ZAMBIA is running away from being a lawful country and it’s becoming a lawless nation, says Nevers Mumba.
Mumba says President Edgar Lungu does not respect the law and has challenged him to distance himself from individuals who are blatantly defying the law using his name.
The MMD president gave a statement on activities of nominated member of parliament Raphael Nakacinda to destablise the former ruling party in defiance of judicial authority.
Mumba said Zambia at the moment stands in disarray as there was little or no respect for the rule of law by leaders and the led.
He said the strength of a government or community was in the ability to keep and respect the law.
“When the law is not respected, that community begins to disintegrate; there is no progress whether it’s in the economic sector or in the rebuilding of the political, social life of the people,” Mumba said. “And there is this issue where many people think a little corruption here, a little disobedience to the law there makes you achieve your personal goals; it may help you…but it actually affects the overall life of the nation and its chances to succeed.”
Mumba said adherence to the rule of law was what produces a civilised society and creates room for productivity and wealth creation.
He noted that many Africans were running to Europe to go and be part of systems that work, where citizens and their governors obeyed the law.
“Somebody who is in government cannot use that privilege to disobey the law. Zambia is suffering from a lack of respect of the law from both leaders and the led. In fact, to run a nation in respect of the rule of law is dependent on the type of leadership that you install into government,” Mumba said.
“A moral leadership will insist that the law be applied equitably to all. In fact, corruption is a sign that a particular society condones lawlessness.”
He warned that the end result of such behaviour was poverty for the majority and excessive riches for the privileged few.
“We need to find out why corruption has taken root in all sectors of our government. Why is the police service so compromised, for instance? Why is the judicial system under such great threat continually?” Mumba questioned. “When leaders disrespect the law, the entire spectrum of society crumbles.”
Mumba said Zambia had broken down because the leadership had no respect for the law.
“My vision as president of the Movement for Multiparty Democracy and as elected president next year is to ensure we place the rule of law at the centre of the success story of our country,” he said.
Mumba talked about how in 2016, a group of MMD members rebelled against his leadership and organised an illegal convention in Kabwe.
“They corrupted the police who had gone there to stop them because the government of the Patriotic Front told the police to put a blind eye,” Mumba explained.
He said the PF protected the rebels in Kabwe to host the illegal convention.
Mumba said in Lusaka, the rebels, with PF help corrupted and arm-twisted the Registrar of Societies to change the names, illegally and against the law, and placed the rebels’ names as new leaders, which created a crisis in MMD.
He explained that after three and half years the High Court declared the convention illegal.
Mumba said at the time, President Lungu had already rewarded some of individuals (Felix Mutati and later on Raphael Nakacinda) that created the pseudo MMD.
“Unfortunately, after the ruling, President Lungu made a statement that he does not recognise the judgment of the court and decided to continue working with the illegal group which continued to masquerade as leaders of the MMD. It looks and feels good if you are doing it for yourself but it kills the nation,” Mumba said. “You are opening doors to lack of discipline in the nation that may take years to repair.”
Mumba said he did not expect President Lungu would solidly stand with the losers and tell them that they were still MMD with whom he had an alliance.
He wondered whether President Lungu understands the repercussions of those activities.
Mumba said Zambians were watching the President disregard and dismiss the authority of the judiciary.
“I think Zambians, we need to come to a place if we want to be serious to build a state, a nation of respect and repute; if we don’t respect the law, we are not a nation. Animals live in the bush without a law as we know it. They have a jungle law where they know who is more powerful than the other and they give respect accordingly. Zambia is running away from being a lawful country and it’s becoming a lawless nation and it’s being led by the highest offices in the land,” he said.
Mumba said President Lungu’s actions empowers people like Nakacinda to do things that were in defiance of norms and the law.
“Raphael Nakacinda cannot do any of what he does if he is not doing it in the name of the President,” he said.
Mumba said after the court ruling, Mutati respected the court decision and stepped aside but Nakacinda had continued with President Lungu’s support.
“We see it that way because regardless of how we put it, Nakacinda is an appointee of President Lungu as a nominated member of parliament. In other ways, wherever Nakacinda goes and his activities represent, to a greater extent, the wishes of his appointing authority,” he said. “And it’s the truth because in the absence of that name of the President, Raphael Nakacinda cannot disobey the entire High Court. Raphael Nakacinda cannot hold a meeting where the police are looking at him and doing nothing, except that he is using the name of the President to do what he does.”
Mumba said his concern was not for Nakacinda per se but for the Presidency and the country.
“The Presidency is being tarnished and being branded as an institution that is in rebellion against its own institutions. If the President today, as he has said before, does not believe in the judgment that reinstituted me as president of MMD, which other judgment is the President going to believe and respect? None,” he said.
Mumba noted that last weekend Nakacinda again defied the court and held a meeting he arrogantly called a national executive committee meeting of MMD.
He said the police knowing that he had broken the law even after being alerted of the criminal intention, still allowed him to go ahead with the meeting.
“This explains why Zambia is politically and economically in disarray. The powers that be have no respect for the rule of law. My advice to the President is to appeal to him to distance himself from individuals who are breaking the law with impunity in the name of being close to the President,” Mumba said. “Mr Nakacinda is causing a lot of damage to the Presidency. The interpretation is that it is President Lungu who is using Raphael Nakacinda to break the law while he remains the President’s nominated member of parliament. It doesn’t sit well to the President today, it doesn’t sit well with him when he leaves the presidency. We must never sacrifice the rule of law on the altar of political expedience.”
Mumba noted that recently Rwanda raised a concern through someone who testified in court that President Lungu was involved in helping some rebel group in that country.
“A situation, which from a diplomatic point of view we must fight because it doesn’t sound right. The problem I have is when I look at the involvement of His Excellency the President in the matter of MMD, how you carefully and willingly supported a rebel group within MMD and ensure that even when they lost at court, you continue to prop them up as a rebel group to continue to destabilise a democratically elected leadership of MMD, in the testimony and witness of the Rwandan case, it might complicate the testimony that if there is a precedent here, it might weaken our argument there,” said Mumba. “My advice to the President is to distance himself from people like Nakacinda who go out to blatantly defy the judicial system of our country in broad daylight.
We deeply appeal to the President to lay his hands off the Movement for Multiparty Democracy. We also appeal to the former president of our party, Rupiah Banda, in the name of God, support us in what we are doing. You may not like us, you may not like our tribe, our approach, but just like you were supported when you were president, we seek your support…To work behind the scenes and continue to destablise the organisation is creating anarchy in the nation.”