Join our community of SUBSCRIBERS and be part of the conversation.
To subscribe, simply enter your email address on our website or click the subscribe button below. Don't worry, we respect your privacy and won't spam your inbox. Your information is safe with us.
Opposition MMD President Nevers Mumba has called on fellow opposition parties to fight using ideas and not violence during campaigns for the forthcoming by-elections.
Dr. Mumba said Zambia has come a long way in its democratic process for opposing parties to still condone violence during campaigns.
He called on fellow political leaders to discipline their cadres and ensure that they encourage peace among political stakeholders in the electoral process as opposed to promoting violence which does not benefit anyone.
The MMD leader was speaking shortly after MMD Mkushi South candidate Sydney Chisanga successfully filed in his nomination papers for the parliamentary by election.
“I’m calling on all political leaders from other political parties to ensure that they restrain their cadres from engaging in political violence which may undermine the importance of these elections,” Dr Mumba said.
He added, “As a country, we should move from politics of violence and insults because these things are not beneficial to our electorate who want to hear how each individual party will solve the challenges they are currently facing as opposed to knowing who lost the fight between so and so party.”
“These campaigns should be based on ideas and not muscles and violence which worsen the challenges instead of resolving them,” Dr. Mumba said.
Meanwhile, Chitambo Member of Parliament Malama Mushili said the former ruling party is not intimidated with the ferried crowd that the ruling PF came with during the nominations.
Speaking in an interview Mr. Mushili said the PF crowd was meant to deceive Vice President Guy Scott who is not on the ground that the PF is popular in the area.
“We are a small community in these rural constituencies so when people are ferried we know them.”I have seen a truck load of cadres from my constituency and we know these things because they are same things which were happening in Muchinga during the campaigns but look what happened there. “We are ready for these elections and we will show them that the seat was ours.”
Meanwhile, truck loads of cadres where seen being ferried to the polling station where Dr Scott came to witness the filing in of nomination for the Pf candidate.
Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education spokesperson Hilary Chipango says a total of 1,055 Zambian students are currently being supported at various universities abroad.
Mr. Chipango said government remains indebted to the generosity and hopitality of the people and governments of those respective countries.
He said out of the 1,055 students studying abroad, 136 students were expected to graduate from Algeria, China, Cuba, Russia Federation and Tunisia by the end of August 2014 and return home.
Mr. Chipango said currently 178 Zambians are pursuing undergraduate and Post graduate studies in ALGERIA, 140 in China, 38 in Cuba, 12 in Cyprus, 15 in India, 493 IN Russia and 78 in Turkey among other countries.
The ministry’s spokesperson said this in a statement released in Lusaka, today.
All the scholarships are availed to Zambia are advertised in the daily papers and the applicants are interviewed and selected by a panel adding that the procedures are reviewed to make them more transparent and accountable.
He said as a ministry they acknowledge the outstanding performance of the majority of the students abroad as they are competing favorably with other nationals.
Mr. Chipanga has however warned all students abroad to desist from irresponsible acts which impact negatively on the image of Zambia.
He said the bursaries Committee has been directed to withdraw sponsorship at the slightest hint of misbehavior of any Zambian student abroad.
Mr. Chipango has also urged the students taking up scholarships this year to be exemplary in their studies and endeavor at all times and be ambassadors of Zambia by flying the Zambian flag high.
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MUHABI LUNGU’S JUXTAPOSE
12th August 2014
Since the beginning of the month of August 2014, the political environs in Zambia have been bombarded by a barrage of misguided outbursts from the movement for multiparty Democracy (MMD) in particular from the National Secretary, Mr. Muhabi Lungu.
These outbursts have been targeted at the United Party for National Development (UPND) to disrupt its growing momentum and to derail it from its clear path to presidential electoral victory whenever the polls are held.
We have carefully and critically examined these outbursts and find them to be hollow as they lack depth of analysis and are economical with the truth.
In this statement, we wish to deal with Mr. Muhabi Lungu’s misplaced attacks and political hallucinations because as Muhabi says, ‘silence implies guilt on our part.’
