Maureen refutes Times story on 2011 presidential ambition
FORMER first lady Maureen Mwanawasa (above) has said she wants to live a private and quiet life away from politics.
According to the Post, Maureen when clarifying the lead story published in the Times of Zambia on September 4, 2009 where she was quoted as having said that she would vie for the Republican Presidency in 2016 and that she currently backed President Rupiah Banda for the 2011 election, said politics was not a priority in her daily life.
“I want to put matters clear and state that I was misquoted by the Times of Zambia Newspaper dated Friday, September 4th 2009 with a headline MAUREEN EYES PRESIDENCY…backs Banda For 2011 Polls. The news has traumatised me, my family and friends as it has painted me as being active in politics and being judged as such,” she said. “I want to state that I want to live a private and quiet life away from political limelight and acclamatise especially after the demise of my late husband. I do not want to discuss politics as priority in my daily life and I want to be left alone to concentrate on my family welfare.”
Maureen said she only told the reporter that she had interest in leading the country but that she did not know when the opportunity would come.
“I confirm that I had an interview with Sam Phiri a reporter from Times of Zambia on 31st August 2009 at my office and this was upon their request that I give a story on how life has been since my late husband’s death, president Mwanawasa. I gave my story and in conclusion he asked me whether I had any political ambition,” she narrated.
“My response was clear and precise to the effect that what I had was a passion to one day lead this country but that I do not know when such an opportunity would occur. I remain a committed MMD member. The reporter said that the story would be published as a feature and as a build-up to the speech I gave on 19th August 2009 during the memorial service of the late president Levy Patrick Mwanawasa SC.”
She explained that she was later called by the same reporter to re-do the interview another day so that it could be recorded.
“Two days later, Mr Phiri telephoned me to inform me that his boss Mrs [Janet] Ilunga will not publish the story because it was not recorded on tape and that he wanted another opportunity to repeat the interview and this time on tape. My response was simple, I told him that I was quite busy until after 3rd September 2009 and that I would phone him to agree on the time and date. He agreed and told me that the first interview will be put away since it was not taped. I agreed to that arrangement,” Maureen said.
She said she was surprised to see the story in the newspaper despite the earlier arrangement that the interview be redone.
“To my surprise and disbelief, I saw the said shouting and disturbing headline in the Times of Zambia. Immediately I phoned Mr Phiri to express my belief and disappointment and asked him at what point did I express[ly] say what they had quoted. I demanded an apology,” she said.
Maureen said despite her demand for an apology from the newspaper, she could not get one.
“I was annoyed with him and I was made to speak to his boss Mrs Ilunga [to] whom I expressed my disappointment and asked for an apology for the misrepresentation. Mrs Ilunga told me that it was not possible for them to carry an apology but that my feature story would cure the misrepresentation the following day,” she explained.
“The feature was carried in [the] Times of Zambia on 5th September 2009, but it did not cure the misrepresentation and many people did not even read it.”
She said she has been forced to speak out through another medium because the Times of Zambia had chosen not to correct the misrepresentation.
“Efforts to get the Times newspaper to apologise have been futile. I have decided to explain this issue in detail with another media because the Times of Zambia is adamant to make my position clear. The media should also not make capital out of a misrepresentation,” said Maureen.
On Friday last week, Maureen was quoted in the Times of Zambia as having said that she would stand for the 2016 presidency.
The newspaper also quoted her as having said that she supported President Banda’s sole candidature for the 2011 election.
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Ba Maureen remember you have to fight RB With the anointed ones.Or is it because Kafupi will be campaigning for RB as well – fearing to share same stage. Chickened out too early wonderful akanwa fye abana ifyuma mwakata bane.
nachilabako i hate u so much -you have no blessings from the people swine
mukafwa entanga-nana just because of money ba maureen sure- she is just after money half salary is not enough she wants to be president so that she can be gettin a full salary ba mayo is a thief she is jst after money nuthi else period.
