POLICE in Lusaka have arrested Patriotic For Economic Progress leader Sean Tembo for defamation of the President.
In a statement this afternoon, police spokesperson Esther Mwaata Katongo stated that officers picked for allegedly defaming the Republican President Edgar Lungu in his posts on Social media dated March 15, March 2019.
“He is currently detained in police custody. More details will be given in due course,” stated Katongo in the brief statement.
This week,Mr Tembo said that he stood by his statement that President Edgar Lungu was possibly suffering from a mental illness, which might be the primary cause of his various irrational national decisions in the recent past.
Commenting on the various concerns raised by Citizens over his statement, Mr. Tembo said mental illness is just like any other illness and must not be stigmatized.
“As a matter of fact, the national prevalence of mental illness in Zambia is currently about 4% of the general population and a whopping 13% of the adult male population. It is on this basis that the framers of the Republican Constitution took into account the possibility that a person elected to the position of Republican President might suffer a mental illness during their tenure”, Mr. Tembo has said.
He said accordingly, article 107 of the Republican Constitution provides guidance on the procedures that must be followed if the Head of State is suspected of suffering from a debilitating mental illness.
Mr. Tembo said his party has been closely monitoring the quality of official decisions that have been made by President Lungu, ever since he took office in February of 2015.
He said the Patriots for Economic Progress has also been consistently pointing out any poor decisions made by the President, which they usually attribute to incompetence, however in the recent past, they have noted certain poor decisions made by President Lungu which are too grave to be attributed to incompetence alone, but actually border on mental illness or incapacity.
He said a case in point is the decision by President Lungu to purchase a brand new Gulfstream G650 private jet for himself using approximately K900 million of tax payers money, and yet he is failing to pay salaries for his employees in the civil service, local government and parastatal bodies.
Mr. Tembo said another case in point is the decision by the President to send his wife on a meaningless trip to the United States of America to go and receive used second hand fire trucks, with an exaggerated entourage of 25 personnel including maids and cleaners, as if US hotels do not have cleaners, for a prolonged period of about two weeks, using millions of Kwacha of tax payers money, and yet the majority of peasant farmers who supplied their maize to his Government in the last farming season have not been paid.
He has reiterated that President Lungu be subjected to a mental exam for purposes of determining his mental fitness, and consequent suitability to continue holding the office of Republican President, as guided by article 107 of the Republican Constitution.
Mr. Tembo said if indeed the President is mentally sick as they strongly suspect, then he needs to be afforded appropriate medical assistance and therapy so that he could make a full recovery.
“However, if the medical exam determines that contrary to our suspicions, the President is actually mentally fit and that his consistent poor decisions are in-fact not premised on any mental disorder but merely incompetence, then the President will resume his duties. But at least our fears and those of the majority of our citizens that the president might be mentally ill, will be arrayed”, he added.
He said in the quest to address this matter once and for all, the Patriots for Economic Progress will soon be writing to our Opposition Alliance partners in the United Party for National Development, who have representation in Parliament, requesting them to consider laying a motion on the floor of Parliament for President Lungu to be subjected to a mental exam, as provided for by the Constitution.
He said if the motion meets Parliamentary approval, as they expect it, then the Chief Justice will be compelled to institute a medical board to inquire into the mental capacity of the Republican President, within 7 days, as provided for by article 107(4) of the Republican Constitution.
He has emphasised that his party’s position on this matter should not be misconstrued to mean that we disrespect the Republican President in any way and has apologised in advance if in the quest to put across the case, they inadvertently disrespected the President in anyway.
Mr. Tembo said his party firmly believe that the matter of the President’s mental fitness needs to be addressed in a sober and candid manner, without emotional inclinations whatsoever.
The Constitution allows for any citizen to question the mental state of the President without it amounting to defamation. Besides are the police confident that the President is 100% in his right faculties ??? Zambians always want to assume things let this premise by Sean be tested and proven otherwise …then Police can move in for defamation.