“Mad people” statement attributed to HH
The blatant lies being peddled by Muhabi on this issue are most unfortunate and do not befit a chief executive officer of a political party of the stature of the MMD. During his press briefing of Tuesday 5th August 2014, Muhabi gave a lecture on political maturity. In his lecture, Muhabi stated that it is a sign of political maturity to research a statement before reacting to it. He went further to state that a reaction made without research would be an ‘unreasonable reaction.’
As I reproduce text messages between the UPND President Hakainde Hichilema and the MMD President Dr. Nevers Mumba, I call on the readers to make judgment as to whether Muhabi passes his own test on political maturity.
President Hakainde Hichilema:-“‘Mr. President Nevers Mumba, yesterday at our press briefing I made a statement meant to criticize PF (and that no normal person should vote for this party). Unfortunately, by error, I mentioned MMD in place of PF. I apologize to you my brother and the MMD at large.”
President Nevers Mumba:- “President HH, sorry for the delay in response. Tried to call back with no success. I acknowledge apology and wish to assure you that the past is behind us. Have a great weekend. Nevers.”
By deliberately trying to keep a ‘slip of the tongue’ of President Hakainde Hichilema alive in the media, Muhabi hopes to scandalize the UPND and benefit from its fall out with the public. That is a Cheap shot Ba Lungu!
By-Elections
Let us now examine the new philosophy on by-elections being mooted by the upper echelons of the MMD.
Muhabi in his article of 9th August, 2014, which appeared in the Post Newspaper states the following:
‘A by-election win (or loss) proves absolutely nothing and it would be folly for any party to derive a false sense of confidence from the results.’
One would be tempted to laugh, if this political submission was not so pathetic. The above submission perhaps only serves to explain how a once vibrant movement (MMD) has been turned into a monument by a visionless leadership currently at its helm.
A leadership pregnant with vision ought to know that by-elections are opportunities:
1.) For political growth
2.) To assess the strength or weakness of a political organization
3.) To assess whether a party’s message is resonating with the expectations of the electorates, among many other things.
What Muhabi would like us to believe is that, there is no correlation between mock exams results and final exam results. Muhabi would like us to believe that continuous assessments at our institutions of learning have no predictive value for the final exams. Absurdity of the highest order!
Yes we do admit that they are cases where students did well in the mock exams but failed the final exams, partly due to over confidence. This unfortunate occurrence does not dismiss the predictive value of mock exams.
It is Muhabi’s contention that past statistics from 2001, 2006, 2008 and 2011 are a more reliable guide than the most recent results in by-elections. We are of the conclusion that Muhabi arrived at such a conclusion to explain away MMD’s poor performances in by-elections.
If you cannot gauge the strength of your party using by-elections, then we wonder what else can be used since Muhabi does not provide an alternative.
If indeed it were true that by-election results prove absolutely nothing, why does the MMD participate in them?
Consider that, the MMD will ask candidates to apply on their ticket (who normally pay a fee), then the MMD will have a budget to support the activity (by-election). Then human resource will be dispatched to campaign for the candidate. Do you honestly think that the MMD will do all this to PROVE NOTHING?
Clearly the CEO of the MMD is exhibiting symptoms of acute cognitive dissonance.
To prove his faulty assertion, Muhabi cites Chilanga, Mufumbwe and Solwezi Central as examples of by-elections won by the UPND in 2010 and later lost to the MMD in the tri-partite elections of 2011.
Muhabi in his usual biased manner conveniently forgets to inform the readers that the by-elections he referred to were won under a ‘pact’ arrangement and that the pact had disintegrated by the time of the 2011 tri-partite elections.
Unless Muhabi suffers from selective amnesia, he forgot to inform the readers that during the same life of Parliament Pf won three by-elections in the north ( Kanchibiya, Mporokoso and Kasama) as a pre-cursor to them winning Northern Province. May I add that PF managed to win all the three seats during the 2011 General elections with huge margins.
Muhabi at his press briefing of 5th August 2014 claimed that, ‘UPND neither have a superior message, better values nor stronger political organization than the MMD.’
