Transparency International Zambia has charged that vice president George Kunda lied to Parliament when he stated that TIZ objected to the ratification of Mr Abyudi Shonga as Attorney General.
In a statement released to QFM today, TIZ president Rueben Lifuka said to the contrary, TIZ in its submission to the parliamentary select committee stated that they were reluctantly recommending Mr Shonga’s ratification, and that nowhere in their submission did they object to the ratification.
He said they informed the Parliamentary Select Committee of the reasons for the qualified recommendation, which include allegations that had come to their attention that the Attorney General had travelled with the Inspector General of Police who had remained in office despite the ongoing criminal investigations, to South Africa for matters related to the investigations.
Mr Lifuka said they emphasized to the Select Committee that the allegations were not made by TIZ, but by reliable sources who brought this to their attention and that they were following up on the issue to satisfy themselves of the veracity of the allegations, and urged the Committee to do the same and satisfy themselves that these allegations were not true as part of the process of scrutiny of the appointee.
He stated that import of their submission was not to mislead the Committee as alleged by Mr Kunda but to spur the Select Committee to engage in more robust due diligence.
[pullquote]Mr Kunda told parliament when he wound up debate on the motion to ratify the appointment of Mr Shonga,that Transparent International Zambia was the only organization that opposed the appointment of Mr Shonga because of falsehood and misinformation.[/pullquote]
He further added that the vice president elected to leave out the essence of TIZ’s submission and rushed into libeling the organization as peddling in falsehoods and doubting its credibility.
Mr Lifuka said on the same day that Mr Kunda made his statement, the republican president was swearing in six High Court Judges to whom TIZ made its submissions on their appointments.
He further added that Transparency International Zambia in fact recommended the ratification of Mr Abyudi Shonga twice for the position of Solicitor General, and that in the recent incidence; they reconfirmed their satisfaction with his qualifications and suitability for the position but highlighted the allegations that had reached them about his conduct in the investigation of the IG.
Mr Lifuka said TIZ finds the vice president’s attacks regrettable and a sure sign that the political leadership in the country is slowly becoming irrelevant to the country’s democratic aspirations.
On Thursday las week, Vice president George Kunda accused Transparency International Zambia of presenting falsehood to the Parliament Select Committee when they appeared before the committee appointed to scrutinize Mr Shonga’s appointment.
Mr Kunda told parliament when he wound up debate on the motion to ratify the appointment of Mr Shonga,that Transparent International Zambia was the only organization that opposed the appointment of Mr Shonga because of falsehood and misinformation.
Mr Kunda recommended that such organizations should never be allowed to appear before the parliamentary committees.
Parliament unanimously ratifed the appointment of Abyudi Shonga as Attorney General.
QFM
Yes tell us ! So abena George nibapunka ka ?:-?
Why are Zambian leaders fond of accusing each other on a daily basis? Don’t they have any ideas to share with the nation or shouldn’t they just shut it? Look at Kunda, Mangani Phiri, William Banda, etc. Are these people really fit for leadership if you truelly analyse what they say? Awe, nabachilamo fye. Lies, lies and lies on a daily basis. What will our Children learn from these people about politic? That it is a game of lies. We need to get rid off all such people come 2011, please. Fed up and fed up with rantings that don’t bring development.
I also find the tone used by some of our very vocal leaders inappropriate. It cheapens the office they hold.
MAN EATER, on this one you cant fault Kunda, he criticised them for presenting unverified and untrue information. We should demand integrity from everyone not just the govenment. What TIZ should have done is not present unverified allegations. and they should have probably apologised for ttheir wrong statement.
Lie in the morning,lie in the eveining time and we name it politricks. Don´t believe whatever they say no more. It´s just drama we get from the so called leaders. Just spreading……………etc!!!!!!!!
“He leaves us with George Kunda who doesn’t even know how to walk. Everything that comes from his mouth is like child’s play. You can’t compare George Kunda to Enoch Kavindele, late General Christon Tembo and Brigadier General Godfrey Miyanda,” Sata said
=d>=d>=d>=d><:-p<:-p
“…..qualified recommendation….” , TIZ.
“….TIZ objected to the ratification….”, VP.
According to my knowledge of English, there is a thin line (or difference if you like) between the two phrases. To all intents and purposes, it is incorrect to say that VP Kunda lied. Especially that Mr Lifuka should know better than to bring unverified allegations (rumour) before an official organ of governance. If that is how TIZ presents its reports on Zambia then I now understand why the international media always reports the negative. It sells like hot cakes, ask the Post. But then I do not believe that Mr Lifuka is deficient in English language, it is deliberate distortion, and that’s why “Parliament unanimously ratifed…..Abyudi Shonga as Attorney General”..both ruling and…
…both ruling and opposition MPs, including Chishimba Kambwili, Mumbi Phiri, Willie Nsanda, Godfrey Mwamba ka!
