PRESIDENT Rupiah Banda has said he will not succumb to external pressure to force him to exercise his prerogative of mercy on the 22 incarcerated treason suspects for allegedly advocating the secession of Barotseland from the rest of the country.
President Banda explained that as Head of State he could do that but without pressure from anyone not even the Catholic Bishops.
Mr. Banda stated that he had sought audience with the Catholic clergy but he regretted that they opted to rush to the press when they had dialogue and discussed the matter at length with them.
Mr. Banda was speaking to Journalists at the Lusaka City Airport shortly before his departure for Isoka, Northern Province where he is expected to officially commission the upgrading of the 393-kilometre Isoka-Muyombe-Chama-Lundazi road.
The Bishops contended that the suspects in custody must be accorded their rights as provided for in the constitution and other related legislation and appealed to the Republican President to use his prerogative to release them.
And President Banda is happy with the assurance by the Litunga that Western province will remain part of Zambia contrary to calls for its secession by some Lozi people.
Mr. Banda noted that key people in his government hailed from Western province and he thanked the Barotse Royal Establishment (BRE) through the Litunga for working with the Government of the Day.
Asked on the forthcoming MMD national convention, President Banda said MMD members were free to contest any position of their choice.
Mr. Banda said it is the delegates to decide who they want to elect as their leader and those aspiring for party positions should be ready to be rejected by the people.
President Banda, however, advised aspirants for various positions at the convention against being personal but instead strive at service delivery.
He was commenting on MMD chairman for elections Mike Mulongoti and others who had declared their intentions to stand for the position of party vice president.
While in Isoka district, President Banda will commission the Isoka-Muyombe-Chama-Lundazi road that provides a direct link to Lusaka from the Eastern to Western and Southern provinces and connects the Eastern, Northern and Copperbelt provinces.
President Banda and his delegation are expected to return to Lusaka after completing his one-day working visit in Isoka district.
QFM
Yes Mr President, it is good not to listen to people who are fond of sowing seeds of genocide. The people incaserated wanted to commit ethnic cleansing and such crimes are very difficult to recover from because blood calls for blood. But you took measures that averted the bloodshed. We thank God for giving us such a president.
Seeds of Genocide, what are you on about? While the law must run its course, it is vain to accuse people of sowing seeds of genocide when you do not have proof. Do you know how much the people you are accusing have contributed to the advancement of this nation? Think about their contribution to Education and Health.
The important thing here is not for RB to speak the way he is. From what he is saying, it is clear that he exerts undue pressure on which way the judges should determine the outcomes of cases in which the the Government has interests.
Let RB and those speaking to him about the Barotse offenders look to the Courts to make their informed decisions under the Zambian laws.
Rupiah is not a listening leader who has never taken the concerns of citizens on matters of national interest.Zamtel sale,abuse of office,purchase of mobile hospitals and chiluba’s dubious acquitos to mention just afew,are clear examples that he doesn’t care about the people of zambia. Catholic Bishops were merely requesting him to release the suspects and not pressurising him as he puts it. If the people of zambia want a leader who doesnt listen, then Rupiah is the man.
continue being pompous then let us see how many votes you will get from there. wina azalila. these are lozis, they are a deciding factor. don’t say you never told me
You will succumb to pressure whether you like it or not. Mubarak is gone, and you’re next, back to the farm in Chipata for you. Hope you had put up a decent shack because we will not have any time to build a house for you. If only you were abit taller maybe you could have had abit of brains, but your mind is as as short as you’re same as Kafupi
#2 you must understand the phrase that Jesus once used, “wolves in sheep clothing”. Meaning you will not tell by just looking but the charecter will expose who they are. Know and understand that in this world we have people with a bible in one hand and a sword in the other.
Why should people who were advocating ethnic cleansing, were at an illegal gathering with various weapons be accorded mercy? Let the law take its course against the Lozi interahamwe. I think if you are one of the threatened Lunda, Luchazi, Luvale, Nkoya, Mbunda you would agree with the president’s position. Lets not forget that if Sata was in power, those currently in incarceration would have already been fed to the crocodiles in the flood waters of the Zambezi.
Just let those poor fellas go free. After all, they represent the many Zambians that go for days without food or clean water through out their lives . . . .the people the government does not even care about until they try to voice their concerns!
The political Advisor to the president shud advise the president that he loses nothing by releassing those chaps behind Bars.They commited an offence but he can show mercy.What the president can do just think of viable industry or project which the youth can do in Mongu.Then he can go there and aunouce that project.The president can do this before the election campaign starts.We dont want Sata to start confusing the pipo there.It is only the MMD which can deliver.
