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Mandevu member of Parliament Jean Kapata has raised a red flag at what she calls distorted Post Newspaper report on proceedings of the Central Committee.
Ms Kapata, a member of the Central Committee, has described as “gross distortion” reports suggesting that Mr Sata refused to discuss internal petitions against Mr Kabimba.
“The report is a gross distortion of the meeting and doesn’t reflect the truth, the spirit and content of the discussions held and has been twisted to suit a very well-known agenda,” Ms Kapata said.
“I will not delve into the details of the meeting and will not disclose the essence of the discussions,” Ms Kapata said, “however, in light of the distortions and twisted facts in the media report, it is important to state that during matters arising, many members of the Central Committee urged His Excellency President Michael Sata to help resolve the divisions that have rocked the party and also urged the meeting to resolve the petitions so far raised against the secretary general [Mr Kabimba).”
Ms Kapata said this in a statement issued in Lusaka yesterday.
She added: “This matter was settled by His Excellency who assured the members that it would be resolved and the sad chapter this has created in our party would soon pass.”
Ms Kapata said, “as a petitioner and as a member of the Central Committee, it is the desire of all of us that this matter is resolved so that our party must remain united and concentrate on our resolve to deliver on our mandate.”
She has since appealed to the media to help Zambia by reporting on national matters factually, accurately and truthfully so that they can help build and unite the country and not to be preoccupied with the pursuit of a private agenda.
The Post Newspaper reported that President Michael Sata refused to discuss the petition to remove Wynter Kabimba as secretary general. Quoting unnamed sources that attended the central committee meeting at State House , the paper said that President Sata called for reconciliation among party officials and members.
The paper further said that there was silence when the President said the petition against Kabimba was not on the agenda and only came up on matters arising.
The sources named some of the people that wanted to bring up the issue of Kabimba as Mandevu member of parliament Jean Kapata, Samuel Mukupa, community development minister Dr Joseph Katema and Central Province minister Benson Chali.
The sources said Kapata wondered what she would tell the people in her constituency on the issue concerning Kabimba.
“The President said those that were ‘aggrieved should reconcile and work together’. He didn’t allow it (Wynter petition) to be discussed and told us to stop spending time on each other. We should spend more time rebutting lies from the opposition and explaining to the people of Zambia what the government was doing for them,” sources said.
“The President emphasised the need for reconciliation although there were people that wanted to push for the discussion of Kabimba but the President refused and you see that there were mixed feelings among people but there is nothing you can do when the President has spoken and made his position, so we listened and followed the guidance,” other sources said.
Sources said the Kabimba issue was not on the agenda and the President found it unwise to discuss it. “The President said he will deal with it at the right time,” said a source.
Home Affairs Minister Edgar Lungu has said that only Justice Minister Wynter Kabimba and Vice-President Guy Scott can stop the stand-off and divisions that have rocked the party and help President Michael Sata make a decision on the way forward
“In my view as chairperson of discipline in the party, member of the Central Committee and Home Affairs minister,” Mr Lungu said, “only Wynter and Vice-President Scott can stop this stand-off and help President Sata make a decision on the way forward”.
Speaking a day after the Central Committee deferred the hearing of some petitions and complaints against Mr Kabimba, the Home Affairs Minister said Mr Kabimba – with the support of Dr Scott – made their bed of nails and now they must sleep in it.
[pullquote]“As a humble Home Affairs minister and chief of police, I would like to help if they have evidence of corrupt officials. I will gladly send our gallant men in uniform to talk to the corrupt,” Mr Lungu said[/pullquote]
“As a humble Home Affairs minister and chief of police, I would like to help if they have evidence of corrupt officials. I will gladly send our gallant men in uniform to talk to the corrupt,” Mr Lungu said, “ the same applies to the allegations of indiscipline and tribalism…Mr Kabimba and Dr Scott have stoked this fire and, therefore, they must hand the list of the indiscipline and tribalistic elements so that we can deal with them instead of unnecessarily placing the pressure on the Central Committee and his Excellency the President as well as arming opposition with fire-power to annihilate us”.
Mr Lungu said it is because of the allegations made by Mr Kabimba and Dr Scott – of graft, tribalism and indiscipline – that the Central Committee took so long to close on Friday having started at 14:00 hours and ending just about 18:00 hours.
