lawyer explain the roll of the ICC and why the consultantion is necessary.why spending such much when we have a functioning parliament?
So Mumbi Phiri was driving home when she started listening to the radio program. While driving, she decided to call the radio station[a dangerous undertaking I must say] but failed to go through. At that point, she again made a decision to physically go to the radio station to inform the listeners what the president said in a meeting. Was she authorized to do so[may be she called the President for authority]? I thought storming a radio station was trespassing?