This is a Police overseen by an utterly childish boy like Stephen “former Katondo St Currency Dealer” Kamponygo ….this is a boy who stands up in Parley and states that GMB does not look health as he was when he was in PF because he has lost weight..surely is being obese a sign of wealth.
Why should someone be detained for defamation? What an oppressive tyrannical society Zambia is!
Really? detained in police custody for suspecting the President is sick!! And the lawyer president thinks this is okay? This is democracy!! .
Is the president so weak with his ego that he wants the country’s laws to protect him from those who may be mocking him? But so what if they mock him? We must be a very immature society.
Arresting people when enjoying their national team play soccer, isn’t equal to violence? Weekend arrests has no bail-outs.
Why didn’t they wait until kids of under 23 played and left, then do your violent acts?
Let’s have some fun for once.
Shown, don’t drop the soap umo mu jele!
a Shown Tembo….boma ni boma
You are NEXT.
Extradite to Botswana ASAP. He is a wanted man!
There’s nothing wrong with what Mr. Tembo said. Please do away with this foolish, archaic, stup1d, asinine, antiquated law. Get rid of it now! The President should not be above criticism. We’re a democracy where freedom of speech should be upheld and respected. And the fact that Lungu enjoys seeing his critics get arrested for criticizing him just shows that he’s not a democrat but a tyrant, nor is he fit to be a President. That’s why African presidents feel like they’re kings, when they’re not. The only time someone should be arrested is when he or she is threatening physical harm to the president. Release Mr. Tembo now, you tyrants.
Mr Tembo didn’t say anything wrong. This is ridiculous. Get rid of this archaic law, you tyrants. If a president doesn’t want to be criticized, why become a president in the first place? Obviously Lungu enjoys seeing people who criticize him get arrested. Why should a president be above criticism in a democratic State? Are we a democratic country or we’re a totalitarian State? Only people threatening physical harm to the president should be arrested, and not people who think or say the president is crazy. Americans call trump crazy all the time, and some have even called for his mental evaluation. But no one has been arrested for that. That’s what freedom of speech means. Let Mr. Tembo go. You dictators.
I don’t see a case here its just LAZY LUNGU trying to frustrate opposing views with jail time …Sean Tembo is a taxpayer he has a right to question how funds are spent….imagine if Mwanawasa took notice of what old man Sata said about him publicly name calling him yet this coward LAZY LUNGU can not take anything.
Two months from now you will hear that Sean is seriously ill and need of RSA evacuation and LAZY’s govt has offered to pay all expenses including those of his wife and children.
Go defend him
Is Lungu saying mental patients are not human beings that deserve respect ?
Mental illness needs treatment, even Lungu can be treated if indeed he has it.
Would this man have been arrested if he had claimed Lungu was suffering from malaria or sleeping illness?
Inadvertently, Lungu has brought himself unwanted attention and scrutiny at home and abroad.
Let him produce lungus medical report. But lungu also.
How do send your wife to the states with cleaners to go and pick 1978 fire tenders.
How do you buy a Lear JET instead of funding kazungula . Shown tembo needs a fast gateway when he swindles twsanas
And this was a trap by upendi so that once shown tembo is arrested they will say there is no democracy in Zambia
You seem to contradicting yourself …you are like BUFFOON CK everytime I read your posts
Why do you then bother to read his posts
jay jay…. this is the problem with your warped brain; anyone fat and talkative is a BUFFOON. Are you sure you know the meaning of buffoon? If CK is a buffoon, why do so many important and intelligent pipo in society mingo with him. Perhaps you are so jealous of CK coz your skinny, ndwiii and pathetic father of yours will never have a life CK has had.
Why do people pay to watch a stand up comedian …really laughable
Good, lock Tembo up in a Chianama mental ward and throw the key away, because his statement is rumbling and illogical. He clearly means to demean mental health status by way of attacking the President.