“The Wynter Kabimba issue was the most discussed issue outside the agenda as far as I am concerned,” Mr Lungu said, “we spent almost the entire meeting discussing the Wynter issue but the President did not feel it was right to proceed with action in his [Wynter’s] absence…that’s the issue every member had something to contribute to at length as it was the only elephant in the room. It just couldn’t go away”.
Mr Lungu said, without disclosing the details of the meeting because he has no authority to do so, President Sata promised that he would handle the matter once and for all soon.
[pullquote]Mr Kabimba and Dr Scott have stoked this fire and, therefore, they must hand the list of the indiscipline and tribalistic elements so that we can deal with them instead of unnecessarily placing the pressure on the Central Committee and his Excellency the President as well as arming opposition with fire-power to annihilate us”.[/pullquote]
“But even as we await Presidential action,” Mr Lungu said, “the buck stops on Mr Kabimba and Dr Scott to excuse themselves from the pack called PF which is corrupt and tribalistic because you can’t hunt with the fox and play with the hare…PF members are dirty and corrupt and they [Kabimba and Scott] are clean, so they must make a choice on whether to stay in or out. You can’t eat your cake and still have it as far as I know”.
He said even after the meeting closed, anxieties remained among members who are infuriated at being labelled corrupt, tribal and undisciplined.
Mr Lungu said with the labelling coming from top members of the party, the PF has become a punch bag for the opposition.
“The opposition is now having a field day punching us based on statements from Wynter and Dr Scott and it is hard to defend such attacks as they come from inside without naming names,” Mr Lungu said.
Police in Luanshya have arrested a 20-year old Grade eleven pupil of Mpatamatu for the alleged murder of his father.
Copperbelt Police Commissioner, Joyce Kasosa, confirmed the incident to ZANIS in Luanshya, saying Rabson Mwelwa, of house number 280/25 Mpatamatu, caused the death of his father, James Mwelwa, a miner aged 52, after hitting him with a sharp object on the head.
Ms Kasosa said the incident happened Thursday around 16:00 hours when Mwelwa engaged in a quarrel with his son who later hit him on the head with a bottle.
She said Mwelwa sustained a deep cut in the head which led to severe bleeding resulting in his death.
Ms Kasosa said the suspect was arrested and is being held at Mpatamato Police Station, while the body of the deceased is lying in Roan General Hospital awaiting post mortem.
She has since appealed to members of the public to desist from resorting to violence as a means of resolving disputes.
“And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, ‘I believed and therefore I spoke,’ we also believe and therefore speak.”
(2 Corinthians 4:13, NKJV)
TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria
Every believer has been given a measure of faith. In order to see the promises of God come to pass in your life, you have to give your faith a voice. You must declare what God says about you in His Word. Those seeds of faith inside you are activated when you speak them out into the atmosphere. That’s why the scripture tells us, “Let the weak say I am strong. Let the poor say I am rich.” When you give your faith a voice, you send forth the Word of God, and the Bible says that He watches over His Word to bring it to pass in your life.
The key is to not allow words of defeat or negativity to come out of your mouth. Don’t dig up your seed by speaking against His Word. Instead, water your seed by continuing to declare the Word of God. When you wake up every morning, thank Him that His promises are coming to pass in your life. As you do, you will see those things come to pass, and you will live the life of victory God has prepared for you.
A PRAYER FOR TODAY
Father, I humbly come before You giving You my thoughts, my actions and my words. Help me to activate my faith by speaking Your Word daily. May my words and thoughts be pleasing to You always in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Government says enhanced tertiary education is a major driving force for economic enhancement.
Minister of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Childhood Education, John Phiri, says economic enhancement and sustainable development can only be made possible through improved tertiary education.
Dr Phir said this in a speech read on his behalf by Ministry of Education Permanent Secretary, Patrick Mukanga, during the University of Lusaka (UNILUS) First Graduation ceremony held at government complex today.
Dr Phiri explained that improved tertiary education can be achieved through demand responsiveness in which higher institutions of learning can design learning programmes that provide a fertile environment for technological advancements.
He added that institutions of higher learning should also set standards that represent a high benchmark of improved quality of education delivery to students as this will determine their contribution towards enhanced economic development.
Dr Phiri has since urged high institutions of learning to maintain high standards of education delivery in line with the recently introduced Higher Education Act No. 4 of 2013.