Commissioning Roads in the rain season is a political gimmick.These projects will not even takeoff and the money they are claiming to be releasing is not there.Has the Mongu-Kalabo road project taken off? a big NO. No engineer or planner has moved to sight.It is just good that Zambians know about all these tactics. They will not be cheated any more
#6, yes i agree with you. In this world there are people who are not real and genuine, just like #1 is not using his head to think.
There is no mortal being, not even a president who thinks he has all the powers can survive the voice of the people and the church. Has this president not been following the events in Egypt? Where is Mubarak? Sometimes one wonders why some African leaders think they are too big to humble themselves.
Yes RB, just release the guys. Ignore the fact that they wanted to engage in genocide and ethnic cleansing, committed acts of wanton destruction of government property as well as treason. Yes, behave like other politicians and play to the gallery and show people that there are no consequences whatsoever for ignoring the rule of law and threatening to kill fellow citizens who happen to belong to a different ethnic group. Yes, that is the kind of Zambia we want, so please release those dear terrorists who out of their own volition engaged in an illegal demonstration because what Zambia needs is lawlessness. By doing this Mr President, you will be showing that you are a listening president as well as a pushover.
RB went to Egypt and came back boosting that investors would come from there, but sorry Egypt has to put its house in order before they can think of bringing investment to Zambia. Its the youths who are being sidelined who have made Mubarack vanish like that, so dont be stubborn mr RB none is pressurising you they are only reasoning with you. Dont take the catholic bishops reasoning as a weakness but take it as wisdom and may be you may make a few reasonable decisions for the country in the last few days that are remaining for you RB to be in state house.
THESE GUYS ARE JOKERS …KUYA THIS YR BUT DONCHI KUBEBA
Politics of intimidation will not stand. I am not a lozi but Injustice to the lozis is a threat to justice to whole country.
These people don’t need your prerogative of mercy to make you look like you are a forgiving and listening leader. The law on treason is just on its face but extremely unjust on its application
The monkey’s toilet can only exercise that ‘prerogative of mercy’ if individuals are convicted. Right now the issue is with the DPP
Sorry I forgot that the monkey’s toilet controls the DPP…Kuya bebele
#5 & #12, the events in Egypt are not what is in Zambia. That was a people’s revolution whereas in Zambia you want to put a certain politician in power through the backdoor. Did you see any Sata-like character in that Egyptian revolution? Sorry guys in Zambia elections it shall be, kwasila.
Come on Mr RBish !, you blowing your ‘stubbornness’ trumpet a woeful lot these days but you know as much as we do that you not even 10% as stubborn as Mubarak. Talking about Lozis we all know they weren’t serious or aren’t just born with balls of steel to shake anyone so stop throwing your wobbly weight everywhere.
He’s pretending to play hard and then release them just before elections to win a few votes. In the meantime they will try and scare day light of these poor Lozis so that when they flee them sometime in October it would look like a big favor to them. Child psychology Mr RBish.
Lupiya here its not the issue of catholic bishops to force you or any other extenal forces..Logically speaking even yourself you are an extenal force to yourself..Dont misuse time to talk about useless topics ,use this time to leave the state house clean and start transporting your katundu to Chipata..pliz i beg your you will not see time to clean the state house..uzalila munyamata!
At least President Banda was confortable with Senior chief Inyambo because they are all UNIPIsts.
Much as i do not support the catholic Bishop’s position on the Barotse issue and all their policies in Zambia, President Banda’s response and arrogance like this will land him like his friend former President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt!!!
I support President Banda’s position on the Barotse issue but he need to change his arrogance and stubborn attitude on issues that affect us.
Most of the time President Banda is either arrogant or stubborn on all issues including our constitution that affects us all.
President Banda says he believes the Bible (though he has joined the heaven on earth Lions Club group). The Bible says that King Saul was rejected because of being stubborn…
Let the law take its course Mr President. If you pardon them, pressure or not, we will know its an election ploy.
Why are we even wasting time talking about Rupiah. This peasant farmer is himself a fake and shouldn’t expect any kind of truth to come from him at all
It is amazing how “strong men” succumb to “people power”. Who would have thought Mubarak would flee from people demostrating for his removal? A lesson for the other “Mus” – Museveni and Mugabe.Where political parties have fallen short, the people will always win.
