Opposition UPND President Hakainde Hichilema says a lot of serving PF and MMD Members of Parliament will join the opposition UPND when parliament is dissolved.

The UPND Leader boasts that a lot of serving PF and MMD MPs have seen that the UPND is the only progressive party in the country.

Mr. Hichilema boasts that a lot of them are just waiting to get their gratuity and that when parliament is dissolved; there is no doubt that they will join him.

Meanwhile, the UPND Leader has called on president Lungu to emulate late Republican President Levy Mwanawasa who never tolerated violence in the country.

He says when Dr. Mwanawasa came into office he found violence but that he managed to stamp it out.

And Former Commerce, Trade and Industry Minister Felix Mutati says Zambia’s economy has continued to limp because of lack of implementation skills on the part of government.

Mr. Mutati says if the country is to make head ways in economic recovery, government should improve its implementation skills.

Mr. Mutati says a few days ago the World Bank announced that it will provide about US$600 million to support the agriculture sector but wonders if this will successfully be implemented because of the history the nation has.

He has encouraged the government to ensure that they break all barriers that prevent it from effectively implement programs that are aimed at transforming the nation

Governance Activist Maurice Malambo has observed that President Lungu has responded positively to the social and economic challenges that have hit the nation.

Mr. Malambo feels that the Head of State has unreservedly performed well in his one year of being in office despite coming into office at the time the nation was going through challenging moments.

Mr. Malambo says as for the challenges in the mining sector, developed countries like Australia has suffered set backs as more than seven mines have been shut down while Zambia has managed to keep these mines running despite job losses.

He says in the energy sector, despite prolonged hours of load shedding, the nation is better than countries such as Tanzania which have shut down some of their power stations.

The Governance Activist has also counseled the opposition not to criticize everything done by the party in government but give credit where it is due.

And Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia (EFZ) has commended President Edgar Lungu for the commitment he has shown towards God.

EFZ Executive Director Pukuta Mwanza says the love president Lungu has demonstrated towards God and his people can attract a blessing for the country.

Rev. Mwanza says the head of state has shown that he understand that on his own, he cannot run the country but need to put God first and also respect God’s people and learn from them.

He says leaders in the country should learn from President Lungu’s humility and let God’s will prevail in the country and also in their lives.

Rev. Mwanza stresses that Zambia is headed for a break through if its leaders will continue to show love for God and allow him to lead.

THE Foundation for Democratic process (FODEP) in Livingstone has urged the Government to expeditiously facilitate funding for Mobile Voter Registration exercise.

FODEP Livingstone District chairperson Gideon Musonda said the number of unregistered people were still many and hence there was need for the Government to urgently fund the exercise.

Mr Musonda said in a press statement in Livingstone yesterday that FODEP had been executing Voter mobilisation Canadian Government funded project dubbed Go Out to Register (GOTR) Campaign to suppliment the country’s efforts.

The objectives has been to enhance credibility of the process and increase huge numbers of people registering as voters so as to substantially contribute to the attainment of ECZ set target through fodep’s monitoring and robust civic and voter education campaigns.

“The numbers of unregistered voters that has continued to frequent Livingstone Civic Centre for registration, this gives an indication that people are responding to our message and many are extremely earger to register.

However our concern is on the people living in peripheral areas of Livingstone. It has been a huge challenge for people from Kasiya, Simonga, Shungu Wards among others to cover long distances to go and register as voters at civic centre,” Mr Musonda said.

He said it was evident that a good number of people in remote areas would be disenfranchised if Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) did not conduct mobile registration in such areas.

“FODEP will continue conducting its civic and voter sensitization programs aimed at urging people to go and register during these few remaining weeks.

“We also appeal to other stakeholders, political parties to take advantage of their community mobilisation meetings or rallies to urge peopled to go and register before the exercise ends,” Mr Musonda said.

He said it was FODEP’s prayer that Government would listen to the appeal and act positively.

Mr Kanganja, in an interview on Friday, said it was unfortunate that stakeholders sometimes tend to abuse the law but later cry foul.

“Whoever wants to hold an assembly has been given a chance but they end up abusing the opportunity to hold public assemblies. An example is what happened in Choma; people were allowed to hold a public event, but they started attacking innocent people,” he said.

