IT’S TIME TO STOP SHILLY-SHALLYING (EDITORIAL COMMENT FOR SATURDAY 8TH SEPTEMBER 2014) It is probably time to stop shilly-shallying and put the record straight, explain further why we are saying it is Michael Sata’s power they are after, it is Michael they are after. It is not Michael’s presidency they are protecting, advancing or championing. How can they protect, advance, champion a presidency they did not in the first place want to happen, a presidency whose happening they tried to frustrate, whose idea they wanted to kill even before it was born? In 2001 when Michael was thinking of participating in the leadership succession of the MMD following the end of Frederick Chiluba’s second term and his failure to secure a third term he was tacitly seeking, we told him he was wasting his time, he wouldn’t get it. We told Michael that Chiluba had very much earlier on in his presidency, right or wrong, made up his mind that he was not going to be succeeded by a Bemba-speaking person. And as such, there was no way he was going to assist or allow Michael to succeed him. Chiluba staged a mock succession election in which Michael, and a few others like Emmanuel Kasonde, Eric Silwamba, Levy Mwanawasa were floated. Levy, without his knowledge and not even being present but backed by Chiluba, emerged the “winner”. After that, Michael decided to leave the MMD and chart his own political path. He formed the Patriotic Front to help him realise the goals he was seeking. Later when things were hot for Chiluba and his followers in the MMD, they followed Michael in the Patriotic Front for “protection” from Levy’s corruption prosecutions. But being bad guests, in no time, they wanted Michael out of the leadership of his own party. When he resisted and they failed to get rid of him, they formed their own party - PUDD. This is not hearsay. These are things we used to discuss with Michael as and when they were happening. After Michael’s very good political showing, in 2006, again some people got excited and wanted him to leave the Patriotic Front presidency for them. They approached us and asked us to help them convince Michael to leave the Patriotic Front leadership for them. They asked us to advise him to step down from the party leadership because he was not in a position to take things further than he had gone and win the next elections. We refused to do so and told them to do it themselves since they also had a close relationship with Michael. They argued that Michael listened more to us and if it came from us, he would give it a more favourable consideration. And some of these people are the ones today masquerading as protectors, champions of Michael’s presidency. How is this possible? Michael knows all these things. These are things we used to discuss with him. And today, some of these people are at it again, using all sorts of manipulation schemes, lies, deceit to get, in one way or the other, the power Michael holds. Clearly, their quest for Michael’s power is not new. And we challenge any of them to challenge what we are saying. We are not trying to be harsh about anyone. We are simply trying to tell the truth and show the history of all these things. It is not difficult to see why some of these people are today viciously fighting us. They know we know more about their schemes. It is also because they believe that Michael listens to us. This is why some of them are claiming that we are holding Michael hostage. How? We are not like them who tell lies, manipulate things to suit their personal agendas. And Michael has never done anything wrong that one can hold him hostage for or blackmail him over. Moreover, our relationship with Michael has always been an honest one. There is no time when we have gone to Michael to mislead him, deceive him, manipulate him to do things he was not supposed to do. We have always maintained an honest and sincere relationship with Michael. We have not sought any favours whatsoever from Michael for ourselves or for anyone associated with us. We have discharged our responsibilities to him as friends, brothers and comrades with sufficient honour and integrity. And Michael himself is there to testify to all that we are saying in this comment. But can they say the same about their relationship with Michael? How many times have they been told they are corrupt in their faces? How many times have they been told off? This is the difference between us and them. They have used their relationship for personal benefit and not for the benefit of Michael and his work. And if they could benefit so much with Michael being the President, what more if they themselves were presidents tomorrow? Surely, are these people to rely on? It is said that a great king is made greater by the people advising him. And these are the people who are supposed to be Michael’s advisers! How can you be an honest adviser to someone whose power you have always been scheming to take, to usurp or even abuse? If they are after Michael’s power, how can they help make him great? If you let such people be the key advisers to the king, you might as well cut off your own feet; you are asking for trouble. A king who hires such people is only hurting everybody concerned. Depending on an unreliable person is like trying to chew with a loose tooth or walk with a crippled foot (Proverbs 25:19). They are claiming we are saying all these things because we are angry about Wynter Kabimba’s dismissal from the leadership of Michael’s party and government. They are wrong. For us it is not simply a question of Wynter being dismissed; it is about the implications of all these things on the progress and stability of the nation. If this will make their political party and government stronger, that’s good for them. If this will make the governance of this country better, then it deserves the support of all, including ourselves. Our concern is that they are up to no good. The corrupt and power-hungry elements have regrouped, bringing in even non Patriotic Front characters in their league, to run the country. We, and others, have shown what kind of corruption some of these elements are involved in even long before the dismissal of Wynter. This is what we mean when we say they are after Michael and the power he holds. We are not in any way talking about treason. If that’s the route they want to take to silence us, let them find better ways. There are people out to use this issue to settle old scores with us. If they think they are going to use this issue to settle scores with us, they are mistaken! If they think they are going to intimidate us, scare us, blackmail us, bring us to our knees by dint of threats, lies, calumny, they are mistaken! This is what we have always told them and this is what we say to them today. Our ideas are very clear, our convictions are very deep, our decisions are very resolute. We don’t want unnecessary fights with people, we are not in the habit of provoking conflicts with people and we don’t want to do so, but they should beware of provoking us! They should beware of dragging us into such things. If they impose such things on us, they will find out how resolute we are. We are very much aware of our rights, very sure of our ideas and of our cause. Contrary to their smear campaign against us, we have a lot of dignity and are very sure of ourselves.
Posted on: Mon, 08 Sep 2014 05:48:00 +0000
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