WE will ask our son Cornelius Mweetwa to apologise if President Edgar Lungu apologises for his ministers’ uncouth outbursts against the people of Southern Province, says chief Hamusonde.
He is asking the PF leadership not to take people for a ride.
“They forget that they are the ones that have caused worse transgressions against us,” he said. “We have been insulted left, right and centre by people who are not even our traditional cousins, talk of [PF deputy secretary general] Mumbi Phiri, [livestock minister] Professor Nkandu Luo and more recently [commerce minister] Christopher Yaluma whose wife is a Tonga by the family name of Hamanenga. We have a young boy in Choma Kebby Mbewe (PF member of the central committee) whose mother hails from Macha and yet he behaves as if he was born from some woman from Mars.”
Hamusonde (r) says the people of Monze utilised their freedom of expression to send a message of their frustrations when they booed President Lungu recently.
Choma Central UPND member of parliament Mweetwa has refused to apologise to Vice-President Inonge Wina over remarks in which he is alleged to have attacked her persona during a television programme.
The UPND deputy spokesperson has asked why “a liar” in Vice-President Wina should be let scot-free in Parliament, while he is told to apologise for pointing out her lies.
In February this year, Mweetwa appeared on a Lusaka-based Diamond Television programme dubbed Costa, on which he remarked that it was “shameful and shallow” for Vice-president Wina to insinuate that gassers could be agitating for regime change.
In the same month, lands minister Jean Kapata raised a point of order in Parliament against Mweetwa on the alleged remarks.
National Assembly Speaker Patrick Matibini in his ruling last Friday said: “In view of the foregoing, I find Mr C Mweetwa, MP, to have been out of order and in breach of parliamentary privilege and in contempt of the House. In view of the foregoing, I’ve decided to admonish him in accordance with Section 28(1)(b) of the National Assembly Powers and Privileges Act CAP 12 of the Laws of Zambia.”
“I’ll now address you Mr C Mweetwa, MP. Mr C Mweetwa, MP, your description of her honour the Vice-President as shallow and shameful amounted to a personal attack on her honour the Vice-President. This is because the words ‘shallow and shameful’ were deposed to describe her honour the Vice-President. And in view of the position she holds as Vice-President of the Republic of Zambia and leader of government business in the House, your description of her in those terms were demeaning and highly disrespectful,” Dr Matibini said. “As a long serving member in this august House, it is most unfortunate that you conducted yourself in a manner you did. And your misconduct has the potential of lowering the integrity and decorum of this House. As an honourable member, your conduct should be above reproach both in and outside the House. The House is in this regard extremely displeased with your conduct. I expect that in future you abide by the rules of the House and avoid such misconduct. A repetition of such misconduct will definitely attract a stiffer penalty. You may proceed to tender your apology.”
When Mweetwa stood, he said: “Thank you very much, Mr Speaker, for inviting me to this House, I was last here in March. And thank you, Mr Speaker, for asking me to come and apologise for the statement I made in reference to a statement made by her honour the Vice-President in what I believe was in furtherance of my enjoyment of my freedom of speech as entrenched in the Bill of Rights of the Constitution of Zambia. Mr Speaker, asking me to apologise is like asking me to stop breathing. I made it abundantly clear to your commit that I…”
Dr Matibini interrupted Mweetwa and ordered him to take a seat.
After being reminded by the Speaker that he was not the first one to be asked to apologise, Mweetwa still refused.
Commenting on the matter, Hamusonde said it was folly to ask Mweetwa to apologise when the Tonga-speaking people have been demanding that President Lungu fires any of his ministers that insults the southerners.
“The PF leadership is very quick to take offence of any actions that stem out of Southern Province. They are quick to link anything that they are not happy with to the UPND and Southern Province traditional leaders. They forget that they are the ones that have caused worse transgressions against us,” he said. “We have been insulted left, right and centre by people who are not even our traditional cousins, talk of [PF deputy secretary general] Mumbi Phiri, [livestock minister] Professor Nkandu Luo and more recently [commerce minister] Christopher Yaluma whose wife is a Tonga by the family name of Hamanenga. We have a young boy in Choma Kebby Mbewe (PF member of the central committee) whose mother hails from Macha and yet he behaves as if he was born from some woman from Mars. I have followed with keen interest the issue of Choma Central member
of parliament Cornelius Mweetwa and that he is being asked to apologise. But I personally want to say that I will ask my friends (chiefs) in the province to compel him (Mweetwa) to apologise only if President Edgar Lungu apologises for his ministers’ uncouth outbursts against the people of Southern Province. Without that apology we will
ask him to continue on his path and tell the PF leadership that white is white and that it can never be black. God through his son Jesus in Luke 6:31 advises to: ‘Do to others as you would have them do to you’.”
Hamusonde added that the recent booing of President Lungu in Monze was a clear sign that people don’t like being taken for a ride.
“When people are aggrieved they can resort to any actions and I am happy that the people of Monze just used their voices to express their frustrations. They were not violent, they just booed and that is a good signal to the PF that don’t take people for a ride,” said Hamusonde.