A wiser statement would have been ” I will/can consider the calls from the catholic Bishops and other NGO” and then in the background, he makes his independent decision. Otherwise coming out in the open to show stubbornness as he did is rather undiplomatic! Its only at a own farm where its acceptable to say ‘I will not be forced to sell my bags of beans’!
Just ignore these armchair critics, everyone of them thinks they are presidential material and they can teach RB how to do his job. I think that their time would be better utilised advising Mr Sata how to become president, at this late hour this man seems to have no idea how.
Mubarak Banda prepare where to go, for the wind of change is blowing south wards
How can one even talk of releasing people who have not yet been tried? Suppose the courts find them innocent? Let the courts decide their guilt or not that’s when you may consider clemency.
In Africa the challege we have is that most of our leaders get detached from the reality on the ground because the state media thrive on misinformation…..they present our leaders as know it all characters! The events in EGYPT clealy showed that their President was totally detached from reality…unemployment even for graduates,poverty,corruption where the issues but the state media was busy calling the protesters all kinds of names and the President was under a mistaken belief that he was in total control…but today he is no more!
treason charged………yaba
Soon very soon those winds of change will be blowing Zambia’s way….
Don’t be misled that what happened in Egypt & Tunisia will happen in Zambia. We love peace that is why those that threaten it are stopped at all costs. What is happening to those Lozis is good for peace as it is an example of what shall fall on those who want to disturb peace. It is surprising and childish for the bishops to rush to the media after they were accorded an opportunity to speak to RB about the Barotse. You cant have your way all the time and RB does not report to the catholics. You can not demand mercy. That is why it is called the prerogative of mercy vested in the president. The best you can do is plead with RB and not demand. Catholics walked out of NCC. Levy ignored them and went ahead with NCC. They thought they could pressurise him to stop the process. Its just tough.
Ba RB ala muleumfya. This year i can least assure u, that u are going!!!
If Sata was president, those terrorist extremists would have been fed to the crocodiles in the Zambezi where it is more than likely they would also find HH and Membe the very same day they were arrested! What a bunch of hypocrites you are! Jumping to the defence of the Lozi interahamwe because of your hatred for RB! Most of you pf supporters are hard-core Bemba tribalists who dont give a damn about the people of W province . Days before the planned demonstration these people were threatening to KILL innocent people because they were not Lozis. Today, these same people are heroes? They were warned not to take part in the demonstration and chose to do so, so let them face the consequences. Dont do the crime if you cant do the time. It really is that simple.
Treason is defined as an act of disloyalty against a nation or national sovereign by a citizen of that nation. It is usually treated very seriously by the penal system, as a single calculated act of treason can utterly destabilize an entire government. In most countries, conviction of high treason is accompanied with a death sentence, a long term of imprisonment, or a substantial fine. Someone who commits treason is called a traitor. Anyone can be a traitor, including ordinary citizens, members of the government, or active duty military.
A major act of treason would be an activity that is designed to lead directly to overthrow of a government, or carrying out a threat to a major state figure such as a member of the royal family or a President.
SO THESE GUYZ YAZANDA….RB HELP THEM
Wait till the wind of change blows…….and let the majority win.
27 de javu, in Egypt those people were ready to die for their rights which they were deprived of. Here you take for granted those same rights which other people would shed blood for. The Egyptian seed will not exported here because it cannot grow under our conditions of freedom of expression. If you should try anarchy you will be behind bars in no time, and pleading for the presidential clemency. You guys are such quislings that you can’t stand jail (I mean jail, not death like the Egyptians) for even 1 minute. As 34 Chimunya says above, “Dont do the crime if you cant do the time”. As you have heard for yourself not even the Bishops will save you.
Try it if you don’t believe me.
Rupiah will also be caught in the case of without bail when he leaves office. We shall jail him for the numerous crimes he has comitted. Not even FTJ will save him. Because both will be behind bars.
Why should RB listen to catholic bishops? After all they are the ones who orchestrated this Barotse issue to its climax through bishop Duffy and father Mpundu. The bishops want to pretend to be championing the Lozi people’s cause and yet they have an agenda to bring one of their own in the name of sata into power through disturbalisation. Bravo RB we need a leader who makes decisions for the good of the nation and not for political expediency.
Forgiveness is not a sign of weakness. Infact it is a special kind of strength which only God and His people have. If you can’t forgive then……..And # 9 Lubinda, your statement that only MMD can deliver is wrong. There are many others that can. Remember it is the people’s money – your money- that is used, not MMD’s. As for my brother # 32 Objective; absense of war or violence does not necessarily exemplify peace. There was no noticeable war or violence prior to the protests that lead to the departure of Mubarak from leadership. Issues were simply festering in the hearts of the youth which suddenly exploded. And you have seen for yourselves the result. All we say is please listen to free advice from the people – be it the clergy or whoever.
