Dear Editor,
Fred M’membe, the owner of The Post newspaper, and one of the key people at the axis of the Patriotic Front’s axis of evil, has again spewed something that has become of his tabloid—propaganda trash.
Maybe M’membe had too much to eat during his belated Matebeto three weeks ago that the metabolism function of his body has been impaired to an extent of corrupting his mental faculties.
If that’s the case, he needs the nearest toilet to release the pressure that has built within his body to restore his normal thinking.
Better still, he probably needs to stay away from writing misleading editorials in his newspaper and concentrate on knitting his broken marriage to Mutinta Mazoka by hosting more Matebetos at Ku Malende farm.
It is astonishing and preposterous for M’membe to suggest that former president Rupiah Banda has been instigating a regime change in Zambia by embarking on an international campaign aimed at discrediting Zambia.
M’membe will do well to admit that the problems that Zambia is faced with today have nothing to with Rupiah or this alleged international campaign.
To the contrary, the retired president has actually been watching from the terraces as the PF have been on a self-inflicted destruction course and free-fall since assuming the reigns of power.
After all, when the time for regime changes arrives, it will have nothing to do with the international community. They don’t vote. Zambians do.
The government’s waning popularity has everything to do with the PF’s deceit, lack of foresight and lack of clear-cut policy direction.
It is these factors that have made Zambians realise that people like M’membe and Sata duped them into believing into phenomenon called change when the previous devil was actually better than the angel they trusted would steer them into the promised land.
The brutal fact is that Zambians have come to a point of asking for their pound of the election flesh and this is what is making the PF and M’membe start concocting lies because the shit has now hit the fan.
It is not Rupiah that promised people more money in their pockets but instead introduced subsidies. It is not Rupiah that promised Zambians a new constitution in 90 days but has so far taken more than 18 months to hatch.
It is not Rupiah that promised Zambians the restoration of the Barotse agreement but later on started arresting whoever reminded Sata about this promise.
It is not Rupiah who has increased fuel prices, barred the opposition from having public rallies, beats up people who assemble even in churches, has a cabinet full of relatives and concubines.
It is not Rupiah who has been revoking licences for all privately owned radio stations not succumbing to air the PF’s propaganda material.
It is not Rupiah who is protecting M’membe from paying the K18 billion debt owed to Zambians or making Sata reduce the presidency to idiocy even at international level. Indeed it is not Rupiah that has put so much pressure on the judiciary by illegally appointed his relative as supreme court judge.
It is not Rupiah who is so superstitious that freaks out at the sight of bald-headed men or is it Rupiah who since after taking over the reigns of power has seen the country experience a spate of road accidents and deaths that many citizens suspect are of a ritual nature.
Or is it Rupiah who has been inducing by-elections at a huge cost to the tax payer at the expense of national development and is forever antagonising the church, deporting people perceived to be enemies of his business associates and is on a war-path with the Bemba royal estbalishment?
Or is it Rupiah who has made diplomats accredited to Zambia live like little rats scared of a cat by threatening to expel them for saying anything that is perceived to be anti-government?
Is it Rupiah who fired everyone who served in Zambia’s missions abroad and replaced them with party cadres and relatives to the detriment of the country’s international relations and image?
Is it Rupiah who, together with his vice president, lack basic diplomatic etiquette that has risked Zambia’s international diplomatic ties with the United States and South Africa?
Is it Rupiah that has reduced these same diplomats to useful idiots who will only comment on matters that suit the government like supporting subsidies?
It is not Rupiah who is forging relations with rogue nations like Pakistan, Sudan, Cuba and has best friends like Robert Mugabe.
But instead it Rupiah whose policies and foresight brought about sound economic successes like single digit inflation, increased investment activities, bumper harvests, increased democratic practises by not abusing the public order act, a spirit of unity and togetherness by not arresting opposition leaders.
It is Rupiah whose humility and dignity brought so much honour to the presidency. It is Rupiah who looked beyond tribal and regional boundaries and led an all-inclusive cabinet.
It is Rupiah whose works during his presidency draw so much admiration that his living-room cabinet is littered with so many international awards since he lost the 2011 election and gracefully bowed out.
M’membe will do well by answering the following questions: why have sales of your newspapers dropped to an all-time low? If it were Rupiah, Frederick Chiluba and Levy Mwanawasa (MTSRIP) who performed and ruled Zambia in the manner Sata has done, were you going to be this quiet?
M’membe should stop behaving like that famous former Iraqi information minister Muhammed Saeef al-Sahaf who misled Sadam Hussein into believing that his troops were pounding western forces before Hussein was later toppled and killed.
Sata and the state machinery would do well to see through M’membe’s deception through making them believe all is well when infact not.
Or indeed M’membe will do well by rediscovering his old glorious self by telling it as it is. Actually maybe M’membe needs sympathy.
The problem is that he is heavily entangled in the PF cobweb because the people he propelled so much have actually spectacularly failed.
If characters like George Mpombo, Father Frank Bwalya and Mike Mulongoti can sense that the writing is on the wall for PF, only a fool can blame Rupiah and the international community and media for accurately reporting what is happening in Zambia.
PF would actually do well by start building on the good foundation Rupiah actually for them and start implementing their populist ideas (if they are achievable).
Then there will be no need to blame others like Rupiah.
Concerned Citizen Of Zambia