POLICE in Mpulungu have denied granting a permit to PF-UPND pact cadres who had wanted to hold a solidarity march to celebrate their victory in Kasama Central.
The cadres were yesterday planning to hold celebrations slated for today for their Kasama Central by – election victory but their plans were thwarted by police in the area.
In a statement co-signed by the pact’s district chairman Reuben Chisenga and District Secretary Muchinzi Mwazya, the two party officials stated that the solidarity march would not go ahead as planned.
And in a separate interview, Mr Mwazya expressed disappointment that police had infringed on their constitutional rights to assemble and freely express their feelings by denying them a permit.
He dismissed some of the reasons advanced by police to deny them a permit as flimsy.
Mr Mwazya, who also the Pact Secretary, said among the many reasons given by police were that the celebrations could have triggered a counter reaction from MMD cadres that could have endangered peace in the township.
He however noted that a celebration was not a protest of any kind and felt that police had treated his members unfairly because if MMD had won, they would have been allowed to celebrate without any restrictions.
Mr Mwazya also pointed out that it wouldn’t have been possible for the PF-UPND pact to have given police a seven day notice in advance as they were claiming because it was not clear who would emerge victorious in Kasama.
” The PF-UPND pact will now watch closely and with interest on how police will react if MMD wins any by-election in the near future. We shall closely observe how they are going to handle such a case,” Mr Mwazya stated.
Mwazya appealed to police to be professional and discharge their duties in the public interest.
He further added that his members were saddened because they had been denied a chance to celebrate together with their colleagues in Kasama, saying the Kasama central by- election was an important victory for the PF-UPND pact.
Efforts to get a comment from police in the area proved futile by press time.
The PF-UPND pact’s candidate Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba on Friday won the Kasama central by-election with 10 688 votes and was followed by MMD’s Burton Mugala who got 4184 votes.
ZANIS
Zambian leadership has hit rock bottom. I am not just talking RB but also the opposition and civil service. Young people under 40, this is our chance. Our parent’s generation has failed miserably and it is time we took over and show them how it is done.
But why ? atleast we need to cerebrate our victory
I am not a fan of the PF but am glad MMD has lost,for as long as it is Banda imposing himself on the party,MMD will not win come 2011,it’s actually a blessing in disguise that Banda wants to cling on to power,this is the beginning of the end for MMD!
mulekeni sata ateke
Zambia the kindergarten society where permission to go to the bathroom can only be granted by the state. Shameful.
When did retention of a seat you have been holding on and defending call for a demonstration? Let then converge at their party secretariat and din there with chicken and goat meat.
Wisi Boyi you are 100% Right. These ancestors have even infected HH with this rare Virus !
Our country is really in mess with RB and calibre of police officers we have. its obvious even for blind pig to see that as zambians especially opposition citizens to RB OR MMD regime have lost constitutional rights and democracy that have been invanded by RB Dictatorship kind of governing the nation. Its tantamount to deny pipo the right to assemble and peacefully celebrate in any given democratic society. Whats wrong with these cheap police officers?
VIVA PACT TULETEKA UNO MWAKA!!!!!
It is in the nature of human beings to plan reasonably but act irresponsibly. The battle is still on, so PF must keep on pressing forward. There’s enough time to celebrate once the victory is sealed.
When FTJ was aquitted the People of kasama went on the street celebrating, singing solidarity,shouting and dinning with the same FTJ,so why should ZP deny those that have won the election of central kasama to celebrate victory of governance? Viva pact PF- UPND
This is so wrong….. What kind of country is Zambia becoming if the same rules are not being applied across the board? These are the kind of things that puts off potential RBee and MMD supporters. Zambians are generally peaceful people. #7 Give HH a chance…those kind of comments do not encourage younger people to join politics. You will end up with a 100 year old if you keep attacking potential, intellectual Zambians……HH is the youngest candidate who has been brave enough to contest becoming president. Though we are still learning more about his leadership style…. give the man space to shine.
yayayay natemwa sana….I heard that even in Mansa people were celebrating the PACT’s win in Kasama. My brother told me that the all Luapula is for change and are telling Chiluba not to ever go there if he wants to live more in Zambia. They say Chiluba is a shame to luapula who failled to build even a toilet at his village Musangu…..PF/UPND please continue with hard work. Civilization is rullung the word. Change is what we want. Change, change.
If it were MMD celebrating their loss, they could have been given a permit. IG Kabondo and Commissioner Musamba mwapya guys.
Akatanshi takalisha!
it appears so many cops will be jobless soon if they continue harassing citizens who wish to exercise their rights. Sata is not the answer but we definetely nid youthful leadership to drive this country to higher heights. Ba RB is too tired , twachula pafula
I hope some policeman will read this. You are the lowest paid, poorest and live in sheet compounds and yet the most stupid people in Zed. People are actually fighting for a better life for you and all you do is deny yourselves a better government which will look after you. Muli fipuba ba buju.