And University of Lusaka Chancellor, Caleb Fundanga, advised the graduates to utilise the skills acquired during their years of education towards demonstrating increased productivity in their work output.
Dr Fundanga challenged the graduates to dedicate more time in research developments in their various fields of study thus contributing to the enhancement of their fields.
He further advised them to embrace the spirit of entrepreneurship and the passion for achieving quality growth in their quest to improve the current state of the economy.
Meanwhile University of Lusaka Vice Chancellor, Pinalo Chifwanakeni, urged the graduating students to engage in value addition as this will bring about development in the nation.
Mr Chifwanakeni said optimum contribution from the students is required as government in the recent past has focused on value addition which is a means of generating income necessary for development.
He challenged the graduating students to identify opportunities for wealth creation in various sectors of the economy.
He has since commended government and the Copperbelt University for contributions made in enhancing educational standards at the university.
Republican President, Michael Sata, today led scores of people who turned up to celebrate the life of Zambia’s First republican President Kenneth Kaunda’s wife, Mama Betty Kaunda, at her first memorial service held at the Anglican Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Lusaka.
Hundreds of people, who include senior government officials, opposition political party leaders, family members and friends turned up at the Cathedral to join the First Republican President, Kaunda and his family for the memorial service of Mama Betty Kaunda, who died in Zimbabwe last year on September 19, at the aged 83.
President Sata arrived at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross slightly before 10:00 hours to join the rest of the people who turned up for the service which was officiated by the United Church of Zambia (UCZ).
The service was characterised by singing of hymns and tribute songs to Mama Betty for her exemplary and inspiring life on earth and recitation of messages of tribute to her by family members who include her husband, Dr Kaunda, her son Dr Waza Kaunda, her sister Viria
Kalulu and her granddaughter, Mundaula Kaunda.
In his tribute message to his late wife, Betty, First Republican Dr Kaunda challenged young couples in Zambia to aim at beating his record of 66 years in marriage with Betty in good and bad times.
Dr Kaunda said spouses should learn to look after their families like his wife, Betty, did when he was in prison and when he was away to mobilise the party in the northern region of Zambia for a long time before independence.
Dr Kaunda, who spoke passionately about how he married Mama Betty with the help of President Sata’s father as a mediator, described his late wife as a hardworking woman who, apart from providing for the family during hard times, also protected the family.
He explained that Mama Betty was a peace-loving woman who loved everyone and urged all Zambians to embrace love, peace and unit.
He quoted his famous ‘Love your neighbour as you love yourself’ Bible scripture and sung his usual ‘Tiyende Pamodzi’ song which he, himself composed and regularly sings to unite the country.
Others who delivered messages of tribute were his son Waza, his granddaughter, Mundaula and his sister in law, Viria Kalulu, who all described Mama Betty as a pillar of the family and a source of inspiration for the whole family.
And in his sermon to the congregants, United Church of Zambia Lusaka Presbytery Bishop, Rodwell Chomba, called on the Church to emulate Mama Betty’s desire to serve the Lord despite having acquired all the earthly wealth and powers.
Bishop Chomba noted that most people easily forget the Lord once they assume an important role such as that of a First Lady in the country which he said the late Mama Betty resisted.
He also called on Zambians to love one another and embrace peace and unit which the country is enjoying.
The Department of immigration has withdrawn Stopilla Sunzu, Rainford Kalaba and Nathan Sinkala’s passports.
The trio were interviewed on Friday at the Immigration Departments’ Copperbelt regional office in Ndola where warn and caution statements were issued and the players released.
The players’ lawyer Freddie Chalenga said he believed there will be an amicable conclusion to the issue by next week.
“What was agreed was the immigration department wants to see them back on Monday at 08h00,” Chalenga said.
“In the mean time they have detained their passports.
“Of course they (the players) are sad and they wanted to be with their fellow players in Congo and join with them in spirit and play in the Caf Confederation Cup.”
Kalaba, Sunzu and Sinkala are accused of secretly leaving Zambia illegally after failing to undergo laid down immigration formalities.
This is believed to have happened on October 12 after failed talks in Lusaka to try and secure their release from TP Mazembe for Zambia’s October 15 friendly against Brazil.
The trio voluntarily handed themselves in on Friday to immigration officials at Kasumbalesa border post after driving from Chingola.