Mukafwilwa a i bumbamo. She expected mass support but instead we told her mukamfwilwa bwelela bakaye kufunda by alangizi like Sata told you during the funeral of your husband. The idiot had strength to escort the dead body and antagonisig other morners like sata who was a reconciled friend of the late Dr Mwanawasa. Even ordering police to manhandle mr. sata. Shame to mukamfwolwa.Presidency is not yours.
Maureen has just been intimidated! I’m sure she has beenh told what Professor Chirwa was told categorically. You can’t come in late in the draw and start stealing the show. Go back to the grassroots. If she wants to stay out of politics she should stay away from newspaper interviews for a while! Otherwise she might collapse mysteriously, like her husband did. In Zambian politics, I’m being informed that nowadays if you can’t win by the ballot box at the first attempt, just clear the guy who won so that there is a mid-term by-election. You may win the second time around. You can’t wait for 5 years to pass…!!
She is in politics! but she wants to hide because of the benefits she may lose people are crooks at the cole..
I agree with Ndine below, They is little contradiction between the Times of Zambia artical and the refuting artical in the Post, In the Post Ms Manawasa indicates she has interest of leading the nation, but does not know the period when she will govern. The only misrepresentation is the period put across by The Times Newspaper of contesting in 2016 while the facts of intending to cntest are true. I do not think they story would have made any difference if the headline was ” Maureen Mwanawasa intends to conven the country”. This could still have aroused the same debate as contesting in 2016. Can someone please advise the major difference in the two stories.
Am wondering why the Madam is being bothered by the story? The problem is she wants to eat with both hands. Actions speak louder than words! people will judge you according to the way you conduct yourself….period!.
Am wondering why the Madam is bothered by the story? May be she wants to eat with both hands. Actions speak louder than words! people will judge you according to the way you conduct yourself. Period!
she can go to Gabon
zambia is not a monarchy…..
Mukundakufwa Wamulume is drank…
Now Don Banda- lets not fight World Wide Web wars please! I am shocked to note that despite the considerable number of articles available on the internet, claiming about the advantages of internet blogging, still only few understand the whole concept. Perhaps, those people who fail to understand the importance of blogging fail to know the purpose of it. I guess many also don’t have a clue when the World Wide Web started and who invented it. For the purpose of the comrade blogger Don Banda who doubts my sanity about my contribution,Mathew 5;27-28 and its linkage to the Maurene article, its only 20 years ago since the research paper that designed the basics of the World Wide Web was submitted by Tim Berners-Lee. It was another 17 months following this invention before the first web site saw the light of the day in August 1991. Since then we have seen dramatic progress of course.
The web has gone from pages of text that could have interconnecting links, to online shopping, video, user-generated content, social networking and a host of other features which were not even envisaged 20 years ago. The web has been used for crime, prostitution, fraud, insults as the ones I have seen on this site and even child abuse – yet it still continues to attract more and more of us to lead much of our lives through it.
Now, there is a new use – unpredicted 20 years ago – “behavioral targeting”. In this, companies like Google will be able to monitor your every move and provide advertising that is specific to you and your apparent needs – as judged by a measure of your online behavior. This is a use too far for the inventor of the Web and Sir Tim Berners-Lee is now lobbying widely to prevent such an invasion of privacy via the Web.
Things often don’t develop the way originators think they will go. After all, the inventors of the computer thought there would only ever be the need for one on each continent…! The inventors of Twitter probably never thought it would become a crisis management tool either. And Sir Tim Berners-Lee probably didn’t envisage much of what we can now obtain via the Web.
So, you have to wonder what will happen in the next 20 years. It seems certain that other senses will be added. At the moment the web is purely visual and auditory, but before long tactile features will arrive as will smell. The 3D web is already with us and will become much more commonplace before too long. And then, in the not too distant future, the linking of biological systems to computing will be improved, enabling a whole new set of ways of using the World Wide Web – like copying the entire contents of your brain to a web site…! Now Mr/Dr./Prof or whatever you are [Don Banda] if you still doubt my sanity go see some Witch Doctor in the shanty compound you reside but call mu tauni-they are indeed in your league. Just read thorough my contribution and THINK through it! And if you still don’t see the linkage then God Forbid- with people like you mother Zambia has no chance on planet earth…
Madam needs to choose and she must do that carefully. If she needs to politik, she is free, but the pension fund will not apply. If she remains in the background like super Ken, she will enjoy the cake freely. I suppose she has alot to offer to the country, not only in politics, but social movements? Armed with a legal degree, surely one can dedicate a to motivating or sponsoring young girls to be lawyers. Currently, It is only the disease of seeking limelight that may kill her. It seems most of us Zambians believe that one can only make it as a politician. It is may be to do with the salary levels and prestige given to politicians.
