Vice President Inonge Wina is tomorrow expected in Northern Province for a three day working visit.

Northern Province Minister Freedom Sikazwe confirmed the development to ZANIS in Kasama today.

Mr. Sikazwe said Mrs. Wina is expected to check on the on-going government developmental projects in Kasama, Mbala, Mpulungu, Mporokoso and Luwingu districts.

The Provincial Minister named some of the projects the Vice President will inspect as the construction of the Lukupa School of nursing in Kasama, the urban roads project in Mpulungu and the construction of the Mporokoso-Kasama road.

Mr. Sikazwe said the Vice president will also make a stopover in Senga Hill Constituency to thank the electorates for voting for the Patriotic Front (PF) candidate in the April 14, 2015 parliamentary by-elections won by PF’s Kapembwa Simbao.

Mrs Wina will conclude her visit to Northern Province on Friday after paying a courtesy call on Paramount Chief Chitimukulu at his Mungwi Palace.

And Mr. Sikazwe said the provincial administration is ready for the Vice President’s visit.

THE Rainbow Party has gained a lot of popularity in a newspaper but has failed to test its popularity by participating in any of the many by-elections because its leader Wynter Kabimba is aware that he is unable to win any political contest, the United Party for National Development (UPND) has observed.

UPND deputy general secretary has said while the Rainbow was hitting headlines in newspapers, its leader had remained inconspicuous and had failed to test its popularity by taking part in the by-elections.

And UPND has claimed that it is the only political party that had registered exponential growth and acceptance across the country and was ready to take over the governance of the country in 2016.

Mr Simusamba said Mr Kabimba’s Rainbow Party was only popular in a particular newspaper but the party did not have councillors, a member of Parliament (MP) and that its leader had become politically inconspicuous following his departure from the ruling Patriotic Front (PF).

Mr Simusamba said Mr Kabimba had failed to test the popularity of his party by participating in the many by-elections because he was aware that the reality on the ground was different from the political panorama he was enjoying in some newspapers.

He said if the Rainbow Party was certain with its popularity, the party should attempt to field a candidate in the coming parliamentary by-elections because its prominence in some newspapers was not going to reflect the real growth on the ground.

“They (Rainbow Party) are said to be the new kids on the block but we have not seen them anywhere apart from newspapers. The Rainbow is only growing in newspapers and we have not tested their popularity because they have not participated in any election to be rated. There is a possibility that their popularity is being manufactured but politics is not about making noise in newspapers. So far they have zero councillors, zero MPs and their president is inconspicuous,” Mr Simusamba said.

And Mr Simusamba said the UPND had penetrated into areas and regions where the ruling party had been claiming dominance and that the 2016 general elections would not be easy for PF unless it changed its leadership style of taking Zambians for granted.

Mr Simusamba said the ruling party had appointed UPND members as District Commissioners in Western Province with the hope of using them to campaign for the PF in next year’s general elections.

He said Zambians were disappointed with President Edgar Lungu’s first 100 days in State House because the cost of living for ordinary citizens had remained high as the prices of basic needs had remained astronomically high.

Mr Simusamba said the Kwacha had continued to fluctuate under President Lungu’s leadership and that there was need for the Head of State to address the nation on the economic status of the country.

Mr Simusamba has also advised that President Lungu should move away from the culture of talking to Zambians through swearing-in ceremonies but should consider calling for a press conference where he could openly interact with the media.

“The UPND is the only party that has grown exponentially and the party has penetrated areas which were once dominated by the ruling party. The UPND has penetrated other regions where it was difficult to exist and the PF will be shocked in 2016 because they will be knocked out of Government. We have analysed figures and what is true is that we have gained heavily in popularity. In Senga Hill where we only managed 1000 votes in the January presidential election, we have managed to penetrate and scored more than 4000 votes during the parliamentary by-elections,” Mr Simusamba said.

He has also warned the PF to avoid using district commissioners in their campaigns cautioning that the UPND was going to effect citizens’ arrest on civil servants who would be found engaging in politics.

He alleged that PF secretary general Davis Chama had ordered district commissioners to use public resources to campaign for the ruling party candidates in the coming parliamentary by-elections but that the UPND was not going to bystanders and watch public resources getting abused.

Opposition MMD youths have called on Zambian politicians to emulate the morality British politicians have exhibited following that general election.

MMD National youth Secretary Bowman Lusambo is calling upon politicians in the country to particularly take lessons from how UK political party leaders have been magnanimous to resign after losing in an election in which British Prime Minister David Cameron emerged victorious.

Mr Lusambo says political leaders such MMD’s Nevers Mumba, UPND’s Hakainde Hichilema and FDD’s Edith Nawakwi should give way for others to take up the leadership mantle following their defeat in the 20th January president election.

