Responding to statements made this week by the Secretary General of the Patriotic Front political party Wynter Kabimba, lawyer Robert Amsterdam has stated that the ruling party’s harassment of legal counsel stands as proof of the political motivations behind the Zambian government’s allegations concerning Henry Banda.

“Based on this slew of attacks against Mr. Banda and myself unleashed by the ruling party, it is now clear beyond the shadow of a doubt that these allegations are entirely political,” said Mr. Amsterdam of Amsterdam & Peroff LLP, who represents both the former president and his son.

Mr. Amsterdam also noted that the persecution of Mr. Banda is occurring in the context of nationwide crackdown on the political opposition, aimed at eliminating their ability to compete in future elections. The cases undertaken against political figures often take place outside the formal structure of the court system, said Amsterdam. “Mr. Kabimba is misinformed concerning the issue of judicial independence in Zambia. There are many independent and prestigious judges, prosecutors, and jurists in Zambia. But that’s exactly why much of what we are seeing takes place outside the judiciary, with handpicked Commissions of Inquiry led by politically biased chairpersons, who are publicly scolded if their reports do not produce the desired results,” Amsterdam said.

“The reason Mr. Kabimba is attacking me is because it is the Patriotic Front who have ‘cried havoc’ and ‘let slip the dogs of war’ when they unlawfully seized many of the MMD’s vehicles, opened up absurd cases with no evidence, and put Zambia on the road back to a one-party state with the attempted de-registration of their main opponent. This is what happens when the separation of powers breaks down and the constitution is ignored.”

During a press conference held on April 17th, Kabimba denounced Henry Banda’s legal counsel as a “dog of war” and a “mercenary.” Mr. Kabimba also derided Mr. Amsterdam as “wild” and “emotionally charged,” and then ominously warned that “he ought to be extremely careful with the manner he utters statements for the sake of protecting his client.”

“It is highly irregular and prejudicial for any government official to comment on unproven allegations against a citizen, and even more so for Mr. Kabimba to do so in his capacity as the representative of the party, not the administration,” said Mr. Amsterdam. “Henry Banda has done absolutely nothing wrong, and has not been charged, tried, or even officially informed as to the nature of allegations against him, and yet the government defames him and his lawyer in the press every day. There is no rule-of-law court in the world that would consider extraditing Mr. Banda following such persecutory statements from Mr. Kabimba.”

Amsterdam & Peroff LLP along with law firm Brian Kahn Inc of Johannesburg, South Africa represent the Former President Rupiah Banda and his son Henry Banda. The legal team is in the process of presenting appeals before the relevant international bodies to expose the unlawful conduct undertaken by the current administration against the political opposition.

UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema claims PF cadres plan to harass him today’s church service for late former republican vice president, George Kunda, the same way they did at the funeral of Princess Nakatindi Wina.

Mr. Hichilema has since accused republican president Michael Sata of instructing PF cadres to beat up opposition political party leaders at state functions.

In an interview with QFM, Mr. Hichilema says it is unfortunate that the PF is using state functions to harass the opposition.

He says it is therefore better for the opposition to stay away from the Africa freedom day celebrations, instead of being subjected harassment for no reason.

Mr. Hichilema says whoever has concerns over the decision by the opposition to shun the celebrations should first express concern at the root cause, which he says is the harassment by cadres of the ruling Patriotic Front.

QFM

World Bank Vice President for the Africa Region, Ms Obiageli Ezekwesili has urged Zambia to focus on further diversification of her economy to create new jobs and to spur faster economic growth.

“Diversification generates jobs in agriculture, tourism, transport and other sectors such as road infrastructure,” she said when she met with Minister of Finance and National Planning Mr. Alexander Chikwanda.

She expressed confidence in Zambia’s economic potentials and stressed that “it has been a delight to work with Zambia over the years”

Ms. Ezekwesili said the World Bank would continue to support Zambia’s economic growth in areas such as tourism, infrastructure development, energy and education.

The Vice President called on the government to take full advantage of the warm relations the World Bank group has offered to advance the cause of development for Zambia.

Meanwhile, Finance and National Planning Minister, Alexander B. Chikwanda said that the Zambian people had very high expectations from the Zambian government to deliver real improvement in their lives since the Patriotic Front came to power.

“Considering the fact that the coming of the new Government coincides with the development of the Bank’s Country Assistance Strategy (CAS) for Zambia, the government is keen to work with the Bank in this process,” he said.

Some of the key areas that the Country Assistance Strategy will take on board include skills development, infrastructure development, particularly for rural areas, agricultural development particularly irrigation, livestock development and the development of market infrastructure.