We wonder how the ‘intelligent’ Muhabi arrived at such a conclusion without an objective political test. We submit to Mr. Muhabi that a conclusion like the one he arrived at can only be arrived at after critical analysis of the most recent electoral results.
After 2011 tri-partite elections, MMD had 55 MPs and UPND had 28 MPs. In the last three (3) years, UPND has had an opportunity to increase its seat share to 33 (now 31 because of Zambezi west and Mulobezi that have been nullified). The MMD has reduced its seat share from 55 MPs to 36 MPs (practically 35 because MP for Chisamba was convicted and does not attend Parliament).
The numbers clearly show that if the downward trend for the MMD continues, MMD will soon become a political corpse incapable of growth, awaiting its sure destiny in the political graveyard.
Going by the ‘current form’ of political parties in this country, any serious political analyst cannot escape the logical conclusion that the contest for political power is between the UPND and the PF.
The MMD has slowly but surely cemented their number three (3) position in elections, even in seats they once held. Livingstone, Feira, Kafulafuta, Mpongwe and Katuba are clear examples. Mangango is soon to be added to the list!
We submit that the current MMD philosophy on by-elections is not based on fact or sound knowledge but on jealousy and envy of the momentum the UPND has gained by winning by-elections thereby increasing parliamentary representation.
The Electoral Demographic Factors
Here we will examine the so called obstacles identified by Muhabi that stand in the way of UPND Presidential election.
Before we delve into the arguments we would like to acknowledge that the Post Newspapers deliberately misquoted Muhabi in order to create an unnecessary fight between the MMD and the UPND.
This what Muhabi said according to his article published on the 9th of August, 2014.
‘I have never said that UPND can never win. However, it is extremely unlikely for the the UPND to produce this 22% upward swing within five years.’
Argument 1
It is Muhabi’s contention that the Presidential candidate needs to score a national minimum of 40% in order for him to win the presidency. Muhabi goes further to state that, “ a dramatic change from 18% to the wining number of 40% for the UPND in one five year election cycle with only one campaign session would be incredibly impressive….”
We would like to submit to Muhabi, that Mr. Sata polled 3% in the presidential elections of 2001 and increased his performance to 29% in the Presidential elections of 2006. This represents a percentage increase of 26% upward swing within 5 years.
So the 22% upward swing required by the UPND according to Muhabi is not unprecedented after all! It is precendented!
It could also be argued that Mr. Anderson Kambela Mazoka the first president of UPND managed to rise from the floor of politics to 27% within three (3) years. We contend therefore that the upward climb required for the UPND is within reach.
Argument 2
The second reason Muhabi gives us is, ‘taking into consideration current trending data, it is highly unlikely that UPND will make any significant gains on the Copperbelt and Northern provinces.’
Since Patriotic Front (PF) ascended to power in 2011, there have been only two Parliamentary by-elections on the Copperbelt namely, Mpongwe and Kafulafuta.
I reproduce both the 2011 general election results and the by election results to see whether Muhabi’s assertion hold true.
Kafulafuta Constituency 2011
MMD
5889
58.81%
PF
2953
29.49%
UPND
216
2.16%
Kafulafuta by elections
UPND
2504
47.4%
PF
2407
45.65%
MMD
32
0.6%
Mpongwe Constituency 2011
MMD
7,843
53.30%
PF
5,077
34.50%
UPND
1,471
10.00%
Mpongwe by election
PF
4,600
49.63%
UPND
3,069
33.11%
MMD
901
9.72%
According to available data, the UPND managed to outperform the MMD which had earlier won the seat during the 2011 general election.
It is interesting to note that in Mpongwe the UPND increased its performance by 23.11% and in Kafulafuta by 45.24%. These increases cannot be referred to as insignificant they are exponential leaps! Therefore the assertion by Muhabi that UPND cannot make significant gains on the Copperbelt is dismissed with the contempt it deserves.
The fact that UPND won Kafulafuta and lost Mpongwe narrowly means that the Copperbelt has become a new hunting ground for the UPND. Further, the UPND managed to beat the PF in a local government by election in Chililabombwe.
