The Patriots for Economic Progress says it has noted with regret, calls from the ruling PF party to postpone the launch of the National Dialogue Process which is scheduled for this Friday, 18th January 2019, on the basis that the Church Mother Bodies first need to resolve certain unknown pending issues with the Zambia Centre for Inter-Party Dialogue.
Party President Sean Tembo this is merely a delaying tactic designed to undermine the dialogue process by the PF party, working in cohorts with ZCID.
Mr. Tembo said the ZCID in its current form is a highly compromised institution for the simple reason that the Board Members of ZCID eat off the palm of the PF, either indirectly through nominations to Parliament or directly through regular bribes that are disguised as Board sitting allowances.
“Given that the majority of these ZCID Board Members are jobless and on the verge of destitution, these regular PF bribes that are disbursed on a monthly basis through the Ministry of Justice, and disguised as Board sitting allowances, are the main sources of income for them”, He added.
Mr. Tembo said on this basis, it cannot be reasonably expected that ZCID can act in an impartial and independent manner to fairly and equitably represent the interests of all political parties in Zambia.
He said ZCID is clearly a discredited institution that has no role to play in the national dialogue process, other than its current role as a lapdog of the ruling PF party that is now being used to cause confusion and possibly derail the national dialogue process.
Mr. Tembo said his party is fully in support of the decision that was made by the Church Mother Bodies at a meeting of political parties at Kapingila House in Lusaka, on Friday 28th December 2018, to cut all ties from ZCID regarding this national dialogue process on the basis that ZCID was acting in a dishonourable manner designed to cause confusion.
He said his party is also fully aware that President Edgar Lungu is fundamentally opposed to the on-going national dialogue process for very known reasons.
“Firstly, it must be noted that the ruling PF party thrives on the basis of certain tools. The first tool is abuse of the Public Order Act to prevent the opposition from campaigning. The second tool is abuse of the media through the practice of yellow journalism by state media institutions such as ZNBC, Times and Daily Mail on one hand, and the continuous and consistent intimidation of independent private media houses that refuse PF bribes to join the bandwagon of practicing yellow journalism”, He said.
Mr. Tembo said the third tool is abuse of the electoral process by using taxpayers money, which they easily obtain given that they keep the keys to the Bank of Zambia vaults, to bribe voters during elections, knowing fully well that they will get away with it because the Electoral Process Act of 2016 has set an unreasonably high standard for a petitioner to prove electoral malpractice.
He said the fourth tool is by enacting a Republican Constitution that is full of gaps, overlaps and contradictions and is neither here nor there, thereby giving room to the courts to interpret it in a biased manner if they so feel.
Mr. Tembo said the party also knows that President Lungu knows that if the national dialogue process was to succeed, the four main tools above which the PF rely on to cling to power would be taken away from the PF.
He said without the tools above, the PF is a finished political party that is unlikely to even win more than 10 parliamentary seats in 2021.
Mr. Tembo said it is on this basis that that the PF in general and President Lungu in particular will do everything possible to ensure that the national dialogue process fails.
He said it is also on the same basis that President Lungu absconded from the national dialogue meeting of 28th December 2018 at Kapingila House and it is on the same basis that the Tourism Minister, Mr. Charles Banda was recently threatening to withdraw President Lungu from the national dialogue process, and it is on the same basis that the PF now want to cancel the national dialogue process launch scheduled for this Friday at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross, using a discredited institution like ZCID to frustrate the Church Mother Bodies.
The testimony of the crocodile about the under water jungle does not come as a surprise. We knew and hinted on this issue over and over, Sean Tembo, then, used to defend the ZCID. The objective approach being paddled by the church is a threat to PF whose strength is based on dictatorial tendencies and “miracle” money to weaken the the opposition parties.
We came out in numbers in 2011 in jubilation when it was announced that PF had won the presidential elections. Food prices were even cheaper than now then, taxes were few and manageable, exchange rate was about 6 to 8 kwacha, scandals were there but not like day light robbery of fire tenders. We are worse off now, you can argue with me because all you need to do is to compare the statistics. Not sure why some people are still arguing a straight forward case that we are worse off now.
Scrap the whole thing. Serves no purpose if you ask me.
I hold a PhD
Thanks
BB2014,2016
This dialogue thing is alien especially that the angry have no credibility. Time wasters, gullibles wants dialogue. About what? A president is not supposed to give concessions to his competitors. Institutions of governance are supposed to Institute reforms to iron out cracked policies and outdated laws. Dialogue about what imwe? This Tembo is delirious.
It does not matter who will be their or not, i may as well attend. It is just a launch as long as the press , a few stakeholders and the Church Mother bodies as facilitators will be available. Otherwise, the process will never take off. Under the status quo, PF is very comfortable and will do every up their sleeves to sabotage the dialogue process with their foot soldier, ZCID board committee.
The “dialogue” under “church mother bodies” has no known agenda and does not define eligibility. Under ZCID dialogue all these parameters will be defined. Also we have spokespersobs for bitter people. Which one is the real dialogue?
“Mr. Tembo said his party is fully in support of the decision that was made by the Church Mother Bodies at a meeting of political parties at Kapingila House in Lusaka, on Friday 28th December 2018, to cut all ties from ZCID regarding this national dialogue process on the basis that ZCID was acting in a dishonourable manner designed to cause confusion.”
I did not know that, so opposition alliance and church “mother bodies made the decision to exclude ZCID”. Are the church mother something honest then?
“Trib.al Sean “Tembo”. So its contagious this disease of trib.al?
I mean can a normal speak like Sean Tembo? You have to be a trib.al to manage such non.sense out of your mouth in public.
President Lungu, just stay away from this disrespectful circus, I will represent you since the church has reduced it to an opening ceremony. So I and my uncles and aunties and the rest of my clan are invited. Do you have enough seats in the Cathedral of Holy Cross? Or if any of us are late we will stay outside? Including Trib.al Hacks and Neckless “Stroke” Chimbwili, and of course intoxicated Sean?
The alliance is already crumbling. Headed for a rubble.
SEAN TEMBO IS AN EASTERNER LIKE ECL HOW CAN HE BE TRIBALISTIC EASTERNERS ARE SMART PIPO NO TRIBALISM LIKE BEMBAZ
The church does not know what really happens in in politics and why the constitution of Zambia is at that level, so how can they sort out issues effectively which they are not exposed to?
PF please forget about the church lead dialogue and concentrate on serious issues for the Country.
The Church does not know who should attend the so called dialogue and thinks that it is like church service platform where everyone is invited.
INSTEADY OF QUESTIONING WHY PPE IS COSTING K2.1 PIN. THATS INCLUDES CAP.BELT,SAFETY BOOTS AND TOP AND DOWN CLOTHES.
YOU BUSY WITH IRRELEVANT DIALOGUE AND BITTER POLITICIANS.
NO POLITICIAN WILL BRING HEAVEN IN ANY COUNTRY.
Please amucileke eeci ci Dialogue Nchibi ndakomba benzuma (please abandon the church lead dialogue is very useless.)