Kambwili
Retired senior army officer and Kitwe citizen Major Anthony Chabu has reported Chishimba Kambwili to the police and has further written to the chief resident magistrate over his tribal talk on ZNBC’s Sunday Interview recently.
In an interview after reporting the matter, Major Chabu prayed that the police would, in the spirit of justice, open a docket and summon Kambwili just like they summoned veteran politician Vernon Mwaanga over vote rigging remarks after Bowman Lusambo and Cosmo Mumba reported him to the police.
Featuring on ZNBC’s Sunday Interview, Kambwili, the information minister and chief government spokesperson, said the people of Southern Province would rather vote for a stone from their region than a human being from another province, adding that even Jesus would lose an election in Southern Province if he stood on another party other than the UPND.
“At the moment, there is one political party in this country, which is so tribal to the extent that even if you bring Jesus Christ to stand against their president in the area where they come from, they will reject Jesus! They will not vote for Jesus Christ,” said Kambwili.
But Maj Chabu said Kambwili’s utterances on national television were extremely provocative and irresponsible and could cause serious rift among people if he was not punished.
Maj Chabu wondered why President Edgar Lungu was quiet when Kambwili was busy mocking and provoking the people of a region of Zambia on tribal lines.
He said many Zambians would be interested to know if the law was being applied fairly and further hoped that the same way Mwaanga was summoned will be the same way Kambwili will be made to appear before the police and appropriate action taken.
And in a letter addressed to chief resident magistrate in Kitwe and district officer commanding, Maj Chabu stated that Kambwili’s language was conduct likely to cause breach of the peace.
“I hereby raise a complaint against the above mentioned Cabinet minister. I have a feeling that his tribal statement, especially the statement he made on ZNBC Sunday Interview dated January 10, 2016 and printed in The Post Newspaper edition number 7025 dated Tuesday January 12, 2016 where he was quoted saying ‘If Jesus was to stand on another party other than the UPND, Jesus can be rejected by the people of Southern Province’,” Maj Chabu stated. “He (Kambwili) further said the people of Southern Province can vote for a stone from their region other than a human being from another province.”
He stated that Kambwili’s remarks made sad reading and were unacceptable for a country built on One Zambia One Nation motto.
Maj Chabu stated that such language was likely to breach the peace in the nation, considering that it was coming from a senior Cabinet minister and government spokesperson.
“Tribal sentiments can bring genocide in the country as it happened in Rwanda. I further advise the PF government to be consistent in its utterings. At some stage, they are talking against tribalism, at another, they are promoting it like what Kambwili, who is government spokesperson, did,” stated Maj Chabu. “I urge the police officer commanding, ZP Kitwe, to open a docket on this matter or the chief resident magistrate to do the proceedings with this case, whichever is the fastest.”
THE POST