Mr. Lusambo says these leaders should understand that the country is not short of leaders.

Speaking this morning at a media briefing held in Lusaka, Mr. Lusambo has explained that by listing his party’s president among other political leaders that should emulate the British politicians, it does not mean that MMD youths are passing a vote of no confidence in Dr. Mumba.

He however, states that the former ruling party currently needs total reconciliation that should be attained by all party members coming together to convene a convention.

Mr Lusambo says this entails the holding of a convention is currently inevitable for the former ruling party.
He says this is especially that the MMD is still strong and needs all party members that have gone astray under the leadership of Dr. Mumba.

And Mr. Lusambo has hailed President Edgar Lungu’s four months in office.

He says MMD youths believe the President is on the right track and should continue leading the country in the manner he has been doing.

The opposition United Liberal Party (ULP) has encouraged President Edgar Lungu not to allow irresponsible media take away the greater good of enacting into law the Access to Information Bill.

ULP president Sakwiba Sikota says much as he sympathizes with President Lungu’s national security concerns, he thinks that the Access to Information Bill should still be made law.

Mr. Sikota has urged President Lungu to focus on the greater good that Sakwibathis Bill if enacted into law will bring to the general population of the country.

In an interview with Qfm News via telephone, Mr. Sikota has suggested that this legislation should on the other hand have provisions which will protect state security matters.

He has recalled that in 2003 when he was Livingstone Member of Parliament he did take to Parliament a Private Member’ s motion of a similar nature which had provisions that made exceptions with regards to state security matters.

The ULP president says this therefore should be the focus that the Access to Information Bill be enacted, but with certain safeguards against people being able to access information that is of a security nature.

He says in this way the country would have a win-win situation which is the more reason he has asked President Lungu to look at it this way.

And the Media Liaison Committee (MCL) says it has received with shock and disappointment the statement by President Edgar Lungu that his Government is reluctant to enact the Access to Information Law owing to alleged unprofessionalism by media practitioners.

MCL Spokesperson Patson Phiri in a statement says the statement by the President does not resonate with democratic discourses that are spreading the world-over.

Mr Phiri points out that within Africa, countries like Zimbabwe, Uganda, South Africa, Rwanda and Liberia have vibrant ATI Laws and 95 per cent of the users are non-media practitioners.

He explains that the Access to Information Law is not meant for media practitioners, but for the people of Zambia to use to settle anxieties for missing information necessary for their economic, social and related desires.

Mr Phiri says journalists would not find ATI any useful because of the long processes involved in accessing such information.

He states that in countries where some form of Freedom of Information legislation has been implemented, governance has been smooth and alleged unprofessionalism has not affected flow of information from government to the citizens.

Mr Phiri says President Lungu should understand that the people of Zambia need his government to be accountable through the virtues of transparency which will give them confidence on many matters.

He adds that the Act is more useful to government to generate increased confidence to the people being governed than to the media practitioners.

Mr Phiri has assured Zambians the daft Act which was drafted about 12 years ago, is very user-friendly and provides for a long list of information which cannot be requested for under the Act.

He says the fears sounded by the President are therefore unfounded and dangerous towards the move to reach finality on the ATI law.

He adds that while the MLC is not justifying the presence of unprofessionalism in the media, it must not be used to shield progress towards the enactment of a law which benefits government more than it benefits the media and the Zambian people.

Mr Phiri has since appealed to the President to amend his impression about the Act by looking at examples of the existing ATI Acts where they have been in existence for him to be rewarded with the right information on the subject.

The Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) Zambia Chapter is taken aback by President Edgar Lungu’s statement that he is thinking twice about enacting Access to Information Bill because of the conduct by some media practitioners.

MISA Zambia Chapter Chairperson Hellen Mwale has told QFM News by telephone that President Lungu should tell the nation what has made him turn his back on journalists over the ATI Bill.

Ms Mwale says President Lungu is a lawyer and he understands how urgent the media in Zambia needs the Access to Information Bill enacted.

Ms Mwale states that President Lungu should sit down and reflect on his statement saying he is not being fair with the media in the country.

She says a few days ago Chief Government Spokesperson Chishimba Kambwili during the Press Freedom Day celebrations made it very clear that the ATI Bill is before the Attorney General and President Lungu is now doubting about enacting it.

Ms Mwale has since challenged the Head of State to tell the nation what he is scared of in enacting the Access to Information Bill.

Meanwhile, Governance Activist Maurice Malambo says President Lungu’s statement is a challenge on the media in the country to prove that they can handle media freedom.

Mr. Malambo has told QFM News in a walk-in-interview that there is no doubt that some media organizations more especially print and online have abused media ethics saying what more can they do if the Access to Information Bill is enacted.

Mr. Malambo has since advised media bodies to help journalists understand the media ethics so that they report on matters affecting the people effectively.

