Zambia - Sata warns politicians inciting chiefs to revolt against PF Government

TIME PUBLISHED - Wednesday, December 7, 2011, 7:05 pm

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President Michael Sata

President Michael Sata has warned that the law will be fully applied on politicians who are mobilising and inciting chiefs and people in North-Western Province to revolt against the Patriotic Front (PF) which was duly elected government.
This is contained in a press statement released to the media by special assistant to the president for Press and public relations George Chellah.
According to the statement, the President has been briefed on the subversive activities by some known opposition politicians inciting their royal highnesses in the region to make demands that are tantamount to black-mailing government on some issues including public service appointments pertaining to the provincial administration of North-Western Province.
At a Provincial Council of Chiefs Meeting held on 3rd December 2011 in Kabompo, chiefs presented two documents that contained demands that are identical to the ones being championed by a group seeking to undermine the PF government so that on-going corruption investigations against them could be stopped.
The President warns that no citizen, regardless of their status in society must abuse the freedom of speech and association to engage in activities promoting a revolt against a democratically elected government.
“My government was elected with a clear mandate to steer the affairs of state for the next five years and those with grievances have an option to seek legal recourse but not to mobilise any section of society into a revolt or any other subversive activities. This borders on treasonable acts and the law will take its course,” President Sata says.
“Whilst acknowledging that some regions of the country did not vote for us and that does not mean we have no jurisdiction over those areas. And that does not mean we are sidelining any region. We are doing our very best to allocate resources and appointments equitably.”
The President notes the order of an electoral democracy is such that those who lose elections are expected to remain loyal to the fundamental legitimacy of the state by accepting the will of the people expressed through the ballot. Whilst legitimate opposition is to be tolerated, the President does not accept that some people must take advantage of the broad freedoms government has provided to undermine the basic foundations upon which the unity of the state is built.
“Zambia is a unitary state derived from the constitution as the supreme law of the land and it shall remain as such. Our government will always remain open to genuine dialogue on national issues but will not be blackmailed,” President Sata says.
“On that basis, as Commander-in-Chief, I have instructed the security wings to deal with anybody inciting any form of instability. No one must use this transition period to destabilize the country. We have just come from the polls and people expressed their free will and no one has a right to frustrate that collective resolve.”
Meanwhile the President has advised some elements seeking to cause confusion over the ongoing process to resolve the problems in Western Province to keep away from such activities.