PRESS STATEMENT FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE.
IT IS UNFAIR TO THE SUFFERING ZAMBIANS COMPENSATING HON FRANK TAYALI – K530,000.
The State has agreed to indemnify honorable Minister Frank Tayali an amount of K450,000 and an addition of K80,000 meant for legal fees.
In 2020 honorable Frank Tayali the Ndola Central Law Maker and the Minister of Transport at the same time was hounded and traumatized by the Zambia Police when he accompanied the then main opposition leader who is now the current Head of State. The incident took place at Police Service Headquarters where the Police pointed a gun at him.
In Zambia it remains an expected for anyone with potential ascending to the highest office going through some form of persecution and torture. This involves all those aligned to the prospective candidate. The foregoing is an expected phenomenal starting with the first Republican President His Excellency Dr Kenneth David Kaunda and all who surrounded him. We witnessed a similar situation to the late President Dr. Fredrick Chiluba, President Levy Patrick Mwanawasa, the late President Rupiah Bwezani Banda, President Michael Chilufya Sata and the same is now going on involving the immediate past Head of State Dr. Edgar Chagwa Lungu.
It is not strange neither is it a new development seeing those running for the office of Presidency being persecuted. However the New Dawn Administration have broken the record being the first Government that have gone full throttle in compensating themselves for the political attrocities suffered while in opposition. So far we have witnessed the treason suspects being compensated K 6,000,000.00 (Six million kwacha) each. We have also witnessed the renumeration of K500,000 (Five hundred kwacha) each to the suspects including the wife to Senior Chief Mukuni of Southern Province.
Interestingly all the cited cases including the recent one involving honorable Frank Tayali did not even unfold fully before Court. It is expected that only cases that have run before Court with sufficient and overwhelming evidence that the State misdirected itself could qualify for compensation. When a case end up in a Nolle – Prosequai (Discontinuation of the case by the State), chances are high that the State might reopen the case should fresh evidence be gathered.
Besides we have so many cases where our citizens ended up loosing their lives and yet families remain uncompensated. As a Country we are going through the worst economic hardships since independence! The cost of living is extremely high and yet the Government is able to compensate people who are very close to those in power.
This undoubtedly is not only abuse of power but a way of extorting and taking advantage of the situation by those in authority. It is sad that the Attorney General’s Office is being used as a rubber stamp by a few privileged individuals. By suing the State over such mundane l reasons, honorable Frank Tayali has put himself on the record to be a selfish and gluttonous leader and only looks at his own interests and not the interests of the marginalized Zambians.
As an Organization, we wish to challenge the UPND Government to immediately restore the tax and mining royalties on our minerals. The Government must also withdraw the new levies being proposed for the poor wheelbarrow pushers. We are also demanding for the full restoration of subsidies on fuel, meal meal, agriculture in puts and all essential commodities.
We can rightly confirm that the Government has a lot of money and we should not be misled into believing some rhetorics that the previous administration left empty coffers.
MPNVP – WE BELIEVE IN SOCIAL JUSTICE, EQUITY, NON DISCRIMINATION, CONSTITUTIONALISM AND FAIRNESS!