Former United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan says the release of UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema should be the first step towards the process of restoring dialogue and cooperation between the government and the opposition.
In a statement posted on his Kofi Annan Foundation website, Mr Annan has commended the Zambian authorities for dropping the treason charges against Mr Hichilema and his co-accused.
He is urging both sides to put the 2016 elections behind them and move forward, in the interest of the nation as a whole.
Mr Annan says focus should be on creating a political environment built on trust and the rule of law ahead of the 2021 elections.
He states that the Commonwealth, and other international and regional partners, can help in this process, but that at the end of the day, only Zambia’s leaders and people can guarantee a healthy peaceful democracy in Zambia.
The former UN Secretary General says this is what Zambians expect of their leaders, and that they should let the people down.
He has since congratulated Commonwealth Secretary General Patricia Scotland for her role brokering the deal between President Edgar Lungu and Mr Hichilema, and the Commonwealth in general for its longstanding engagement.
Well, this man married a white lady , that is NOT what I am about to talk about
I respect him.
Dialogue should NOT be initiated by Edgar (not Jonathan) Lungu
It should come from UPND
Accept the results and ACCEPT that President Lungu is the legitimately elected Zambian President
Do it NOW
The dialogue would be over
Thanks
BB2014.2016
My Point is, what is the point of dialogue of the Opposition are undermine the Zambian People who elected Edgar (NOT JOHNATHAN) Lungu?
FROM PF there is No problem, they are driving the car, UPND and Honorable HH must accept the fate of Zambian people who elected PF for the next 4 Years (now).
Simple isn’t it?
Thanks
BB2014,2016
I am pissed off that gorgeous Patricia Scotland is taking all credit.
Bishop Tresphore Mpundu is the man who risked his life.
Patricia coincidentally showed days before court date.
We praise colonial masters more than our own heroes.
@ Mushota, you don’t have to recognize a thief as a legitimate owner of your stolen goods when trying to recover them.
It was a timely intervention by madam Scotland. HH was miraculously rescued from the jaws of the behemoth. We thank God Almighty for His unfailing love and watch over us.
Nostra we always wonder why it’s only strikers who get the fifa ballan d’Or award as best footballer, i would liken her to Christiano Ronaldo or messi, while tresphore mpundu provided that luka modrich or inesta touch, remember HH in his speech thanked a lot of people, some he said he didn’t want to mention their names, could this Koffi be one of them, maybe he was providing the goal minding skills like Casillas, but it all worked for the good. All parts of the body are equally important.
Dr Annan can you go to hell please! You are just another pretender! Who can forget you failed to send peace keepers to Rwanda and Burundi when you were in charge of the UN Peace Keeping Mission back in 93/ 94. You were SG of the UN for 8 years and did absolutely nothing for Africa- Ban Ki Moon was a much more effective SG! Your only success was negotiating a peace deal with Odinga and Kibaki – a short lived one at that! Just go to hell biggie!
iwe 2020vision relax and take a chill pill.
How monumental that the world’s greatest leaders and statesmen have weighed-in and keep on weighing-in on this subject! Must that alone not speak to our senses and sensibilities? Must that not remind us that once upon a time there was Zambia under Dr. Kenneth Kaunda, whose slogan was: “ONE ZAMBIA, ONE NATION”? What has gone wrong since then? Why is Zambia fast becoming Uganda? Why can’t Zambia be Zambia and remain Zambia – the country we have always been – the way we were before?
@Nostradamus, valid point on Bishop Mpundu, this man wrote on 23 April, “Our country is now all, except in designation, a dictatorship and if it is not yet, then we are not far from it. Our political leaders in the ruling party often issue intimidating statements that frighten people and make us fear for the immediate and future”. surely our President and all those that advise him should have acted honorably. Nomba, tabkwata insoni! Very embarrassing
Mr Kofi Annan, don’t you realise already that HH is not interested in your so called proposed dialogue? Did you listen to him yesterday after he was released…he is still calling upon his cadres to “get strong for the big task ahead” to fight for “freedom” etc, etc. Is that how a person who wants to dialogues sounds like?