“We have faith in the immigration department and we feel they are doing a professional job,” Chalenga said.
The relevance of having Dual citizenship in Zambia, far outweighs the downside to the enforcement of that statute. One of the most fundamental purposes of governance- every kind of governance, but more so, a democracy, is to serve the given democratic country’s citizens through the upholding of the basic human rights that form the emblem of that political ideology.
If the government of any nation finds itself in a shameful plight of failing to meet the demands of the basic needs of its citizens- healthcare, employment and education- just to name a few of those human rights, the citizens of that particular nation have an unquestionable right to flee from the oppressive environment of their own nation and seek their desired socioeconomic benefits in another country- if the opportunity allows. That survival instinct in those types of citizens; that application of common sense, should not only be admired and applauded, but be given the due respect, the standing ovation it deserves from the leaders of their country.
“There is no place like home”- English proverb; that being said, I do not believe that any level headed human being would leave his home country, leave everything and everyone he has known- his family and friends, to go and live in another country, if it were not for his socioeconomic benefits. In foreign countries, immigrant men and women literally find their lives in a state tantamount to that of a fugitive mainly because of their illegal alien statuses and so, they are given to chose between having to always run from the law in that foreign country by holding on to their country’s passport or having to go through the legal process of naturalization, which calls for relinquishing the passports of their country of birth and taking on the passports of the foreign country. The logical thing for them usually consists in giving up their country’s passport.
If the legislative body of our country can be honest enough, they will inevitably come to terms with an undeniable fact that the Zambian citizens who seek dual citizenship have no other motive but to feel at home in both their home country and the foreign country in which they have chosen to live- and only with one view- bettering their lives and that of their families. The argument that seems to be the cornerstone of our government’s reasoning behind their delay in the passing of this law, is that the ‘would-be holders of Dual citizenship’ statuses might create a security glitch in our country once that law is passed. This argument does not hold any water. I personally, refuse to believe there is any type of authenticity in the insinuations of our legislatures regarding their reason for not enshrining this long-overdue constitutional clause in the laws of our nation.
Out of 15million people in Zambia only 350000 formally employed
Rev. Dr Martin Luther King Jr, once said, “To deny a man the opportunity of having a job, is in essence, saying to this man, that he has no right to exist”.
The Zambian government, through a perpetual pattern of irresponsible governance, regime after regime, have neglected to put in place the checks and balances that can assure the average Zambian of the opportunity to have basic employment. Therefore, our own government constantly says to at least 95% of the very citizens they govern everyday, that they do not have a right to exist.
Out of a pupation of 15 million people in our country, only 350,000 Zambians are in formal employment. Why should people be ridiculed for looking to other countries in order to survive and provide for their children? Do these law makers even have a clue of what is involved here or do they think this is a joke? Do they know that life in the western countries only supports people up to a certain age and after that, mostly due to the stresses of that life, eventually, the immigrant is left wanting to go back home? Why should any Zambian be made to pay millions just to renew their stay duration in their own country in old age, simply because they chose to help themselves?
My personal view is that it is criminal for the law makers of Zambia not to pass the Dual Citizenship law; it is unfair for them not to make it constitutional. There would be no direct progressive benefits to our country by punishing the well intending Zambians, who found themselves as victims of the situation, displaced from their own country and living abroad as economic refugees in search of Greener pastures.
A refusal to warrant this constitutional right to the Zambian citizens who demand for its infusion into the laws of our country is not only retrogressive to national development but also unpatriotic and a threat to the democratic freedoms that should be enjoyed by every Zambian both at home and abroad.
The Dual Citizenship laws must be passed in Zambia, not only because The UK, The USA, France, Germany, Italy etc, have these laws in their constitution, but just because it must be seen as a legal right of the concerned citizens of Zambia, especially the ones living abroad.
Zambia Institute of Advanced Legal Education results are out. And they are pathetic. Out of over 200 candidates only 6 managed to pass the legal practice exams. Another six of repeaters have passed. Now this number translates to a meager 3% pass rate. The next number is even more worrying, upsetting actually. Ninety-seven per cent of all candidates have failed. Nothing should define a crisis in the legal system than this pathetic failure ratio. Indeed, with a pass rate this low and a failure rate so high, the Zambia Institute of Advanced Legal Education should rightly be called the Institute of Advanced Legal Failures or something to that effect. The collateral effect of this deplorable pass rate at ZIALE is that instead of leading to legal excellence, this institution will lead Zambia into legal extinction, into doldrums. The numbers just don’t add up.