One more thing Senior Citizen please take CHAPI with you too. Thank you.
Well done good nite all
But you allowed mmd in mansa to celebrate Kafupis acquital.
#6 Chapi, so what you ‘re saying is that if one is defending and they win they should not celebrate. So, if Italy wins the World Cup being the current holders they should not celebrate? Guys imwe your reasoning leaves us with a lot of thoughts about who we are dealing with and what we are headed for as a nation. What I was thinking was that if you retain your seat or whatever you have been holding that in fact calls for a greater jubilation as it signifies your superiority at that point. Celebration with the people who made you win is another form of paying your gratitude to those people who helped and made you win. Celebrations help heal a lot of stress. When people feel happy about something, stress is released. Ala bu Dictator starts with small things and bubi.
Banda’s tribalism is going to tear this country apart, he is now reported to be courting the MP for Livingstone Sakwiba Sikota for vice president to replace Kunda in order to win back support from Western province after realising that Southern and North-Western are gone while Northern is still firmly under the opposition. Even if Saka’s parents hail from Western province, he was born and brought up in Lusaka, Mansa, Rome and the UK. He has never lived in the Western province and he is not even MP from there, he’s Livingstone MP. So how will appointing him help people from Western? This is just stinking tribal bigotry.
Well, one has to be very blind in the extreme, the PK Chishala kind, not to see that Kanitundila has single handedly driven the MMD into a cul-de-sac (French word for dead end). The issue of dissolving the MMD provincial executive in the Western province and claiming he did not solicit for their support during the last polls has potential to fuel cessationistic sentiments we all know are laying low out there at the moment. It is therefore in the national interest of all citizens to remove this S T U P I D man from office before he breaks up our country. He can take his stubornness back to kumawa where he came from.
Can any blogger explain in plain English what tax system is being used for copper revenue from investors? How does it work ? I hear copper prices have gone up…. Can one explain the pro’s and con’s of abolishing the windfall tax? Was it wise to abolish windfall tax when it provided the main revenue to Zambia?
# 23, you are right. Abolishing the windfall tax does not make any sense. Levy fought hard to re-instate those taxes on these mining companies. This is what happens when we have a clueless prez, who only cares about his own pockets. Can any of the bloggers who are economists please break down how much Zambia is currently generating from copper? I bet we are getting peanuts. Based on such an absurd record, how can someone re-elect these…?
chi Sata chilemoneka bwino muli suit. Please God give me the grace to grow old and powerful like him!
#24
Removing the windfall tax was one of the best decisions the govt made considering the circumstances. We where hit hard with the global financial crisis and as in any business, labor is the first to go as it is easier to get rid of labor than capital. The goal to abolish the windfall tax was to save as many jobs as possible by reducing the cost of doing business for mining companies. This is why in comparison to many other mineral producing countries, job losses in Zambia where not as hard hit as countries like DRC and South Africa in the mining sector.
Re-instating the windfall tax at this point would prove to be counter productive as it would reduce investor confidence. Investors would view the govt as inconsistent and would refuse to do business in a nation with…
…with an inconsistent or unpredictable govt.
We can re-instate the windfall tax on a later date when things are more solid in the global economy. Re-instating it now just because the copper price is up would prove counter productive.
“Mr Mwazya, who also the Pact Secretary, said among the many reasons given by police were that the celebrations could have triggered a counter reaction from MMD cadres that could have endangered peace in the township.”
This is very true and I commend the cops for their top notch professionalism in insuring the citizens are secure. The last thing we need is a violent eruption in Kasama. Yes the elections are over, PF retained their seat in their stronghold and they do have a valid reason to celebrate something that was so obvious to begin with. That said, the cops are right in blocking this agitative victory match which has the potential to cause anarchy. Good job ZP.
#29 Capitalist. Ba guy imwe muli ci pool ba sana. Do you go out imwe? If a person a ble to use a computer can be as crap as you, then one feels sorry for those Zambians who can`t. How many districts marched in support when you guys freed Kafupi? Look Mr Dim Capitalist, savour the moment. But, remember what happened to UNIP? You guys are going exactly the same way. People will cry!
#28 Mr Dim Capitalist. “We can re-instate the windfall tax on a later date when things are more solid in the global economy”. As far as people are concerned it doest look like things (globally) will get better quickly hence the reason to kick you plonkers out and quickly. God I can`t imagine another five years with you guys after 2011! Blimey!
#29 capitalist,
of couse you have a varid point concerning the police permit, ecxept that you are using sand to bury oil.
I don’t want to say a lot about you yet, I just want to hear your reasoning reconcil with why the police gave MMD a permit to cerebrate FTJ’s acquital knowing very well that a lot of people in the nation as well as around the world were against it. in my own view, that permit would have been the one recite voilence UNLESS we agree that MMD cardres are naturally voilent and premitive.