Available data also shows that the UPND has now leap frogged the MMD in electoral results in the Northern Province. The last council election in mpulungu attests to this. History also teaches us that Mr. Sata increased his votes in western province from 5% in 2006 to 22.9% in 2011. This represents an upward swing of 17.9% within a 5 year period in an area that wasn’t leaning Mr. Sata’s way for years. If it could happen for Mr. Sata, it could happen for any candidate as long as he works hard and it is God’s time. “The race is not to the swift nor the battle to the mighty but time and chance happen to them all”.
Zambia’s overseas based stars are in midweek action across Europe.
In France, Stopilla Sunzu will be in action on Tuesday evening for demoted Sochaux who visit Laval to play a cup game.
And on Wednesday in Russia, midfielder Chisamba Lungu and Ural host league leaders Zenit St Petersburg in their third game of the season.
Chisamba heads into the match on a high after scoring the equaliser in Ural’s 1-1 home draw on Sunday against Krasnodar to give his club its first points of the season.
Meanwhile in Switzerland, midfielder Nathan Sinkala too will be in action on Wednesday night when Grasshopper visit Young Boys.
Like Chisamba, Sinkala’s club is looking for its first league win for the 2014/2015 season.
Nkana duo Ronald Kampamba and Christopher Munthali have been released from Zambia’s training camp due to injury.
Kampamba and Munthali were dropped on Monday barely 24 hours after the home-based team kicked off its monthly three-day training camp in Lusaka.
“I think it is important to give them time to recuperate. It is pointless to take them through the paces that we are doing when they are still in pain,” Zambia team physician Dr Joseph Kabungo said.
Kampamba has a leg injury while Munthali is suffering from a groin problem.
Meanwhile the team was joined yesterday by the Zesco United trio of defender Nyambe Mulenga, midfielder Justin Zulu and striker Jackson Mwanza after they arrived back from Tanzania where they were invited for a friendly by Simba SC and that the Ndola club won 3-0 on Saturday.
The team wraps up its monthly get-together on Wednesday afternoon with a planned training match.
SOLWEZI CENTRAL Parliamentarian by-elections MMD candidate Lucky Mulusa (left) filling in nomination papers in the solwezi council chambers as returning officer Seral Lunda (right)and assistant returning officer Geoffrey Kamiji (left) look on in Solwezi
Five out of six candidates contesting the Solwezi Central seat have successfully filed in their papers at the just ended nomination day.
NAREP candidate failed to file in the papers as the candidate did not show up by 09.00 at Solwezi civic centre which was the centre for filling in nominations.
But NAREP National Secretary Jevan Kamanga told ZANIS in an interview in Lusaka today that the party did not give the candidate an adoption certificate because he did not follow proper procedure.
Reverend Kamanga who did not disclose the name of the candidate said the candidate did not meet the party standards hence he was not endorsed.
UNIP candidate Mary Katiki was first to file her papers after NAREP.
The PF has fielded Newton Malwa who was second to file in his papers at around 11.00hrs
By 12 hours, the United Party for National Development (UPND) was in confusion as two aspiring candidates showed up to file in their nomination papers.
Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) officials sent back the two, Dawson Kafwaya and former area Member of Parliament Watson Lumbe and advised the UPND leadership to put their house in order before their candidate could be allowed to file in the nominations.
However, the UPND managed to file in their nomination papers as the last after resolving their earlier dispute.
They party settled for Dawson Kafwaya who successfully filed in his papers.
And former Solwezi Central MP Lucky Mulusa is recontesting the seat on the MMD ticket and successfully filed in his papers at 1300.
The forum for democracy and development (FDD) is also contesting the seat and its candidate Nathan Mulonga successfully filed in his papers at 14 hours.
ECZ Returning officer Sara Lunda officially closed the nomination centre at around 1503 hours.
All the candidates have promised to foster development in the constituency.
The Solwezi Central seat fell vacant following the nullification of results in the 2011 polls by the courts of law.
President Michael Sata will stay away from the forthcoming SADC summit to be held in the Zimbabwean resort town of Victoria Falls.
Foreign Affairs Minister Harry Kalaba announced that President Sata has since appointed him to represent Zambia at the annual summit.