Currently, Zambia has about 800 lawyers. Applying this number to our general population means that there is only one lawyer for every 20,000 of us. If all lawyers were to be spread across the country and evenly distributed in the depth and breadth of Zambia, there will be a distance of about 250-kms between each lawyer. What this means is that there is just not enough lawyers in Zambia to go round. The lawyer to population ratio is just too high. This is unsustainable in the long run.
Perpetuation of Lawyer shortage by ZIALE is a hinderance to democratic governance
Legal access is a fundamental element of the rule of law. Zambia cannot achieve adequate justice without adequate legal representation for its people. From Mongu to Milenge and from Chipata to Chavuma, remand prisons are full of our people who are incarcerated, without bail, because they do not have access to adequate legal representation. This is pathetic and a betrayal of the fundamental provisions of the rule of law. And instead of helping heal this gap in the lawyer population, one wonders why ZIALE should continue to perpetuate lawyer shortage.
With this failure rate, if ZIALE were the regulator of medical doctors, government and indeed the population would have long reacted. Indeed, if ZIALE were the regulator or examiner of nurses, the population would have long noticed and this wholesale failure would not have been tolerated a single day. I still wonder why in spite of this tragedy in the number of lawyers, ZIALE should be permitted or even allowed to be passing a meager six lawyers per examination period. Something must change.
In our democracy, the supply for lawyers is not a benevolent offering of a few lawyers. It is an imperative of good democratic governance. In fact, just as we demand for medical doctors to fill our clinics, so should we demand for more lawyers to fill our chambers. Without lawyers, the rule of law becomes a pipe dream only available to the bourgeoisie of Lusaka.
There are some eminent persons among us, who argue that ZIALE is doing well in regulating how many people get into law so as to limit the number of lawyers. With due respect, this argument can only be sustained if indeed we were dealing with an oversupply of lawyers. Reality sharply contradicts this line of thought. Zambia does not have an oversupply of lawyers; it has an undersupply of them. It is, therefore, ridiculous to suggest that ZIALE should continue to trickle down a few lawyers each year in a society that already needs hundreds of lawyers each year. It is consequently, nonsense, to argue that we have too many lawyers. I actually cannot see how one lawyer for every 20,000 people can become an oversupply.
Another issue that should be dismissed with contempt is the erroneous idea that most of the law graduates who go to ZIALE are in fact of low calibre. Indeed this argument could be sustainable only if it is a few failures we are dealing with. In this case, it is not a few failures we are dealing with but rather almost all of our brightest. It is bizarre to think that almost all of Zambia’s LLB graduates, from both UNZA and other private universities, are in fact of such low calibre that only 6 or 10 of them are worthy to become lawyers. It just does not make sense at all.
All the other excuses that ZIALE has been using are just as pitiful. ZIALE and its council should have run out of excuses by now. The ordinary people of Zambia want answers. Someone must put a stop to the baloney that is going on at ZIALE. The excuses such as lack of accommodation for students make no sense too. There should be no relationship between student accommodation and this pathetic failure rate. ZIALE should reform or it should be disbanded.
There is a very worrying tendency, even among practicing lawyers, to treat law as a fundamental preserve of a few. Indeed, this tendency or philosophy should have been truer to the old tired regime of the First or Second Republics. In the Third Republic, each citizen of our great nation owns a part of the legal destiny of our country. And no one institution should hold hostage the legal development of our country to please a few somewhat selfish individuals that want to keep a tight rein on the law profession.
What then should be done about ZIALE?
The ZIALE scandal should not be left in the hands of lawyers alone. Lawyers are by nature risk averse. They are trained to not take risks. Calculation and over-carefulness are the caricature of all legal education. Lawyers alone will not reform ZIALE. Indeed some are unwilling to. Had they wanted to do so, they would have prevailed upon the powers that be to change the law or do something about it. But no, they won’t, even if it means overstretching themselves over a distance of 250-kms purporting to do an impossible feat of serving 20,000 people each day.