We need to hear the election petition. Show how bad PF misbehaved.
Then enter Nolle Prosequi on Edgar & Inonge for peace sake.
Petition is spilt milk. Get over it. 2021 must be the goal right now.
@2 Nostradamus, those who NEGOTIATED HH RELEASE HAVE TOLD HIM TO FORGET 2016(which includes your imaginary petition which failed to conclude in record time). Any time you will go back to the petition issue you will be narrowing number of sympathizers locally and internationally!! IT APPEARS YOU ARE AFRAID OF ADDRESSING THE REAL PROBLEMS OF THE ELECTORAL PROCESS AS THAN WOULD DENY YOU ANY CHANCE TO ENGAGE IN MALPRACTICES THAT SAW AN ABNORMALLY HIGH VOTER TURN OUT IN ONE PROVINCE WITH SKEWED VOTING FOR ONE CANDIDATE AFTER BEATING ELECTORAL AGENTS FOR OTHER PARTIES ESPECIALLY PF!! So get over it, 2021 is coming and with some of the activities PF is putting in place, your man may face even heavier defeat in future because he is now taken as agent of foreign interests who hates peace after…
One thing that HH’s incarceration brought to the fore is the amount of pure HATRED that most bembas have for other tribes! Apologies to those good and well meaning bembas who support PF or UPND objectively but hmmm the majority of bembas are hateful and bad hearted people, so full of hatred for FELLOW ZAMBIANS sure, have you no shame? For them HH is not a political rival but an enemy to be crashed. Shocking! Do some introspection guys, nothing good comes out of hatred. You are the people giving the president a bad name when he means well. May God touch you hearts and change you. Zambia is for all of us!
Not so simple as ANNUS puts it. UPND commands 47% (After stealing 4%) we need to settle 2016 FIRST through evidence ,conclusions from that indaba will determine the next course of action. Why put behind 2016 when we have 47% of the voters behind us , we need to proof PF won . The courts will determine the case, thereafter if found wanted we put behind 2016 by power sharing PF and UPND 50-50% cabinet positions while ECL can be president and HH vice , bo INONGE retired in national interest. Then we talk about constitution flaws, ECZ Mediocrity, security biasness eh so many wrong things bane.
In your nice equation, please tell us how HH won with less MP’s? You mean people voted for more PF MP’s but then voted for HH as president? By the way 47% is a little short of the 50+1 mark. Please elaborate.
Your under5 was released because he accepted to forget about the 2016 elections and accept that he lost and recognise the winner. Otherwise he would’ve have been released.
The game was played in broad daylight while the whole world was watching.
Lungu needs a serious mentor and surround himself with mature advisors, Mr Anan can step up to the occasion.
@5 A New Zambia, YOU ARE SPOT ON though Koffi Annan cannot pick up such a job! THE REAL PROBLEM WITH LUNGU and PF is that they seem inimical to working with real EXPERTS but PREFER FRIENDS and RELATIVES! Look at his so called “Political advisor”? It is such advisor (like William Banda) that landed HH in these troubles! WHY should one have a violent political advisor in modern era?? These are times of engaging intellectually not through violence, witchcraft and intimidation!
Ba Nistradamus get it thru thick head there is no petition which will be heard in any court in Zambia forget. You were given 14 days by the only court in Zambia mandated to hear election petitions and you didn’t produce an ounce of evidence instead you spent your time on preliminaries. Your lawyers even abandoned you on the last day. Please use your brain for once
“Tell this tale to those that come after, so that they may know that even in the midst of swords and deserts and wild beasts, virtue is never made a captive.” Saint Jerome.
lets go for a rerun..period..