Mr Kalaba said this on Let the People Talk radio programme on Radio Phoenix adding that President Sata has the right to delegate any member of cabinet to represent him at international gatherings.
He said there is nothing irregular about President Sata missing some international engagement adding that it actually works as a cost saving measure.
The Foreign Affairs Minister has also revealed that President Sata has even delegated someone else to attend an international summit in Vienna, Austria in September.
“It is also good when the President does not travel a lot because the cost associated with presidential trips is colossal. So Zambians should infact be happy that the PF Government is saving some money by having President Sata delegate some of these functions to the Vice President and Ministers,” Mr Kalaba explained.
He also maintained that Zambia is held in high esteem by the international community judging by the way people speak highly of Zambia.
Mr Kalaba also stated that the lack of state visits since 2011 does not translate mean that Zambia’s diplomatic credentials are falling.
“It is incorrect to state that since we are not receiving visitors then our credentials are weak. We still have an impeccable record in human rights and promotion of people’s freedoms. You can just see how the Vice President His Honour Dr Scott was arranged to sit close to President Obama at the US Africa summit dinner at the White House, such things don’t just happen if you are not good on human rights,” he said.
Beloved actor Robin Williams has died aged 63 from an apparent suicide, California police have confirmed.
The actor, famous for films including Mrs. Doubtfire, Dead Poets Society and Good Morning Vietnam, appears to have died from asphyxia and both his wife and family have released statements after his tragic passing.
It’s reported he was found around midday and the police were called by his devastated wife, Susan Schneider, who has issued a statement asking for privacy and that fans remember the joy and laughter he gave to millions.
“This morning, I lost my husband and my best friend, while the world lost one of its most beloved artists and beautiful human beings, it began.
I am utterly heartbroken. On behalf of Robins family, we are asking for privacy during our time of profound grief.
As he is remembered, it is our hope the focus will not be on Robins death, but on the countless moments of joy and laughter he gave to millions.”
A press statement from the Marin County Sheriff¡s Department in California also read: On August 11, 2014, at approximately 11.55am, Marin County Communications received a 911 telephone call reporting a male adult had been located unconscious and not breathing inside his residence in unincorporated Tiburon, California.
The Sheriff¡s Office, as well as the Tiburon Fire Department and Southern Marin Fire Protection District were dispatched to the incident with emergency personnel arriving on scene at 12pm.
The male subject, pronounced deceased at 12.02pm has been identified as Robin McLaurin Williams, a 63-year-old resident of unincorporated Tiburon, California.
An investigation into the cause, manner, and circumstances of the death is currently underway by the Investigations and Coroner Divisions of the Sheriff¡s Office.
Preliminary information developed during the investigation indicates Mr Williams was last seen alive at his residence, where he resides with his wife, at approximately 10pm on August 10, 2014.
Mr Williams was located this morning shortly before the 911 call was placed to Marin County Communications.
At this time, the Sheriff¡s Office Coroner Division suspects the death to be a suicide due to asphyxia, but a comprehensive investigation must be completed before a final determination is made.
A forensic examination is currently scheduled for August 12, 2014 with subsequent toxicology testing to be conducted.
A statement has also been issued by his devastated family, with their representative Mara Buxbaum saying: Robin Williams passed away this morning. He has been battling severe depression of late.
This is a tragic and sudden loss. The family respectfully asks for their privacy as they grieve during this very difficult time.
File: Defamation of the President:Fr Frank Bwalya arrested for calling the president chumbu munshololwa( sweet potato which not be bent).He was later acquitted
Residents of the border town Chirundu have joined other petitioners from various districts calling on the Legal and Justice Sector Reforms Commission to repeal the Public Order Act and the Defamation of President Law in order to
accord citizens freedom of assembly and expression.
Nelson Simunji is one of the residents who complained about police brutality as a result of the existence of the Public Order Act and the Defamation of the President Laws that are contained in the Penal Code.
Mr Simunji told the Commission that the Defamation of the President clause contradicts the provisions of the Constitution in Article 20 hence should be abolished so that the citizens of Zambia can freely criticise their President without the fear of being arrested by law enforcement agencies.