Zambia’ Attorney General is in a unique position to influence change in the legal fraternity. Doing this however, could come with a political risk for her. We must support and prevail upon the Attorney General and other politicians to prevail upon parliament to bring changes to ZIALE. The Attorney General plays an important role in our democracy. Importantly, she is the leader of the Zambian bar. But more than that she is the principal legal representor of the juristic public interest. As a quasi-politician, the AG should be more aware of the political pressure exerted by the people. It is at this level where those demanding changes at ZIALE can begin. The crisis at ZIALE should be moved from being a pure legal issue to become a wider crisis that threatens the public interest and the growth of our democracy. With political pressure, ZIALE can be reformed.
Current law students can also join the thousands of ZIALE failures to do something. To demonstrate along Cairo Road and perhaps make some noise along Great East Road and bring visibility to this issue. Additionally, all law students and graduates in Zambia could one year boycott ZIALE. Send no application there. Send a clear message. It cannot be a fair process that which collects billions of Kwacha in fees only to select the lucky six for law licenses. Action should begin now.
There is 1 lawyer for every 20,000 of Zambian.
I am curious though to find out what professors at ZIALE really teach their students as to account for this low pass rate. Do they teach them in Hebrew only to examine them in Greek? Indeed, it is either these law graduates are so dull or it is to the professors we must direct this criticism. Zambia will be better and greater with a few more lawyers in it. But with the failure rate at ZIALE so high we shall continue to have 20,000 of us chase the skirts or robes of one lawyer. And the problem is that there are just not enough skirts or robes to go round.
Judge Chikopa -Malawian high Court judge chosen to head the Tribunal
THE State has filed a memorandum of appeal in the Supreme Court against a Ndola High Court ruling which held Lovemore Chikopa, chairperson of a tribunal constituted to investigate alleged professional misconduct by three judges, for contempt of court.
This is a matter in which lawyers representing two judges Nigel Mutuna and Charles Kajimanga filed committal proceedings for alleged break of the court order by Justice Chikopa.
The Ndola High Court had ruled that Justice Chikopa should answer to a charge of contempt of court and explain why he should not be sent to jail or suffer other sanctions for disobeying a lawful court order.
The State submitted that a committal could not be enforced in the absence of a penal notice which Ndola High Court Judge Mwiinde Siavwapa dismissed.
But Attorney General Mumba Malila has appealed against this decision arguing that the trial judge erred in law when he said there was no requirement of a formal penal notice where a party seeks to commence committal proceedings.
Mr Malila argued that the trial judge erred in law when he decided to exercise his judicial discretion to dispense with the requirement of the endorsement of a penal notice on the order retrospectively.
The State further argues that the trial judge erred in law when he delved in substantive issues regarding contempt, which issues were clearly not for his determination at that stage.
In his ruling, Justice Siavwapa cited Justice Chikopa for contempt of a lawful court order for which he was required to appear before the said court and show cause why he should not be sent to jail.
Last year, President Sata appointed the Justice Chikopa-led tribunal to investigate the alleged professional misconduct of the two High Court judges and Supreme Court judge Phillip Musonda.
The tribunal has since been contested by the three judges.
Three people, High Court judge Albert Wood, High Court acting registrar Chilombo Phiri and State Counsel Nchima Nchito have so far made their submissions before the tribunal.
The Ndola High Court granted Justices Mutuna and Kajimanga a stay when they questioned the legality of the tribunal.
Home Affairs Minister Edgar Lungu says President Michael Sata is ready to forfeit his 10 percent salary increment provided the opposition members of parliament (MPs) followed suit.
Mr Lungu said in an interview yesterday that it was disheartening that some opposition members of parliament were using the salary increment to gain political mileage when some of them were even pushing for an upward adjustment to the recently increased perks.
He wondered why the opposition members of parliament were condemning the President when they offered him the increment through the standing orders committee of Parliament and have even shown willingness to increase their salaries further.
“The President is saying that’s fine, but we have talked to the opposition UPND and MMD and they are saying we are with you and are actually saying it’s not enough, So you go and ask your opposition members of parliament why they are condemning the increment when they gave him that money through the standing orders committee,” he said.
He said the ball was in the courts of the UNPD and MMD to make a decision on whether to withdraw the increment or not, adding that despite their utterances in the media there was consensus on the increment from all members of parliament.
So if they say they don’t want it, we will give it up because they are the ones saying that this is what they use for activities in their constituencies” Mr Lungu said.
The Patriotic Front (PF) Central Committee has postponed the discussions to determine the fate of party Secretary General Wynter Kabimba.
