Tue, 04 Dec 2012 15:44:58 +0000
President Michael Sata should awaken now and tame Justice Minister Wynter Kabimba to avoid the downfall of the Patriotic Front (PF) and government because of his arrogance and high handed approach to leadership.
Zambian Voice executive director Chilufya Tayali says Mr. Kabimba given an opportunity would destroy the party all together with the President because he lacked leadership qualities which demanded for humility and a spirit of service.
Yesterday Wynter caused an uproar at the Anti Corruption Commission Offices where he has been summoned for an interview over allegations that he received kick backs on a US$500 million oil supply deal.
Wynter arrived at the ACC offices in the company of a horde of unruly thugs who demanded to enter the office and attend the interview.
Attempts by the ACC officer to reason with Wynter failed as he demanded that the entire mob should be present during the interview because the corruption allegations were in the public domain.
But the officers who were losing their tempers attempted to persuade Wynter to create a modicum and semblance of order before the interrogation could take place, but Wynter insisted that he was not interested in a private interview.
At that point the officers called off the interview.
Earlier Mr. Tayali who was responding to statements by Mr. Kabimba accusing Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) of intending to form a parallel government said that President Sata should watch and assess his Ministers carefully because they had the capacity of causing the party downfall.
“Mr. Kabimba wants everyone to keep quiet so that the PF can do whatever they want, those are the threats that he is issuing, but in a democracy, such statements are very irresponsible and unfortunate especially coming from a Justice Minister who is supposed to be following the Constitution religiously,” Mr. Tayali said.
He challenged the statements by Mr. Sata and Mr Kabimba which bordered on national security as irresponsible coming from senior law makers.
“Why are they issuing such alarming statements like what the President said the other day that there were rebels in Western Province, and now Justice Minister says NGOs want to form a parallel government, what does it mean to form parallel government, that is like inciting a coup d’état, and it is real treason,” he said.
He said Mr. Kabimba had too much undesirable powers about him which allowed him to feel supreme and above the law, and if left unchecked, he would become a very bad dictator, detrimental to the democracy of the country.
“Mr. Kabimba is not only a danger to the nation, he is also a danger to the PF government, because if he continues like that he is going to pull down the PF and the President,” he noted.
He said NGOs were there to offer checks and balances in any given democracy, but that the civil society in the country was a silent as most of the organisations had been compromised.
“I don’t think there was any NGO, particularly in the civil society in the country which could form parallel government, all they have been doing is to offer checks and balances and give comments where they feel government has failed in addressing matters of national importance,” he said.
Mr. Tayali advised President Sata to address the dictatorial tendencies being exhibited in the PF as the party in power which required immediate control of those serving around him such as Mr Kabimba who were a risk to the democracy and governance of the country.
He said the people ofZambiavoted for President Sata because he exhibited some belief of democracy but that those in government were failing the people’s choice and risk destroying the trust and confidence the people had in the PF government.
“Mr. Kabimba sees himself as the Alfa and Omega in PF, he thinks he can say and do anything and get away with it, but the people of Zambia will not accept this, as mush as he can silence the few NGOs that are talking, he can not dictate to the Zambians themselves,” he said.
Mr. Tayali said the international community should be able to read through the tendencies of the dictatorial governance being exhibited by the PF governance in the country.