File:Nevers Mumba and 4 Members of Parliament arrested under the public order act for visiting Chief Nkana in Kitwe.They spent the night in Kamfinsa prison.December 2012
He noted that citizens were being arrested for merely expressing their opinion on the President and other public figures.
The petitioner said the Defamation of the President Law should be completely abolished because it is a colonial law and has no place in the books of the country’s statutes.
Article 20 of the Zambian Constitution provides that except with his own consent, a person shall not be hindered in enjoyment of his freedom of expression, that is to say, freedom to hold opinions with interference, freedom to receive ideas and information without interference, freedom to impart and communicate ideas and information without interference, whether the communication be to the public generally or to any person or class of persons and freedom from interference with his correspondence.
[pullquote]
Citizens of Zambia should freely criticize their President without the fear of being arrested by law enforcement agencies.
[/pullquote]
The Chairperson of the Commission stated that the Article on Defamation of the President does not criminalize criticism of the President but bring the name of the President into hate or disrepute is what the article provides as an offence.
He added that sometimes the laws are right but the application of the laws by the police is what makes laws seem to be bad, citing the case in which Father Frank Bwalya was arrested by police but later acquitted by the courts of law for allegedly defaming the President as one such example.
Mr Simunji also submitted that the Public Order Act be repealed to allow citizen to have freedom of assembly and noted that the police are biased in the application of the law as they favour the ruling party while members of the opposition political parties are brutalised for assembling without a permit.
Another petitioner, Gilbert Makasa, submitted that government should decentralise the office of the Legal Aid Board to various districts so that members of the community who cannot afford to hire a lawyer can be represented in courts of law.
Mr Makasa noted that services of the Legal Aid Board were lacking in Chirundu and many other districts in the country and further submitted that promotion amongst judicial officers especially justices should be on merit and not on nepotism as doing so was killing the judicial system of Zambia.
Chirundu district is one of the districts that were recently created by President Michael Sata in his quest to decentralise governance of the nation.
Chirundu town, the district headquarters of Chirundu District is at the border with Zimbabwe and is a key point on the Great North Road as it is the site of two of the five major rail bridges across the Zambezi River.
The decision by some Members of Parliament to donate their gratuities to their constituencies for developmental purposes has apparently upset some of their colleagues.
In interviews in Lusaka, some MPs who opted to remain anonymous stated that the gesture by Matero MP Miles Sampa and his Kasama Central counterpart Geoffrey Mwamba is egoistic and does not serve the interests of the people.
The MPs added that it is unwise for Mr Sampa to do with business with the people that voted him into office saying his taxi initiative is a business venture.
“As for GBM, we know we followed suit as a way of getting at Miles. You know the rivalry between the two. People should also not forget that GBM also announced a similar donation just before the 2011 election that he was giving away his gratuity and he actually never did, these pronouncements are not new,” one MP from the opposition UPND stated.
Another MP warned that the gesture by the two Parliamentarians might backfire once people get to know the details of the initiatives.
“Just look at Miles, he uses poor boys from Matero to work for him and they cash in every week about K 500 over a two-three year period. That is not empowerment but slavery and soon these boys will realize that they are being used by a clever MP,” he added.
Another one revealed that most MPs who supported the motion by MMD Mafinga MP Catherine Namugala feel insulted by the move by the two Parliamentarians.
“Most MPs are upset that these two have embarrassed them. If Miles and GBM really wanted to give back to the people, they should have also given up their allowances so that the level of contribution through gratuity would have been big,” another MP from a rural constituency stated.
MMD die hard youth leader Bowman Lusambo captured during the gathering to demand for the release of the Zambian draft constitution.
Bowman Lusambo is really a man who lives by his persuasion, dying hard. To us he adds to comedy on the political scene and we would not imagine politics in Zambia without comedians like Lusambo. The make an otherwise serious undertaking, light. As we have stated before, our responsibility as UPND Youth is to sell UPND and protect our leadership from detractors such as Bowman Lusambo. First MMD drew the first blood.