Others are the decentralization in order to ensure that Government programmes are implemented more efficiently and equitably and the development of the private sector especially the medium small and micro enterprises so that they can play their full role as the engine for growth and job creation.

The Minister, was however, concerned to note that the level of development support that the Bank has provided to Zambia in recent years was below the level desired by the Government.

He appealed to the Bank to consider increasing the support provided to Zambia and the country’s desire to access Bank resource through the blend of the International Development Association (IDA) and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) resources.

As we continue to promote Poetry in Zambia ; here are this weeks poems ,enjoy.

I WANT TO HURT YOU

by Esnala Banda

I don’t want to HATE you,

i merely want to hurt you.

I want you to feel the pain i felt when you

ripped my ribcage open, stole and then broke my heart.

I want you to feel the despair i felt when i yelled “stop! Thief!” but

no one responded.

I want you to have the pain shoot through every inch of your body

the way i felt when life stitched my heart and my chest back together

without dealing me an anaesthetic.

I want you to feel what i felt.

I don’t hate you, how could i?

But that doesn’t stop me from wanting to hurt you.

From wanting your heart to bleed from the inside out,

and have you choke on your own blood,

gag and ckoke again.

I want you to feel the burning yet numbing pain in your heart as

though its being feasted upon by millions of soldier ants.

I don’t want to HATE you.

I merely want to HURT YOU!

THE MAN AND THE GIRL by Chipo Chitambi

She deserves a medal; she’s been true to her lies. Get her a lawyer, just don’t hand her a mirror

She’s been as faithful as a villain and as authentic as a mask

Give her obscure, you can keep the real

No, don’t look, her back is bare

The worms and secrets she conceals have eaten it off

Leaving her stripped of worth

Like a colour blind painter

Like a mute soprano Gumption that lacks good sense

Yet it is consequence not circumstance.

So she got on the bus heading to the northeast corner of nowhere. She traded in her bus fare for aplane ticket instead.She found her seat, #323. She sat next to a man without a face; he asked her if she recognised him. She smiled, but her lips were stiff. He told her 6 feet under is not deep enough. That her imagination was nothing if not reality and she should have known. A wordsmith with a void pen skill. He told her she was looking for perfection on filthy ground. That It’s hard to love imperfection especially if it dwelt within. She got off at the next stop. She turns on to 316 street; she’s been here a thousand times. She keeps coming back.The story changes, this is the part she remembers. Please forgive her as she forgives herself. Forgive her insecurity, restore her health. Show her a bud, hide away the wreath. Then plant a tree. This time it won’t wilt. Him and her, different squares of a quilt.

This piece is random, unlike Him. But it is true; it just seeks a theme

Reflecting thoughts, refracting time. Same room, different places. Same womb, a thousand cases. It almost turns back. But it is not worth the danger duality brings. You get it, don’t you? I wrote this about myself but the meaning evades me.

“AM EVERY WOMAN” -By Art

Silent screams for help

dorminate my unvoiced

conversations…echoes of dispair wrapped in a cocoon emotional turbulance.

Etched on my breaking back is

a burden deeply buried in my

conscience.

My skin bears witness to the

brutal employment of

everyday physical abuse. Tatooed on my once marble smooth skin are grotesque meanderings of misconstrued use.

You

ask, “is that a birth mark??”,I

answer “no,these are eternal

scars left after incessant beating sessions I have now

grown accustomed to”.

Traumatised psychologically,

my self esteem maimed

because of a cancer called

‘loyalty and love’. I am tired,I need help, will

anyone hear me??

Enough is enough!! Can

somebody put a stop to this

violence. A domestic brutality

left unaverted. I am me, I am you, I am every

woman fallen victim to the

attrocities of gender based

violence!! Help, help, help…
By Kapa187

Republican president Michael Sata this morning led senior government officials paying their last respects to the late former republican vice president George Kunda at the Mulungushi conference center were his body lie-in-state.

President Sata was accompanied by, first lady Dr. Christine Kaseba, Vice president Guy Scott, Chief Justice Ernest Sakala, Judges, ministers, deputy ministers and other senior government officials.
Others in attendance were service chiefs and former government ministers and deputy ministers.

After viewing the body of the former vice president, the president proceeded to the widow Mrs. Irene Kunda to personally offer his condolences.

President Sata has declared three days of national mourning in honour of the late former republican Vice-President George Kunda who will be put to rest tomorrow at the Leopards hill memorial park.

ZAMBIA’s gross international reserves have dropped to US$2.317.7 billion in March from US$2.371.4 billion in February this year, says the Bank of Zambia (BoZ) .

BoZ head of public relations Kanguya Mayondi says the foreign reserves declined slightly to 3.2 months of import cover in March.