#32 You are a little saddo ain`t you Mr Dim Capitalist?
Enough said by you fellow bloggers, l do appreciate all the points you have raised, why dont we join forces and rule zambia, otherwise we will just be complaining forever
Of course why should these cadres be given a permit to hold such a gathering? no sooner they hold this gathering MMD cadres would emerge to disrupt the gathering. The result would be violence.
Hats off to ZP for the denial of the permit, this is your role “maintaining peace and order”
Senior Citizen has learnt one lesson from the by-election in Kasama – never to make haste bets. Stick to your word Senior Citizen and never post anything on this blog. We’ll be watching you.
the police, judiciary, military, national service have all been taken over by the old headless chickens who have limited thinking capacity to think beyond thmselves as their leader is an ever bigger headless chicken (yes i’m talking about the useless president rupiah banda aka the tourist.
What is this chicken thinking about the fuel shortage?
A pipo get the leadership they dserve, so fellow blogers, no need to die of heart-attacks over the unbecoming behavior of RB, Sata would behave in a similar way(if not worse). Our worry now should be who is going to lead us after 2011. certainly, not RB, but I m not sure the current alternatives will be any better. My biggest let down has been HH
I agree with Mr Capitalist 100%.The last thing we need in Zambia is anarchy.The victory and support being enjoyed by PF-UPND pact is shortlived.I say so coz they havent yet chosen the presidential contestant in 2011.Once that is done,the pact will crumble,UPND wont accept HH as Veep and PF’s old Sata cant accept five years of vice presidency.I have no problem with HH being President coz iam assured that Zed is in safe hands but I have every problem with Sata’s populism which we all know is not feasible and if implemented will land us in economic trouble.
I am a BIG fan of PF and I am very happy about this victory. And why not celebrate, imwe ba pombozi?
And Wisi Boyi, what are you doing in AMerica-come back and be part of the struggle? If you can’t and you think you are young, then just shut your mouth.
#13, I have just been to Luapula. There’s no one apart from Kawimbe who is in support of RB and his MMD/UNIP. In fact if you go there all you see are Sata and PF posters. During Chiluba’s acquital celebration they had hire Lusaka buses to bring people from Lusaka to come and celebrate. So, attendees were Lusaka residents and curious children. Business was normal to Mansa residents during that day.
#20. It wasn’t Mansa residents, at all. It was Lusaka residents who came on hired buses (from Lusaka). Chiluba is a persona non-grata in that part of Zambia. I saw it with my own eyes.
#24(Glasnost or Openness in Russian)
Just to add on what Mr capitalist explained on windfall tax and how it save jobs.SA and DRC were worst hit in terms of job losses in the mining sector.The World bank MD Ngozi Akonjo said during the downturn DRC lost 250000 jobs compared to Zambian which lost 10 000.So economically,stripping off the windfall tax worked well for us.Levy introduced it coz we had a copper boom.
#44 Out of curiosity how many people does Zambian mining sector employ ? Additionally, how many managerial positions do they occupy? What kind of wages do they get?
#44 my concern is whether saving jobs in that sector balances up with the revenue lost by the country abolishing the windfall tax. Copper prices have gone up recently. Have we by any chance unwisely missed out on the revenue we would have recieved? How does the new tax system assure us we will partake in the profits in the future? In other words please break down the new tax system that has replaced windfall tax in plain English. Bloggers sorry for deviating from the topic on the election results.
#44 Could we not use the windfall tax profit to create jobs in other sectors like farming?
Wisi Boyi I’m with you. Youngsters should go into politics and remove these Nyamasoyas who simply dont have the energy, the verve to turn the nation around. We will be marking step while countries like South Korea speed past us. Remember at one time in the 60s we had a better economy than Korea but where are we now? Youngsters it is our country too!
Nya ma So’ya ne mpolyo shakwe batu setting’a pafula. Last week chali ma honking issues, lelo bajuba na ma celebrations. Nga naikala pali kalya kapuna i wil sort out utubantu tumo
The pact won and there is no way that the solidarity march would have been violent. They should have been allowed to enjoy their victory and glory.
#1, I agree with you. These old folks have failed us. So, next time the MMD go out in the strrets with police support, we’ll pray that lightning strikes them. It’s the only thing that can deny them a permit, too. RB is a disgrace to the human race.
#43, tell us more about kafupi being a persona non grata in his own province. And Tonga Steel, law and order, my foot, wena mulumbu!
# 38, you got a point. garbage in, garbage out. We as a people have failed ourselves. And yes, Sta would be worse than Adi Amin. He’s a big mouth, empty, educationless, parochial. I know him personally, even though I was much younger then.
No 1 “Wisi Boyi” you are the man… thats the language we need going forward guys. We actually have hit rock bottom. Its just gabbage that I’m seeing right now in our current leadership.