A bit silly really. On one hand Tembo says mental illness is prevalent in the population, and perfectly untoward, but then contradicts himself by saying , ‘But at least our fears and those of the majority of our citizens that the president might be mentally ill, might be arrayed.’. Why would you fear?
The trite reasoning given is that the proof is in the purchase of a plane and a trip to USA! That’s nuts.
What wrong with questioning LAZY LUNGU’s mentality? I mean he procured an $80 million 10 seater jet yet his govt can afford to pay an $18m instalment for cross border bridge; Botswana is up to date on payments you are slowing them down do you not feel ashamed?
You would fear because if it’s not diagnosed and treated Lungu would be making irrational policies when he should n’t be! What’s difficult about understanding that?
@Jay jay, come on mate, show your mettle mate. First, this character is a felony on the run for compiling fake reports in Botswana claiming imaginary qualifications to win a tender. Whose mad really?
Where are your values? If you can Support a man on the run from Botswana having attempted to defraud. This man gas got cahaunas! What a cheek. Do you know the extradition arrangements between Zambia and Botswana? Send back immediately!
@Chibe Chinese firstly if it’s undiagnosed, what is the basis of the assumption that he is in the first place????
No, the proof is clearly made that this Tembo chap is suffering from mental health issues because he is actually a felony on the run from Botswana for making up fake qualifications to win a tender to make a report on drunks ( of which he also is). That fake report and imaginary qualifications are proof of mental health and reckless behaviour.
You can’t be serious.. supporting this trash.!!!!
Have Stwana authorities reported him to interpol? Dont be gullible and be misled by simpletons and crooks like Lazy Lungu
@Patriot abroad the guy is suspecting the President is sick, he wants him to go for diagnosis. He may have done those things you allege in Botswana but that’s not what he’s being arrested for. I didn’t voice any support for him in my response to you. I explained your vexation over why would you fear
Yes let him rot there
The truth be told, most of us have questioned Lungu’s mental capacity.
At first I thought it was the alcohol.
But now, I think he could have a bigger problem. I pray he gets the help he needs.
Patriot Abroad..no, you’re the crazy one, and not Mr. Tembo. By Mr. Tembo claiming that Lungu may have mental illness doesn’t mean that he’s disrespecting people who suffer from the disease. It’s only that the disease constitutionally disqualifies someone from occupying the seat of a president in Zambia. There’s no contradiction there, you ignoramus. As to whether Lungu is mentally ill or not, I don’t know. But what is certain is that Lungu is extremely incompetent as a leader. He’s extremely mediocre. What do you call Lungu’ s authorizing of his wife to go to USA to get old firetrucks that have less value than the money spent on the journey itself? Hello? Does he even have competent advisers? While our neighboring countries are making progress in development, Zambia is…
… retrogressing with Lungu’s mediocre leadership. Zambia needs a well informed, well educated, patriotic individual to lead the country, and sorry Lungu is not that person. We would all want him to do better and be a great leader we can all be proud of. Unfortunately, he doesn’t just seem to have it.
let this chap sean tembo learn a lesson he has no respect for elders foolish democracy.
am amazed how this same little boy behaves towards elders .
he is tembo from where not from eastern province of course, he is a half caste .
it appears he has been promised to be a running mate for HH. hence vingazi mwana wamene uyu,
president lungu is an elderly person and the commander of defence and security forces in zambia.
he has never in his rule plunged this country into war with any country or any doctor has certified him as insane or mad.
let us stop this senseless behavior of smearing our leader with mad.
very sad indeed type of politics in this country
Thank you for your courageousness. It’s better to speak your mind than cower down like most are doing trying to please a dictator. Lungu is getting worse with his ridiculous arrests of citizens. The world is changing you cannot use ancient laws to abuse citizens. Kabila did that and they have been released because it was wrong in the first place to arrest citizens you’re supposed to serve
Unfortunately Zambians are docile cowards …they will just watch you like that journalist Chifire rot in prison.
