Sat, 08 Dec 2012 14:21:23 +0000
Saturday, December 8 2012
- Amsterdam
The Coalition for the Defence of Democratic Rights (CDDR) has deplored President Michael Sata’s double standards on Anti- Corruption.
CDDR Lawyer Robert Amsterdam said President Sata’s habit of personally intervening in anti-corruption matters in an effort to shield his ministers from prosecution represented a ‘gross’ violation of judicial independence.
His comments followed a statement made by Mr Sata who gave direct instructions to the Anti-Corruption Commission Director General Rosewin Wandi to give preferential treatment to his ministers under investigation for corruption, including Minister of Justice Wynter Kabimba.
“CDDR, strongly condemn the PF government for practising double standards on anti-corruption issues. All Zambian citizens, regardless of political affiliation, are entitled to the presumption of innocence and due process of the law, without the president giving prejudicial orders to prosecutors on what crimes exist or do not exist,” he said.
He said President Sata’s public complaint to Director General Wandi had been interpreted as a gesture of approval for Kabimba’s controversial behavior during an attempted interview.
“For President Sata to complain about trials by headline represents the most cynical of double standards, given how he and his colleague Fred M’membe of The Post have repeatedly attacked the reputations of opposition members without evidence, including former President Rupiah Banda and his son Henry Banda,” said Amsterdam.
He charged that if President Sata wanted to put an end to trials by headline, then he should immediately resign, as he was the biggest supporter of these ‘smear’ campaigns.
On Thursday, President Sata said that threatened that the ACC should stop investigating Ministers in the presence of the media.
He said the Commission should exercise professionalism whenever they were investigating Ministers, adding that the institution should always inform him whenever they were investigating senior government officials.
Remain vigilant, Christian Coalition tells MMD leaders
THE Christian Coalition promoting integrity in the country has described the current situation in the opposition MMD as unfortunate and disturbing.
The General Secretary Rev John Mwendapole said it was sad that the former ruling party was experiencing hard times and urged the leaders to remain vigilant.
Rev Mwendapole described MMD as a strong party despite what it was experiencing.
He said MMD was one of the political parties that had contributed to the development of Zambia and still have a chance to regain power only if its members understand what the party is going through.
The Reverend said it was time MMD members united and spoke one language that could enhance its rebranding.
He said even if the MMD was facing a leadership crisis, there was still hope that the members could adjust their personal perceptions and work together to strengthen the party.
“What is going on in the opposition MMD is quiet disturbing; especially that it is a party that was in power. Members have to go back to the drawing board and rearrange and reform the former ruling party, otherwise there is still a future in MMD,” he said.
Rev Mwendapole said there was need to review the MMD programmes and identify genuine members who will support its ideologies.
He claimed that members leaving the party to join the ruling PF party were not solving anything but should work on the modalities that would keep the par
ty in existence.
“MMD has enough problems which need to be ironed out to give it room to get back to its status. The crisis requires urgent attention because people are quarrelling over issues that could be easily resolved,” he said.
He said there was a lot of finger pointing among party members, on the ground that each group wanted to provide its own leadership after blaming others for failure in certain issues.
However, the leadership crisis in the former ruling party MMD has deepened with the surfacing factions that have brought divisions in the party.
