…RAPHAEL NAKACINDA blasts President HH.
Whose the strange cadre escorting HH on the gaurd of honor
We have a very strong observation during yesterday’s SWEARING IN CEREMONY where we saw state security taking a very minimum role in yesterday’s function. We discovered that the President Elect Hakainde Hichilema was surrounded by his party cadres as his security who have not swore to any oath of the nation and cannot be accountable to anyone.
When President HH went for the gaurd of honor, there was a cadre who escorted him. He instead chose to have a cadre escort him during his guard of honor, instead of his ADC from Zambia police who was clad in ceremonial gear.
The swearing ceremony custom and it’s swearing in party has been established in the laws of Zambia and what type of procedure prescribed to be followed.
Secondly, the vehicle the President used must be explained. The GLOBE including foreign dignitaries who attended yesterday’s inauguration are amused by the embarrassing situation where President Hakainde refused to use state vehicles, instead he chose to use his private vehicle and he asked the American security from the American embassy here to scrutinize that vehicle. Why has he chosen America over and above his own people and institutions that he so desired to preside over? What message is he sending to our security agencies and our defence force, when he cannot trust them? How can a President refuse to jump on Zambia’s state vehicles as prescribed? He is exposing the nation badly with his fainted paranoia. We must differentiate between institutional and personal things.
On this we are demanding an explaination from the Scretary to Cabinet to give us a full report of what transpired there regarding the person who escorted the President on the gaurd of honor, the vehicle the President used and 75 percent of the cadres who were surrounding the President. This also should be explained by the Commissioner State House, the Inspector General together with Zambia State Intelligence Service. We want to know his service number in the Zambia Police Service.
Everyone who works in security institutions including State house or indeed on state functions were employed to serve the state and swore to protect the constitution and not political parties, so let us not BEGIN A PURGE and VICTIMISATION of innocent people, these are innocent people, these people swore allegiance to serve the Zambian people without fear or favor. Even in 1991 when there was change of govt at the time there was a ONE PARTY DICTATORSHIP when State Security and intelligence were so complicated and sophisticated, but the one who was elected Dr. CHILUBA had to comply to constitutional requirements. Everyone who has come after that have followed suit, because it’s not about your wish but about the requirements.
We don’t want to set a wrong precedence where State institutions are disregarded which are established by law with impunity. HH is no longer a private citizens, he is now a state asset and everything about him, has now got to be checked and accounted for.
It’s not the first time we are changing govt, Zambia as a country has got laid down procedures on how state functions are performed to fulfil he requirements as prescribed by law. In 1991 we had a change of govt and in 2011 we had a similar process, but what we witnessed yesterday WE HAVE NEVER SEEN BEFORE.
We don’t want people to be sneaked into the system without following procedures or indeed formally, this will jeopardize and compromise the security’s integrity of our country to which Hakainde swore to uphold and safeguard.
We don’t want to see individual houses being gazzetted to become State House. Zambia has established state places where State functions and state institutions are established. This is a 7th President and all the other six have followed laid down procedures and customs.
We hope this avoidance to observe state procedures as established by law with impunity, does not become a norm, otherwise state institutions run the risk of being run over by partisan operatives at the expense of the nation. We want to warn state institutions especially the State House and ZSIS to move in, don’t be afraid to do the right thing, this is about the nation and not an individual’s feelings.
The media must take keen interest of these anomalies and what is yet to come. Let us not dignify indecency and illegalities.
Kindly take note, that I will be having a SPECIAL PRESS BRIEFING tomorrow morning to address numerous PERTINENT matters of national interest at a venue to be announced later.
Raphael Mangani NAKACINDA
Former Water Development Minister.