The Central Committee meeting which was held at State House today and started around 14:30 hours postponed the matter involving Mr Kabimba as he was out of the country on duty.
The Central Committee was today scheduled to put to rest the wrangling that has of late rocked the ruling party.
Mr Kabimba has come under fire for allegedly being involved in issuing disparaging remarks against his party leading to some senior MCC’s to write to President Michael Sata to remove him from the party.
The Party has seen heightened controversy over Mr Kabimba’s alleged misconduct with protests surfacing in the ruling party over mainly allegations that he had formed parallel structures.
Kabwata Member of Parliament Given Lubinda has broken his silence and spoken about his disciplinary case which led to
his suspension by refuting claims by party secretary general Wynter Kabimba that he was given a fair hearing.
Mr Lubinda said he was compelled to break the silence following Mr Kabimba’s comment in the press that he was given a fair hearing when he was charged unlike him who was allegedly being persecuted.
In a six paged letter also coped to Party President Michael Sata,National Chairperson, chairman of the disciplinary committee and deputy secretary general, Mr Lubinda has also demanded a clear judgement or ruling from Mr Kabimba arising from what he referred to as a civilized way of hearing a colleague, and has also demanded to know what the evidence that was relied upon in arriving at the conclusion of the trial panel.
“From the outset let me make it clear that my remaining silent ever since the start of the period when I was humiliated arising from your accusations has not been my weakness on my part. It should also not be construed to mean admission of guilt.
“My silence was motivated by the fact that it had come clear from the start of the whole episode that I was a victim of a well orchestrated scheme to hound me out of the party,” he said.
He said even if the many allegations against him including the letter Mr Kabimba wrote to him charging him were done through the media, he refused to respond through the press or any forum.
He said he did so in the interest of the party and did not want to fall into a trap to bring the party and its leadership into public odium and disrepute.
Mr Lubinda has since demanded for a clear judgment or ruling arising from what Mr Kabimba referred to as a civilized way.
He demanded to know the evidence that was relied upon in arriving at the conclusion and a clear sentence or sanction meted against him with all the terms and conditions.
Mr Lubinda has also demanded a clear statement of the recourse that is available to him in the event that he was not satisfied with the ruling or sanction.
He said the failure to make official communication to him on the matter had kept him in the dark on his status in the party.
Mr Lubinda said this had in turn made it difficult for him to participate in the activities of the party for which he invested a lot of effort, risks and personal resources to help build.
Mr Lubinda also charged that Mr Kabimba had made it difficult for him to contribute to the enhancement of the PF’s popularity and defend it from both internal and external adversaries.
Mr Lubinda said he looked forward to the communication from Mr Kabimba on the matters he had raised in the letter.
“Given Lubinda’s case went through the due process of the Party’s disciplinary procedure… I think he was given a fair hearing. So I think Given received the most civilized way of trying to tell somebody ’you are wrong’ Mr Kabimba was quoted in the press recently when complaining on what was happening to him.
Opposition United Party for National Development Leader, Hakainde Hichilema, has called on the Patriotic Front (PF) leadership to tame their cadres who are on rampage attacking innocent people in Lusaka.
Speaking when he addressed the people who were attacked on Wednesday by some suspected PF cadres in Mandevu, Mr. Hichilema says there is no doubt that the police know the culprits but do not want arrest them because they belong to the ruling party.
Mr. Hichilema has expressed sadness at the manner in which the police are handling cases involving PF cadres saying they are promoting hooliganism among the PF cadres.
He says the police should not wait for people to remind them of their duties but provide a service to the Zambian people.
The UPND leader claims the PF has become unpopular in most parts of the country because they have completely failed to control their cadres who are on rampage destroying people’s property.
He has since urged the police to quickly arrest the known suspects from Inter City Bus Terminus who attacked people on Wednesday.
And one of the attacked people believed to be the person the culprits followed has narrated to journalists that the cadres wanted to kill him because he accommodated the UPND members who had gone to attend a recent rally in Mandevu.
Haggai Mwikuta says the cadres attacked him in day light and that despite reporting the case to the police, no arrest has been made even after giving them the full details.
Mr. Mwikuta says the cadres had on several occasions threatened him but that he did not take the threats seriously until he was attacked by some known people who destroyed windows to five flats, his car and a Kathemba.