ZAMBIAN politicians should emulate British political leaders who graciously accept defeat and resign from their positions to avoid a culture of being perpetual and serial losers in electoral contests, says civil rights activist Brebner Changala.

Mr Changala said Zambian politicians had developed a culture of becoming veteran presidential contenders participating in every presidential election even after being rejected by the electorate.

Mr Changala told the Daily Nation that it was politically and morally unacceptable that political leaders who had been rejected by the voters in the January presidential election were already positioning themselves to contest the general elections next year.

He said some political leaders who had become serial losers in electoral contests and had not even subjected themselves to party elections to have the mandate to represent their various political parties in elections.

Mr Changala wondered why some political party leaders had been rejected by Zambians for the last six years as if such political parties did not have a pool of vibrant members who could assume leadership roles.

He said some political parties were fatigued with the same leaders who had been failing them and that Britain had provided a perfect example of democracy after the opposition Labour Party leader Ed Miliband resigned.

Mr Changala said in a democracy, there was need for political leaders to humbly and graciously accept defeat in an electoral contest while those who emerge victorious should learn to embrace the defeated.

“There is one important lesson our political leaders must learn from the British elections. When one loses an election as head of a political party, it is important to accept responsibility for the loss. What is most important however is as a defeated party leader; one must resign so that the party can have fresh elected leadership.

Do not lose an election and still hang on to the leadership of the party without seeking fresh mandate from the party members. It this country, we have developed a culture where presidents of political parties aspire to continue participating in elections even after they have been rejected by the people and they do so without subjecting themselves to intra-party democracy,” Mr Changala said.

He said it was important for opposition political party leaders to allow the emergence of a new crop of leadership that could steer their parties to better future.

He said there was no good leader without a successor and that political parties were failing to survive because their existence was anchored on personalities.

PRESIDENT Edgar Lungu has appointed Patrick Mwanawasa as new Eastern Province Deputy Permanent Secretary.

Eastern Province Permanent Secretary Chanda Kasolo confirmed in Chipata yesterday that Mr Mwanawasa was the new deputy permanent secretary for the province taking over from Zechariah Luhanga who has been transferred to Public Service Management Division (PSMD) in the same capacity.

Mr Kasolo said Mr Mwanawasa who is expected to start work in the province immediately.

He said Mr Mwanawasa and him had a mammoth task to ensure that Government projects were undertaken in the province.

“While he is still studying, Mr Patrick Mwanawasa he is going to work with me to ensure that developmental projects are accelerated in Eastern Province,” Mr Kasolo said.

He said Mr Mwanawasa was a brilliant young person who will render the good services to the people in the province.

Mr Kasolo has appealed to civil servants to give Mr Mwanawasa support
during his work.

THE Zambia Council for Social Development (ZCSD) has expressed disappointment at the behavior by some political parties, civil society organisations (CSOs) and individuals who want to sabotage the constitution making process.

ZCSD Executive Director Lewis Mwape said yesterday that the CSO and political party leaders must have some level of integrity even when their souls have been sold off to the devil.

“We have observed that those in power enjoy a flawed constitution and perceives that it will enable them to hold on power and thus do not want to be tested by a good constitution, hence they are ready to do all they can to mislead the majority Zambians,”he said.

Mr Mwape said on the other hand some opposition political parties perceive that the enactment of the new constitution before 2016 was the simplest way they would grab power from the ruling party.
He appealed to Zambians to exercise the spirit of nationalism and selflessness in the constitution making process.

“Where we must all stand aside and remove our special personal or group selfish interests and look at the constitution making process from different lenses and consider the greater good of the constitution as an ordinary citizen that will enjoy the rule of good laws when someday, somebody will not be a republican or party president, minister or party cadre,”he said.

With this in mind,Mr Mwape said President Edgar Lungu has an opportunity to act above board and show his integrity by ignoring any loud voices from selfish party cadres and those whose voices have been bought; who now are calling for a peace meal enactment of the Constitution.

He said President Lungu must instead listen attentively to the Zambian people from where he drives the mandate to rule today by delivering a People Driven Constitution through the National Referendum.

“This is the only way the President can avoid being haunted by the spirits of the majority Zambians that have spoken loudly through various constitution making processes that were provided in the past,”he said.

He said the ZCSD no longer trusts the parliament that belongs to the executive.

He said that the current constitution, Zambia no longer has the legislative wing of government since it now indirectly belongs to the executive, who might decide to ignore the majority voices in the name of parliamentary privileges.

He appealed to all Zambians to reject any maneuvers by the Government to enactment the constitution in piecemeal.

He said a people driven constitution in which the rights and entitlements of the people are clearly enshrined in order to fight poverty and inequality and to achieve meaningful development, above all.