Ba UPND dont cheat yourselves the EU, AU , Catholics and the Carter Foundation declared the 2016 elections free and fair. So the whole World knows that it is about not accepting defeat and you are not in any position to dictate what should be on the agenda
Africa needs her grey-haired to separate us when we fight and to teach us the way of peace, and how to desist from violence. Thank you very much Great Elder Statesman, Kofi Annan, for weighing in on this. We appreciate your counsel and guidance.
The gaps were too much in Lusaka between Member of parliament and presidential results. The presidential results were twice that of MPs. Does it mean the voters were given extra ballot papers especially in Mandevu, Matero, Kanyama. ECZ must explain this.
ULI WABUFI!!!! For mandevu, total votes cast for parley = 80,222 while total votes cast in the presidential 80,309; difference 87 votes. Please convince me with figures that you’re not a liar!!!
We, the well meaning Zambians, are to credit ourselves for not being silent when those who chose to steal tried to silence us.
All of you who are about the petition don’t understand the all story, hh did not win the case in court nor was he aquited of the treason case, his release was negotiated, conditions were set for his release and he agreed to them,one of the conditions is that he should not bring up issues of the 2016 election,mwilasabaila about the petition you don’t understand or know how it feels to be in prison for 127days,though he is telling you that he is stronger, ask him how many times he prayed to God Almighty to be released, ala umulandu wa munobe chibashilo chamupini,meaning a freind s troubles cannot bother you so much as they are yours,lets all enjoy peace we are brothers and sisters,
@Hachandi, those are the MANIPULATED figures from a crooked ECZ!
Where are the G12 forms to prove it?
@14 Dullah , BUT WHY FAIL TO SHOW THAT WITHIN 14 Days or least leak it to the international press so that people can have a good idea of what you are talking about?? HH like ODINGA needs another clean loss in 2021 to convince him that those who win elections have wider acceptance than him. Now OGINGA has run out of strategies, he says he will go to the supreme court while urging his supporters to protest peacefully, how do you protest for a matter already in court?? Similar strategies with HH, “Zambians rise up..claim your rights ..” and then after that his supporters started burning homes and properties of people from regions perceived to be PF strongholds,even spearing some of them!!
Self-proclaimed African mediators Koffi Annan and Mbeki who failed to carry his presidency to term should first realize that charity begins at home and settle their respective local problems before poking their noses into other people’s affairs. Some of these perennial losers like HH. Tsvangirai, Besigye and Raila have played a huge democratic role at their respective nations but may just be destined to fulfill the biblical prophecy of Moses by overseeing Israelites leave Egypt but never make it to Canaan in person. Give ‘Joshua’ a chance. You may not be as lucky but history will recognize your pivotal roles as democrats.
The only people who are claiming the elections were not free and fair are UPND whilst all the International and local monitors say they were free and fair. It’s like in a football match the ref,linesman and fourth official say it’s a goal and the team which conceded the goal refuse . They even appeal to the association and still they refuse to accept
If Lungu and HH cannot Dialogue the Disputed and Petitioned 2016 Election then I don’t see what they can talk about. If we don’t want a Repeat of what happened in 2016 Election in 2021 then remedial action has to be taken now. U cant reform ECZ, Concourt,ZPS without doing a Post Mortem of 2016 Election. That Post Mortem is the Hearing of the 2016 Election Petition. We need to know how the 2016 Election was rigged to avoid another rigged Election Outcome in 2021.Period.
You can repeat those things 10 times stronger, UPNDonkeys simply cannot understand. I mean what do you expect from Donkeys?
The only problem with a stolen item is that you can not hide it as it will spill. To all those who support thieves my advice is that GOD is watching you. To some people it is in their blood. So please! It is better to win with a clear mind.
Once an Under Five, always an under five! Especially if you missed vaccinations!
The observers had said Under Five lost! No matter how much he barks that will not change nor will Edgar walk out to give him the seat. With the way these guys conduct themselves, you will tell me. The guy will end up in Namwala as a chief! NEVER in State House! Trust me!