As a matter of principle UPND sticks to issues and will never attack an individual. It therefore comes as a surprise that that he refers to a wall of words that was instigated by MMD. “A fruit will never fall far from its parent tree”, it therefore goes without saying that, if Bowman can say HH is tribal, then obviously he has the blessings of Nevers Mumba. People might not say many things, but observe what those people close to them say.
On RAMCOZ, we shall state this for the last time and hopefully we can forget about this matter. Hakainde Hichilema never privatised a single mine. All mines in Zambia were privatised by Mr Francis Kaunda through a body that was appointed by the President, Dr Chiluba at the time.
This process is very ably documented in our father’s book titled ‘Selling the family Silver’. The book is available in leading bookshops and if Bowman has time, he can get the book and appraise himself with the selling of ZCCM mines. We can challenge Bowman to tell us which mine HH. Again HH was NEVER anywhere near ZCCM mines privatisation. Bowman sees HH as tonga and not as a Presidential aspirant. That stinks of tribalism. HH was elected by 7 out of 9 provinces to be UPND leader. A democratic process was followed closely and there was no impropriety whatsoever. The records are in the public domain. We would like Bowman Lusambo, as he looks for a candidate for 2016, to be objective and really stick to issues that he claims to expound.
All of us have histories, and UPND is not an exception, what is wrong is for people to stop learning from history. And the arrogance being perpetuated by
Bowman Lusambo and his benefactors really don’t inspire anyone to conclude that MMD has learnt anything from their defeat in 2011. We would recommend counselling and acceptance. If Bowman has issues, he can bring them on, not waste our time with rumours and untruths like he attempted to draw HH into RAMCOZ.
Issued By:
Edward Musonda
Provincial Information and Publicity Secretary
UPND – NORTHERN
File Picture: Police officers push a PF youth who wanted to start a fight with UPND cadres at the Lusaka magistrate court
We in the UPND campaign team for the Batoka By elections in the Southern Province would like to condemn in the strongest terms the violence that was orchestrated by the PF cadres mostly imported from Choma`s Compounds to Batoka by election scheduled for 19th August, 2014,where four Patriotic Front (PF) officials were injured.
Our campaign team did not start the fight as we were attacked by our colleagues who were retiring back from their failed campaign trials
As stated people who were involved in this clash or injured were cadres which our colleagues(PF) ferried from Choma to Batoka to cause harm to us but it was people of Batoka who rejected them and did not want to see them in the area as they were not obeying the electoral code of conduct and regulations as their motivates was to harm anyone in their way
[pullquote]
PF are only interested in winning elections at the cost of intimidations and threats and not infrastructure development
[/pullquote]As the UPND and some marketeers who were attacked in Batoka to be specific at Batoka Market would not only view what happened as political violence but criminal and barbaric.
To this effect it is well established that PF are only interested in winning elections at the cost of intimidations and threats and not infrastructure development, the people of Batoka mainly depend on agriculture and needs answers to resuscitate the dying agriculture sector.
The UPND wish to distance its youths from the violence that left four PF thugs at Batoka`s Market seriously wounded
No UPND cadres participated in the beating of the named PF cadres who were imported from Choma to Batoka for the purpose of causing violence. Our hands are very clean as our mission to Batoka is to speak to the people what the UPND is able to do for them now and for 2016
The Party further explains why the local people decided to beat them because they realized that their action was not in line with electoral code of conducts
We want to caution the PF and other parties to desist from importing cadres from others towns to an area where elections were being held and pushing us into a tight corner.
We are being attacked in almost every by-election, just on the Copperbelt our ward official was beaten and stripped naked by the PF. confirming that the PF is a very violent party that intimidates and threatens its partners such as the opposition political parties.
As much as we sympathise with the PF cadre currently nursing injuries from beatings from local people, we demand that ECZ to caution the ruling PF from importing cadres from Choma to Batoka to cause violence
The UPND Party says that its wrong for the Ruling PF to import thugs from Choma to Batoka on the sole purpose of causing violence. The Police release on the names of those that were injured states that the PF Cadres were all from Choma and residing in the compounds in Choma town thereby making us wonder as why the PF Party had to import cadres from Choma to Batoka and for what motivate
The UPND Team in Batoka shall remain committed to conduct peaceful campaigns in Batoka and we want to thank the general citizenry for showing confidence in the UPND party and leadership.