#7 Katie Good – Well no one has accused Kunda of lying on this matter, but what would have been appropriate for a leader at his level was to categorically refer to the actual allegations made by TIZ and tell the nation that these allegations were unsubstantiated and therefore not worth considering at that stage. Simple and straight forward why start another argument instead of concluding an issue – that is my problem. If Kunda had made it that clear, today this would not be news at all. But for lack of ideas, they keep perpetuating arguments that have no benefit to anyone and that is what occupies their time and we are paying for it. Very sad. No wonder everybody in Zambia wants to go into politics and Parliament – easy money for no work to anybody. What a country. all because we voted FTJ
Kunda needs uku mufyapula ne myembya!
One school boy once joked and i quote ‘ If that short man Chiluba could be President then anybody can become president because we were told that that man also got a degree when he was a president – so does that mean that you do not need to go to School to become president in Zambia ‘ ? The teacher did not answer that pupil but opted to say he was not employed to teach politics. Do you what perceptions Children have? That Chiluba legacy damaged Zambian Presidency irrepairably. KK was right that seat was supposed to be HOT.
Is there anythig wrong in not supporting someone even on a false premise?
Chi Lifuka ulitole sana. why give a qualified ratification weshiluwe. Bushe Ichisungu mwasambilila cha chiloshi -chilozi-? no wonder u tell the nation lies so that you get access to donor funding. Even in auditing when you give a qualified opinion it means that the accounts have been found wanting. Unqualified opinion means accounts present a true and fair view chintomfwa iwe together with chi Lungu chobe. According to you Shonga was found wanting what a shame. you are no different from politicians. we miss Prof Chanda his shoes are too big for you. why do you want to mislead us by saying VEEP lied to parliament when your statement confirms your opposition to shonga’s appointment. go back to school and learn the queen’s language.
George Kunda lied to the House. This is how the report was worded: ‘And vice president George Kunda has accused Transparency International Zambia of presenting falsehood to the Parliament Select Committee when they appeared before the committee appointed to scrutinize Mr Shonga’s appointment.
Mr Kunda told parliament when he winded up debate on the motion to ratify the appointment of Mr Shonga,that Transparent International Zambia was the only organization that opposed the appointment of because of falsehood and misinformation.
He said such organizations should never be allowed to appear before the parliamentary committees.’
From this statement, those claiming that there is a thin difference between what Kunda said and what TIZ have said should go back to school.
Contd.
There is a chasm in differences between qualifying a ratification and outrightly rejecting a ratification. Kunda accused TIZ of presenting falsehoods to the House, when all TIZ asked for was for the Committee to be more rigorous in its selection process.
#13 Chintomfwa, do not display such wanton ignorance. A qualified opinion in audit may be presented for any number of reasons, e.g failure to present an inventory recon between the count day and the period date end if the two are different. It does not mean that the accounts are wanting, just that the auditor failed to verify the valuation of inventory. Which is what TIZ did. They could not independently verify the allegations against the appointee and therefore gave a qualified ratification
Kunda does not know how to debate and one wonders how he was winning cases in Court as a lawyer. May be he only knew how to write and used other lawyers to defend cases in court. Because the way he talks, truelly, one wonders whether this man is a lawyer or another Kaponya. Even the Kaponya Chiluba who closes his eyes when telling blue lies convinces other Kaponyas nicely. Ba kaponya in Zambian politics these days bengi sana. all parties have them in some numbers without exception. Is that the level of zambian politics? May be we should start calling it Zambian Kaponya Politics.
What TIZ did is simply trade on caution – meaning, even if we ratify this appointment there are issues the committee may wish to look into or verify before fully ratifying the appointee. Nothing wrong with it. But to a kaponya in politics, questioning anything is tantamount to jealousy and therefore attracts an argument. That was where Kunda as a learned lawyer should have been at peace with that, but he acted like a kaponya and therefore escalated the matter. Lishamo sana.
liar liar ass on fire
You cant believe what comes out of a snakes mouth!
In a democracy, we should be willing to listen to opposing views. Just because TIZ did not fully endorse the appointment, does not mean they should not be allowed to appear before parliamentary committees. This what is wrong at the moment in Zambia; any opposing views amount to acts of treason.
Splaka 14-15, I couldn’t agree with you more. If TIZ were aware of information that made them cast doubt on the integrity of the AG they were within their rights and in fact had a moral obligations to bring these reservations to the attention of the select committee.This would allow the select committee which has more resources and capacity to investigate further. TIZ would have failed in its duty if it just fully endorsed the appointment of the AG without voicing its reservations, hence the ‘qualified statement’! Those who are saying [“…..qualified recommendation….” , TIZ.] is a very thin line or is the same as [ “….TIZ objected to the ratification….”, VP] are completely off the mark. That is like saying when something is not Black, then it is White. Have you never…
TIZ got instructions from mmembe to put on hold the ratification process. The RELIABLE SOURCE is none other then the usual ghost sources from THE POST.
TIZ Post Ltd did object …Lifuka you are a disgrace…
Go polish mmembe’s shoes,at least you will be doing something tangible.
