I’M A SIMPLE CITIZEN…trying to enjoy my quiet life – Brigadier General Miyanda

4
Miyanda

I’M A SIMPLE CITIZEN…trying to enjoy my quiet life – Miyanda

By Fanny Kalonda

IF I don’t agree with something which the government is doing I will say so without being cantankerous, without being loquacious, says former vice-president Godfrey Miyanda.


Brigadier General Miyanda said he does not spend time looking at the government to see if they are doing well as he is a simple citizen trying to enjoy a quiet life.


Speaking to journalists after the presidential luncheon to mark the abolishment of the death penalty in Zambia at State House on Wednesday, Brig Gen Miyanda said he can say so if he does not agree with what the government is doing with honesty.
“If somebody came to me and asked me for an opinion, depending on my judgment, if I judge that genuinely [they are] interested in hearing from me, I’ll give my honest opinion. So if I don’t agree with something which the government is doing I will say so without being cantankerous, without being loquacious. I will say no, that’s not good what the government is doing,” he said. “But I don’t spend time looking at the government to see are they doing well. That’s the job of the opposition political parties. I am not in opposition. I am a simple citizen trying to enjoy my quiet life.”


On the abolishment of the death penalty, Brig Gen Miyanda said the law has been there from time immemorial and if those who were in power then were alert enough it would have been abolished back then.


“Life is God’s gift to every human being and it does not seem to be … that human beings take life. Unfortunately, that is the nature of government. Governments make laws. Some laws are good, some are bad and after some time, they abolish them,” he said.
Brig Gen Miyanda said there is need to find other means to deal with people who commit murder among other crimes without using the death penalty.


“Personally, I feel like it’s okay that this law has been removed. But I hope that we would not have a repeat. We must find another way to punish people who commit crimes including those who kill other people. They shouldn’t but if it has happened, why should you the government do the same thing that you are criticising! You killed somebody, so you must die? So government killed you. What should happen to the government? Maybe we must kill the government because it is committing an offence but seriously I think that it’s a good thing to have stopped this,” he said. “It may offend persons who have been in the past affected. That we cannot take away from them but if your mother, your father, your brother, your sister, your cousin has been killed by somebody, you will not be happy to hear one Godfrey Miyanda saying no it’s okay that’s the law. I don’t mean it in that simplistic way. I simply mean that the government should respect the law by obeying it. That’s all I can say. I am happy that a decision of this nature has been made. This law has been there since time immemorial. Others may even blame those in government, the laws they passed, which were there before independence. Perhaps those days if we were alert enough we would have said let’s remove it and put another form of punishment.”


And Brig Gen Miyanda said he does not want to spoil the blessing of having been a vice-president of Zambia.
“I don’t take an active part in watching the government to see what they are doing, what they are not doing. I served in government for many years as you know and had the blessing to become vice-president of the Republic. So I cannot spoil that blessing,” said Brig Gen Miyanda. “Not everybody will ever be a vice-president of a country. Not because they are dull or they don’t know what they are doing but because that’s the nature of it. There are not many vice presidential positions. So it’s impossible for all Zambians to be vice-presidents. So we should support those who have been given this responsibility as much as possible if themselves are interested.”

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here