Mr Kanganja said the Public Order Act is meant to protect the people and therefore stakeholders must respect its provisions.

“If political parties abide by the law, the Public Order Act will serve its purpose of ensuring that there is peace during public events,” he said.

He said police have been allowing public events when notified because they are always assured of peaceful processions by the parties involved, but sometimes there is a breakdown of peace and order.

Mr Kanganja said police will now soon start sensitising all the stakeholders so that they understand the importance of abiding by the law.

“If people abide by the law, then we shall not have such problems,” he said.

Mr Kanganja also said the police service has started distributing handbooks on how to police elections to each of its officers in the country.

“We are concerned as Zambia Police at the rate of lawlessness in the country especially when it comes to political violence. We want to see peaceful elections, that is why we are doing everything we can to ensure that there is peace,” he said.

Mr Kanganja urged political party leaders to equally sensitise their cadres on how to conduct themselves during public events.

“We as police do not want to arrest or mistreat anyone, that is why we are calling on everyone to play their role in ensuring that peace prevails because it’s not the job of the police alone,” he said.

And University of Zambia Students Union (UNZASU) president Jones Mwewa said the union advised students against such demonstrations but they did not listen.

ZANASU president Humphrey Mwenya said at a press briefing in Lusaka yesterday that the riot was caused by only a few people and that 10 students, as said by Minister of Higher Education Michael Kaingu, cannot cause the 22,000 students at UNZA and more than 13,000 at CBU to suffer.

“We want to agree with the minister that external forces may have been at play, the majority of students on the material days were fully engaged in academic activities and they were just caught up in the fracas when the police stormed the hostels,” Mr Mwenya said.

He said the closure of the two institutions is unfortunate and has disturbed the students’ studies.
The Government closed the two higher institutions of learning last week on Thursday after students rioted over partial payment of meal allowances.

UNZA students who preferred anonymity said they were paid meal allowances amounting to K1, 200 and there was a balance ranging between K600 and K1,100 depending on one’s entitlement. UNZA students get meal allowances ranging between K1, 800 and K2, 200 depending on one’s period of stay on campus.

The students confirmed that they had been paid partly for the three weeks that they had been at the campus, however, the protest was sparked by students who had acquired Mecer laptop computers on credit for K3,500.

When Government made payment into the students’ accounts, the creditor deducted their money directly from the students’ accounts as per agreement, leaving some of them with K100 only or nothing.

President Lungu said Government will not be coerced into re-opening UNZA and CBU until students show maturity in their approach to issues.

And Mr Mwenya said it is important that Government and the students at the two universities dialogue on the matter of allowances instead of resorting to closing the institutions.

He said the issue of students’ allowances will always pose a challenge if Government does not ensure smooth flow of credible and reliable information.

“High learning institutions are a very cardinal aspect in national development and Government should address matters affecting students without delay as doing so is the source of student strife,” Mr Mwenya said.

He appealed to Government to open the two highest institutions of learning to preserve funds that have already been paid to students as it remains a cost for both Government and students.

Mr Mwenya has also called on Government to speed up the introduction of student loans, saying this will help curb student riots.

He said Government must also enhance the communication channels and ensure coherence to the promises made to students.

“The police must also have better ways of curbing protests because our experience is that they actually fuel violence when they come in with maximum force extending to the hostels,” he said.

And Mr Mwewa, the UNZASU president, alleged that the protest was not entirely carried out by students but that other residents in the university surroundings participated in the fracas.

Mr Mwewa said he was pleased that no damage was caused to motor vehicles and other property.

Mr. Kambwili who is also Information Minister has directed the water utility company to immediately provide food to the two families.

Mr. Kambwili, says it is unacceptable for Kafubu Water and Sewerage Company not to help the affected families who have been spending nights in the cold.

He told the families to write down all their household goods which were destroyed by sewer and submit them to the water utility company for compensation.

Mr. Kambwili made the directive when he visited the two families in Section 27 of Mpatamatu area this morning.

He said food must be given to the families by tomorrow while compensation for the household goods must be made within two weeks.

And Kafubu Water and Sewerage Company Director of Engineering Benjamin Mwale told the minister that the houses were flooded after the sewer line was blocked by silt.

Mr. Mwale said his firm was working round the clock to ensure that such an incident does not repeat itself.