Very true Jay Jay. Learn from France ‘s Orange revolt, Arab spring, Ceacescu’ s fall etc. People should peacefully protest in a democracy
It’s not a one party state
let him face the wrath of the law for being careless and disrespectiful to governing authority
bad politics by these young and inexperience politicians
the presidency is run by human beings who have feelings.
let us stop scandalising our leadership with impunity
Laws are not about one person’s feelings. Laws are about all citizens’ rights. If I vote someone into power I have the right to criticise him. I have the right to call for the examination of his mental state
@jay jay. Iwe jj am not contradicting myself. My point is that both lungu and shown are wrong . But you must qualify that medically.
On the hand this guy is just trying to gain an image he doesn’t deserve
Does Zambia have police officers? This is serious. Is it what they call democracy? How can they arrest someone simply because he talk about Lungu? trump has been called liar, mentally deranged, but no one has been arrested for that.
Go and read your post again then come and respond…some of you pretend to be “neutral” but your imbecity doesn’t allow it.
Uyu mwana Tembo if he suspected ati wesu ali kumweshi, the best he had to do was to engage Parliament where the motion was supposed to be moved according to the constitution. But the way he did was irregular and is tantamount to defamation really. Any doubt about president’s ability to carry functions, it has procedures on how to commence any process. Remember the president is the state, hence you don’t expose that institution anyhow. Eico bane mulongeni until pa fezyday!!!!!
Where has he defamed your Lazy Lungu? You think a citizen cannot voice their concern…this is docility I talk about!!
Does the burden of truth fall with the state to prove Sean wrong or is it with Sean to prove that indeed ECL is mentally ill?
How do you defame by asking a question? Can anyone explain
She was not asking. He is making an assertion that there President is insane based on purchase of plane and a trip to USA. he clearly means to demean and is in no way making a serious statement. He is mocking mental health by suggesting the President can’t rule as a result of it, which really is discrimination. With a bit of medicine anyone can be. President!
Does Zambia have police officers? This is serious. Is it what they call democracy? How can they arrest someone simply because he talk about Lungu? trump has been called liar, mentally deranged, but no one has been arrested for that.
Dictatorship at play no freedom of speech and we call our selves a democracy, what a shame in this ka half baked democracy under a drunk who pees himself when drunk on tax payers money
We have an archaic constitution that needs refining but we all complain without doing anything about it. For a change let us do something about and as for the opposition boycotting won’t change anything.
There is so much blatant stu.pidity by the young generation of the Sean type in the country. Freedom of expression is not the same as freedom of stu.pidy. Let there be limits. There are a lot of areas in which to attack the President, the Party and the Government.
The level of opposition in Zambia is so useless and most opposition needs mental check-up instead.
E.g. 1) ECL is not Zambian
2) I have been doging bullets for 8
hours
3) All donors should stop supporting Zambian
4) The constitution is not fine dispeat demanding for the president tobsign it without fail in 2016 before election.
These guyz are just fo0ls.
Getting arrested for slander? Isn’t this a civil case?
It ought to be a civil case but our leaders are so much in love with scaring their own citizens they have gladly In herited the colonialists law on defamation. None of them have ever wanted to change it to suit our new political dispensation of democracy. They take advantage of the fact that most Zambians aren’t interested in issues of freedom of expression. Generally speaking freedom of expression is a topic for the educated. Just check how few are the comments on an article urging ZNBC to practice their freedom here on lusaka times
If The President is said to be mentally unfit, what about opposition Leaders that appoint acquitted murder suspects as parliamentary candidates? Or lie about the sale of state assets to foreign entities? Or Lie about assassination attempts on their lives? Or refuse to yield to a Presidential motorcade risking the lives of hundreds in the process including thousands in a potential national unrest. Or fail to counsel a junior member of his political group from insulting a sitting head of state? In all these cases it’s not a mental issue but a calculated attempt to discredit Government and undermine it cannot ungovern. Let the Law take its place on this.