May be Senior Citizen cooked the report. I withdraw my vicious attack on Maureen when I was known as Tribalist.
Mukundakufwa Wamulume, are you normal? What is the nonsense you have posted which have no relevance to what we are discussing?
Matthew 5:27-28
(27) “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ (28) But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
God’s Word obviously shows that not every desire is wrong (Proverbs 4:5-9). It is no sin to desire knowledge, understanding, and wisdom. God’s law is “more to be desired . . . than much fine gold” (Psalm 19:10). It is not wrong to desire a godly spouse. Learning is valuable, and desiring godly character is good. Others have good qualities that we might well desire for ourselves.
The word translated “lust” in Matthew 5:28 means “to set one’s heart upon.” But when the object desired is legitimately beyond the reach of the admirer, when admiration becomes a desire to get, one breaks the commandment. Desire of and by itself is not wrong, but desiring what belongs to another to such a degree that it dominates our thinking and motivates us to take other unlawful actions to possess the object is sin. Such covetousness often suppresses the far more important things of God—and may even cause one to forget them altogether.
When desire builds to the breaking point, people will lie, steal, commit adultery, dishonor parents, and even murder to have what they lust after. We might also break the Sabbath and destroy our witness for God by serving our desires. Truly, Paul was correct in Colossians 3:5: “Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.” Breaking the tenth commandment brings us full circle through the commandments and back to the first.
There is nothing wrong, however, in merely wanting something. It is only wrong to want something so badly that we would break every law to get it, be sick with unhappiness without it, or so occupied with it that we push God out of our lives. To desire a better life does not break the command; to enter the race to keep up with the Joneses does. To want our children to have it better than we did is natural; it becomes evil only when its purpose distorts the child’s values.
To love pretty things is normal. God loves beauty and has created it. We can appreciate beautiful things, but to desire them to show them off and arouse envy in others is evil. It is not wrong to desire the needs of life and even its luxuries, but a feverish passion for more—and the action it incites—breaches God’s law.
Chickened out. Coward
The truth is that she said those things to the reporter. But as she admits, they will think iam active in politics. What is she afraid of? Simple. She gets half the salary of Levy but that will be withdrawn if she is involved in politics. This woman is evil
I am not supprised, Times of Zambia wanted to please some political circles. Even if Mrs. Mwanawasa was interested in giving it a go in 2016, there is no way she would announce now. Mrs. Mwanawasa is smart enough. Wish her the best and if she stood, i would give her my vote. Mrs. Mwanawasa is much smarter than most of these thieves (men) who have failed to earn a living in private life and have rushed into politics for easy money.
TETA IS NO MORE …MHSRP MAYBE SHE CAN GIVE IT A GO
BUT WHY IS SHE BEING SEEN WITH RB ON GOVT BUSINESS TRAVELLING WITH RB …
I do not doubt the authenticity of the Times’ story. She was just testing the water which has scolded her. It would have been a different story had the people warmed up to her idea of standing in the 2016 Presidential Elections. I have heard from the grapevine that she is not being paid her pension emoluments. If she is still active politically according to the FTJ Presidential Pension Emolument Act of 1991 you can not be paid the pension emolument if you are still active in politics.
hmmmmmmmmm!!!! had it been the post who carried that story…..it could have been M’membe this M’membe that…but thank God its the Goverment owned paper!!!!
Its difficult to understand what Maureen is refuting when according to paragraph 4 of this statement -”Maureen said she only told the reporter that she had interest in leading the country but that she did not know when the opportunity would come.” Its clear that she was quoted correctly except maybe for the time. I see no basis for the Times of Zambia to apologise to her. Thats the problem of wanting to be in the limelight.