#37
H.H. Sata – Only MMD cadres have rights in this fu cking country. The AG has revealed man reports on misuse of money but MMD has not acted because, most if not all this money has been stolen by people connected to MMD. We chase KK so how can we fail with Mubarak Banda.
We all know they will be released..Treason suspects and convicts have always been released in this country. Treason is a very funny and fluid case. You commit it and you succeed, then it no longer is no longer valid.
Even the freedom fighters like KK, MANDELA,CASTRO etc committed Treason when they challenged the status quo but because they succeeded, it no longer became treason.
Had Capt Solo succeeded, Treason would not have applied.
So what is TREASON anyway.
Well we all know that MMD will not lose anything if they release these people.
They will actually gain me but the choice is theirs
@ 37 HH SATA -For you MMD, Mubarak was not a dictator, so your statement that the Egyptians were fighting for their rights is the highest form of hypocrisy. Just enjoy while you can for God is there to listen to his people. If fearing being arrested was KK and Kapwepwe’s motto, Zambia would not be in existence, you have to take a risk to get your rights. Only you people connected to MMD can see the development because you are able to get jobs, you easily get medicine so it is okay,
Appeal coming from catholics, i smell a rat. Those Bishops are genocidal. RB dont release those terrorists. Those so called Bishops shud have first preached to those terrorists not to engange in acts of lawlessness. Infact they were even fore warned. So what are those blood genocidal Bishops appealling about. Nosense
@45 Commando Have you ever heard Paul KAGAME the President of Rwanda accuse the Catholics of implication in the Genocide? Dear if you have a problem with the Catholics just come up with better reasons than the Genocide s hit. When the Catholics advocated for Multi Partsim in this country you called them heroes, but after you came into power they became murderers, why? If the Catholic were an evil entity, they could have been banned in the USA etc. Of course individual members like any other human, have disgraced the Church by their reckless behaviour like we Bembas say umusuku ubi
14
UBUNTU I forgot that one— Like I told HHSATA MMD are hypocrities. Now Mubarak is not rheir friend
42/42 naimwe ba Deja Vu, show us what you are made of. Exercising your freedom of expression anonymously on LT is not the same as starting a revolution.
48
Advisor – Advisor is not your real name is it?
48
Advisor – Che Guevara was not his real name but he spread Latin America. Iam gonna do the same.
To all those who do not understand world politics. Mr Mubarak might have ‘gone’ but the people in charge are the same people who were in charge before the so called ‘revolution’ with the exception of Mr. Mubarak. These guys will not give up the power without an incredile amount of blood. Watch what happens next. Please open your eyes. This is the biggest con trick ever. It is amazing how many people have fallen for it.
#51 The Voice Of Reason,
Your thinking and reasoning is wrong!! The difference will be the new constitution, like in Thailand where the Army intervened and made a very good constitution for to stand the test of time and support progressive democracy.
Egypt will come out of this revolution a strong democracy, unlike Zuma (communist) and friend to our President Banda and he is supporting GBAGBO of Ivory Coast and even sent a Warship to west Africa.
In Zambia, after we removing our statesman former President Kaunda from power through a revolution, Zambia had a free press and multipartism unlike under the one party UNIP rule.
Now we have a free voice and critise the government freely, unlike before when UNIP vigilantes would harass, abuse, intimidate and torture innocent Zambians…
RBin is trying to be stiff necked over this one for one reason. He wants us to praise him after he releases them before elections. That will not work out sir. You have fed our children with salty porridge, they have slept on sacks with mosquitoes biting them just because you denied them the their right to be heard. You wouldnt listen to their cry even before the situation came to worsen. Your Plans this time will not work here period and we mean it…
It is true what you are saying RB because you are stubborn. I wonder how you were when you were still young under your parents custody. However, your stubbornness will land you into big problems. Don’t run the country as if you running your own farm or home. Listen to what the people of Zambia are saying. We want the new constitution with all the suggested clauses from the people before the tripartite elections. You have bulldozed your out in many instances even when we the electrolates said no. Take a very big lesson to what happened in Egypt. Revolution is coming even here in Zambia. Old people like RB and SATA should rest and be advisors to young politicians like HH. HH would make a better leader even if some people criticise him. Dora has natural hatrage for HH.
time will tell mudala..
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