The case here is about two people not the president and the opposition compared. Keep to the topic when debating unlike bringing on board someone who is not in the subject line.
Seriously Zambia how can any normal Zambian support this man!
The proof is clearly made that this Tembo chap is suffering from mental health issues because he is actually a felony on the run from Botswana for making up fake qualifications to win a tender to make a report on drunks ( of which he also is). That fake report and imaginary qualifications are proof of mental health and reckless behaviour.
You can’t be serious.. supporting this trash.!!!!
Look, this was a brazen and desperate attempt to force the Zambian govt to arrest him for defaming the President so that he is not extradited back to Botswana to face jail time there. Instead he will be held here thus delaying any further hearings for his fraud.
Heard the story of a man who went into a huge department store in the stars (SAKS or was it MACY’S), tells them he is billionaire and wants a personal shopping sprees. Asks they close the store get rid of people for privacy. So they run around putting everything he points at into the trolleys at the checkout desk be hands them a faked American Express card. A smart teller sounds the alarm, be sued she notices the card belongs to some one called Mr Donald Duck! Police arrived and thanked the store for holding him, as they had been running around looking for him after a call from Bellevue, a local mental health hospital! That’s what this story sounds like. Unbelievable, the kettle calling the lot black! He should not be saying this after his caper in Botswana.
@Patriot, you sound like a Chainama case too.
This Shown Tembo is just being used the desperate crook Hichilema. But what he should know is that hes just waisting his time associating with Tongas. Their hopeless thinking is that if Lungu is out of office then elections then their Hichilema will win. Far-fetched dream because your HH will never win elections in Zambia. Hes too much of a tribalist just like his late father Anderson Mazoka.
It is this shown Tembo whos a mental patient! He be first to be checked, followed by his Hichilema, and Kambwili!
Lest we forget, not long ago, whenever late Mwanawasa travelled, he went with medical personnel, 2 ambulances etc at what cost? Civil servants went without pay, hospitals and schools had no desks and drugs etc. Zambia has continued to wallow in the same poverty. How do yu blame a president?
… and your point is????
Good reduce. Let him stay in jail forever. He thinks he smart than the rest of us the silent majority
He’ll have his day in court. That’s if the state decides there are reasonable grounds to prosecute. ..
It was very careless and foolish for this man to make such statements given his ill repute over his scandal in Bots.
Let et him hung by his balls straight,no trial.we don’t need elders who teach us to insult the leaders
#4.1 Gay Jay, “What wrong with questioning LAZY LUNGU’s mentality?”
Please Gay Jay trib.al, slow down trib.al. Mentality is different from mental illness. At Chainama they only attend to mental patients, there is no such thing as “mentality patients” otherwise all of us would be in hospital for God gave each of us a mentality.
Looks like the case of Shown Tembo has touched a raw nerve in trib.als aka upnd, looks like this has scuttled Tri .al Hacks plans to use his hate of Nsengas at a propaganda level, I mean this nsenga stooge Shown Tembo.
Gay Jay trib.al in particular has really exposed his colours. By the way, when trib.al Gay Jay speaks you can rest assured 100% it’s the words, lingo, and mentality of Trib.al Hacks. By now I have been vindicated that Gay Jay is the same trib…
…… By now I have been vindicated that Gay Jay is the same trib.al as the other rotten trib.als.
Since Shown Tembo is the mentality as Gay Jay trib.al, he should be locked up too. For such mentalities police cells are the correct medical facilities.
The police and their comanders are very petty, it is clear this Sean guy did not even attempt to defame the president as he constantly referred his concerns which are supported by the constitution. Questioning the integrit or the sanity of a president or anyone does not amount to defamation unless the PF govt has redefined all these terms to suit their pettiness. One wonders the urgancy to arrest this when there are import issues that they should directing that urgency and force. Can the govt and police please live up to the expected standards!
i dont see any problem in him. he is questioning just as we can question his mental capacity too.
maybe send him to chinama to check him also.
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