The AU is totally useless.
what about Bokoharam Mr. Hannan? This issue need attention Sir.
Which Legal Institution Ever Said Elections Were Free And Fair?
Obviously, The AU, EU, SADC, Etc Just gave Out Their Views And Opinions. But No Justice System Ever Said Elections Were Fair. And Those Who Are Saying HH’s Release Was Marred With A Condition Of Forgeting About 2016 Election, U Are Wrong HH Clearly Said He Is Ready To Go Back To Jail If Needed. He Wants To Insure Theres Justice In The Country.
And The Nolle Thing Was Just A Cheap Propaganda To Confort The Prosecution Team And Their Pf Cadres.
@24, that is typical UPNDonkey speak. You donkeys never cease to amaze with your donkey reasoning. Let me answer some of your basically stupiod thinking, donkey-thinking.
1. There is not a single Justice institution that exists to declare elections free and fair. That is subjective judgement and therefore election monitors do the job best. All civilised parties, i.e. non UPNDonkeys, accept this subjective judgement for the sake of good order in society. The ECZ declares the winner of an election and before that it organises elections to as high standards as possible but can never declare an election free and fair, you would be the first to complain if they did that. As for Concourt it looks at evidence presented before it and determines the winner, it does NOT and will NEVER declare…
…. As for Concourt it looks at evidence presented before it and determines the winner, it does NOT and will NEVER declare elections free and fair.
2. As for underfive, the poor boy is trying to put up a brave face, he needs to save face. I am sure he would tremble and pe.e in his pants if he saw police approach his house at night. And his sleep since yesterday and forever? The boy can hardly sleep, he has constant nightmares of prison conditions. Ask Mutinta Mrs Hichilema if you want to know more.
Please let the poor boy recover from his ordeal without you UPNDonkeys putting unnecessary pressure on the underfive. This was traumatic for underfive and it will take months if not years to recover fully and sleep peacefully, please give him the required space.
Right now Mutinta has received her husband on a silver platter and will NOT allow him to go back “there”, over her dead body. The children too have received back their father couetesy of Patricia and President Lungu. They will not let him go back “there” even if it means making him to resign from president of UPNDonkeys. They are asking him, “whom do you love dad, us your wife and children, or your party”? If you were not UPNDonkeys but properly married men and women you would understand what I am talking about. But you are UPNDonkeys so Mutinta and her children have to go it alone in the decisions they are making RIGHT NOW. For me I predict that underfive will resign from UPNDonkey party on the basis of failing health. Remember me WHEN that happens, very soon, 1 year is too far…
You have to be sensitive even if you are UPNDonkeys, you cannot be sacrificing the life of underfive at the expense of his wife and kids and claim that you love tge underfive. Maybe in the language of UPNDonkeys that is what they call love?
@16mambwe First ask yourself the role of so called international observers, what powers do they have, can they give evidence of rigging? Why liken an election to football , ur example is fake referees are judges in soccer an uphold the rules, but int. observers cannot judge an election, just like u cannot judge u fathered ur kid unless DNA tells so
In Gambia and Ivory coast international observers refused to endorse that the elections were not free and fair and we all know what happened thetr
whether HH won and Edgar lost Edgar is not going to leave state house!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Kwena mulanda ati EDGAR IS NOT GOING TO LEAVE STATE HOUSE?
The centre of the HH/Lungu Dialogue must be the Disputed and Petitioned 2016 Election. This is the root cause of heightened Tension and Disharmony. Hearing the Petition in an Independent Court is the answer to the Political Stand Off by the 2 Leaders in Zambia. Lungu cannot insist on HH conceding defeat and recognozing him as the Legitimate President without being declared by a Court as the Winner of 2016 Election and duly elected President. Lungu should get the Court to vindicate his win. Thereafter chapwa and Zambians can reunite,reconcile and start the Healing process. Period.