This means that in the event of a major crisis, the country can survive on imports for a period of three months and two weeks without going on its knees economically.

However, this is still below the six months import cover recommended by the Southern African Development Community (SADC).

Mr Kanguya said in response to a Daily Mail query in Lusaka yesterday that the 3.2 months import cover is in comparison to 3.3 months import cover recorded in February 2012.

Mr Kanguya said there has been a minimal decline in the reserves since January.

On Tuesday, BoZ deputy governor Bwalya Ng’andu said the central bank sales of foreign exchange to the market aimed at moderating the depreciation in the exchange rate amounted to US$152.5 million.

Dr Ng’andu said in managing the exchange rate, BoZ intervenes in the market for the purpose of mitigating instability in the exchange rate and accumulating international reserves.

He, however, said the intervention has limits, and when the exchange rate is depreciating, intervention aimed at protecting the exchange rate at a certain level will result in the depletion of the country’s foreign reserves, thereby impacting negatively on the country’s ability to meet its international obligations.

Some analysts say the reduction in the foreign reserves is minimal, adding that the country is within the required threshold.

[Zambia Daily Mail]

THE Lusaka High Court has declared MMD’s Milanzi Member of Parliament (MP) Whiteson Banda as duly elected in the last tripartite elections.

High Court judge, Christine Phiri in her judgment yesterday said the petitioner failed to prove his case to a higher standard of probability that required the court to nullify the election results.

Losing Patriotic Front (PF) candidate Musa Banda had petitioned the election results on grounds that the election was not held in a free and fair atmosphere as a result of electoral malpractices.

Mr Justice Phiri said the burden of proof rested on the petitioner, but noted that evidence from witnesses was based on hearsay without tangible proof being brought before court.

“I find that the petitioner on all the evidence adduced in this court has failed to prove this case beyond a required standard of probability and I accordingly dismiss this petition and declare that Mr Banda was duly elected,” she said.

The petitioner alleged that Mr Banda violated Section 8 of the Electoral Act Number 12 of 2006 of the Laws of Zambia by engaging in electoral malpractices.

He said Mr Banda had dished out footballs to teams in the villages as well as sinking eight boreholes during his campaign trails.

The petitioner also claimed that the respondent gave six women clubs K2 million each to entice them to vote for him.

“He again gave six blankets to each headman in villages namely Chinzili, Kagolo, Masekese, Kapala and Kabilima in exchange for votes,” he said.

In an interview, the respondent said he was happy with the outcome of the judgment and that it was according to the wishes of the people of Milanzi.

And the petitioner Mr Banda indicated that he would lodge an appeal in the Supreme Court soon.

[Times of Zambia]

MMD deputy national secretary Chembe Nyangu has said that the provincial elections the party is going to conduct to elect the new party president are legal, contrary to assertions by some members of the party.

Mr Nyangu said that the provincial elections will be conducted in a credible and transparent manner. “In each province, we are going to have officials from the Electoral Commission of Zambia and some members of the national executive committee. This is to ensure that the elections are held in a credible manner,” he said.

Last week former national secretary Katele Kalumba questioned the manner in which elections will be conducted to choose a new leader, saying that the MMD constitution does not make provisions to elect a party president through provincial conferences.

“The idea of a party conference in this respect is to elect the leadership of the party in provinces. The provincial conferences under the MMD constitution are not there to elect the president of the party. So under what constitutional provision will they stand in using provincial conferences as a vehicle for electing a president? ” Dr Kalumba asked.

Meanwhile, Mr Nyangu has advised members aspiring for presidency to ensure that their campaigns are issue-based.Mr Nyangu said aspiring candidates should avoid attacking opponents and concentrate on explaining what they are able to do for the party if elected.

He said members are not interested in bickering but want to know how the incoming leader will improve operations of the former ruling party. Mr Nyangu said the party’s leadership has observed with concern, the habit by some aspiring candidates to attack their opponents in the media.

And Mr Nyangu said the race for the top position is still open, adding that any presidential hopeful is free to join the race. “It is better for intending candidates to submit their applications now so that they can have ample time to campaign ahead of the elections,” he said.

So far, only five candidates have applied to contest the party’s top job. They are former Minister of Commerce, Trade and Industry Felix Mutati, Zambia’s former High Commissioner to Canada Nevers Mumba and former Minister of Finance and National Planning Situmbeko Musokotwane.

Others are Chisamba member of Parliament Moses Muteteka and former Minister of Foreign Affairs Kabinga Pande.

Mr Nyangu however said members are free to join the race on or before the May 15, 2012 deadline. The provincial elections have been set for May 25 this year.