#22 i cant agree more with you,you are a Patriot Zambian
this lifuka should concetrate on polishing membe’s boots at the Post,while our honourable vice president will continue to lick our presidents boots and backside,after all, ministers should be loyal to the president,just like a DOG is loyal to its owner,these PF kaponya’s should learn a lesson from honourable Kaingu what loyalty means,when the president says bark,dont ask why,but how loud,after all they are more like dogs. The president owns all the ministerial positions,if he wants he can be minister of home affairs,so when he appoints someone,he should be loyal and never to question anything,it will be an abormination for a DOG to question its master,thats why another wise minister said Rupiah and his are more like God and Jesus
As usual Senior Citizen is ready to eat MMD feaces.
Is Kunda one of those dog ministers? It is really a dog doggy world. So these Kunda’s are dog lies? Wow. Probably even Senior Citizen, Capitalist, Bootlicker are also in the same class. Not my words, but Kaingus.
MMD Chief Bootlicker-South African Embassy,,,Senior Citizen aka BK(Mwata)-US Embassy, Mr Capitalist aka Nervers Sekwila Mumba (probably relative not confirmed yet)-Canadian Embassy.
Doggy Dog world for sure,now we know why some people go to great lengths to support RB,he’s the master, ni SEBANA WIKUTE
nimbwa zoona …
Splaka 41 -15 and mwanya @ 21. You probably have a ponit that TIZ had received this information and were obliged to act on it but again the other side is that institutions that preach integrity should also be carefull when presenting information. If that information is entirely untrue then parliament, the AG and Government would be justified in crying foul when false hoods are presented in such serious fora. TIZ probably needs to go back o the drawing board and make draw up a communcations policy of some sort that should provide guidelines on how they will deal with information and hwn they should disseminate it. The same way we are critical when Government releases half truths or outright lies should be applicable to organisations like TIZ
Lifukas continued stupidity and misrepresentation of facts to get more bones from his donor masters
15 Splaka, it is you who needs to go back to school. It is ok for Mr Lifuka to advise the Parliamentary Committee to be more rigorous in its selection process, but it is NOT, repeat NOT acceptable to cast aspersions on the integrity of Mr Shonga by presenting hearsay before a serious organ of governance. Mr Lifuka should research his information. That is not difficult for an organisation of TIZ’s calibre, with the Post available as its ally. Even as a qualified endorsement it was NOT acceptable to mention those rumours to the House committee. That amounts to casting aspersions on an otherwise innocent person. Remember what happened to late Mukelebai?
Rumours have no place in civilised discourse, that is for Kaponyas. For Christ’s sake, as TIZ president Mr Lifuka should know that what he blurts out will almost invariably be taken by his audience as gospel truth. The man has not fitted in Alfred Chanda’s shoes and has reduced the TIZ to the level of a kaponya party. To Mr Lifuka, do not complain that you were misquoted, speak the truth and ONLY the truth and not half truths disguised as qualified ratification. The Maxim is: ‘If you do not have facts, shut up!”
Katie Good, I agree , honesty and acting professinally is not only expected from Government but from all of us. if that information was false and TIZ has established that, they should have the integrity/ honour to apologise. Otherwise Government would be justified in not inviting them to make submissions since they use unverified information.. Splaka you spek of an audit and qualified opi form will ronions, an auditefer to the facts avalable and not state in its report that it has unverified allegations that the MD company was a major supplier, they would onl say that they failed to verify the firm.
(:|…Unbelievable…(:|
#32, the scenario you have presented would result in a qualification of the opinion by limitation of scope. Or has the English bypassed both you and Katie Good?
#32, from the mumble jumble presented in your post (the last sentence is gibberish, in case you accuse me of insulting you), the scenario you have presented would result in a qualification of the opinion by limitation of scope. Or has the English bypassed both you and Katie Good?
Splaka you speak of an audit and qualified opinions. Now my question is when preparing an audit report, does the auditor include unproven facts or does he only state what the records indicate. In the absence of adequte records the auditor will provide a qualified audit report. He will not say that he heard a rumour that the CEO’s wife was the major supllier to the firm or is the largest debtor without verifying the fact. And he will give the basis for the unqualified report which in this example would be lack of records. Likewise in this case TIZ should have acted with more caution, maybe time was not on their side but anyway we should demand better from them just as we demnd from Government. I hope this is clearer,
A qualification by limitation of scope- that is an accurate description of the circumstances, that is different from making unsubstantiated allegations. isnt it splaka
Chi Splaka kweno ulichitusha iwe. bushe kanshi you cant differentiate a qualified and unqualified ratification. why are they called different names. Tu Accounting mulejoba pa Florida twaliba shallow kwena. This Lifuka knowing too well that rumours were made about Shonga having travelled to SA with IG all he would have done is to shat up his mouth and unconditionally endorse Shonga. TIZ mwenjipaishi mwe. Remember Mukelabai died because of such half baked truths and the presido LPM was all over him and he perished in unexplained circurmstances. You only bother about transparency issues when it affects the state. Landeniko pabucende bwa ba Sata na Shikofu Mpundu. additionally u know very well that what the Kapunyunyu Frank Bwalya is doing is only to attract donor support but u are damn quiet
36 Positivist pa zed is right on with the example given.
35, Splaka, there is no mumble jumble in what 36 has said, just eat humble pie.