The UPND under President Hichilema Hakainde would like to state that it does not believe in violence campaigns but instead believe in issue based campaigns that are going to collectively kick out the PF in 2016 and bring peace and prosperity to this Country.
And UPND Campaign Manager for the Batoka Ward By Election Cornelius Mweetwa said he was not at the scene of the attack as claimed by some PF members who charged that the land cruiser for the Choma central member of parliament was used to launch the attack.
Recently four Patriotic Front(PF) officials who were imported from Choma to Batoka by the ruling PF were seriously injured in a clash with local residents in Batoka after being suspected of causing violence in Batoka
By Jackson Makwamba
Former Choma mayor and member of the campaign team in Batoka
A HEALTH official going through a medical card of a passenger who had just disembarked an international flight at the Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe International Airport in Ndola . The process is part of screening for Ebola at entry points into Zambia.
THE Ministry of Health on the Copperbelt has set Masala Clinic in Ndola as the quarantine centre for Ebola in an event that a case of the disease was recorded in the province.
Copperbelt medical officer Consity Mwale said yesterday in response to a Press Query that the province’s medical office has set up a number of preparatory measures including setting up Masala Clinic as the quarantine centre in an event that Ebola was recorded in the province.
Dr Mwale said the Copperbelt has two borders with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and one international airport which were the three possibilities through which a person infected with Ebola could use to enter the country.
These are Kasumbalesa border post in Chililabombwe, Mokambo border in Mufulira and Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe International Airport in Ndola.
“All these facilities offer port health services and have trained staff stationed at their health facilities. The health workers screen people coming into the country from all over the world for any contagious diseases like Ebola through active surveillance,” Dr Mwale said.
He said two environmental health officers and one clinician have been are assigned to screen passengers arriving at the airport from abroad using approved screening forms and have personal protective equipment.
In Mufulira at Mokambo border, two environmental health officers and one clinician have been assigned to screen people going through the border and also at Kasumbalesa border post.
Dr Mwale said the level of preparedness was adequate in an event of an Ebola epidemic in the province saying that personal protective equipment has been procured and information, education and communication strategies on health promotion and prevention was ongoing for the public and health workers.
“Clinical lessons on Ebola have already started and will be given to all health care workers. There is need to refurbish the quarantine facility already identified and this calls for a multisectoral approach,” he said.
Dr Mumba takes time to greet and chat with children
On the statement he made about joining politics
MMD President Nevers Mumba says he feels he has now grown and as a leader is now ready to occupy the office of Republican President because God had been preparing him for that role.
Featuring on the popular Red Hot Breakfast Show on Hot FM, Dr. Mumba said he has no regrets to over a statement he made over a decade ago on Frank Talk TV programme that he will not run for political office because the Lord he served was greater than all the Presidents in the world.
He said he made that statement years ago without understanding how God uses his people.
“I have grown, I have learnt and I have understood more and it is because of that,that I’m engaged in the political process. I have no regrets on that statement. I think any person who doesn’t change his mind about certain things he believed before means he is not growing.If you are going to tell me what you believed in at seven and you want to hang on to those beliefs then you are not growing,” Dr Mumba explained.
[pullquote]God can demand me to do anything because I’m his servant and I’m not the one to say this job is too small or that job is too big.[/pullquote]
He added, “Serving the Lord is the prime thing that anybody can do. The gift of life, the best part of life is what is called growth, and anybody who doesn’t change his views about issues as he develops and grows is dead. So there are certain things I didn’t know at that age when I made the statement, as I have grown I have realized what my responsibilities are and expectations from me as a person. So I have grown to understand more than what I did at that time that God can demand anything from me.He can demand of me to do anything because I’m his servant and I’m not the one to say this job is too small or that job is too big.”
Dr Mumba said in a wide ranging interview that he is now ready to fully engage in politics because God had prepared him adequately for a role in politics.
“For instance, when I went to Bible College to study, as part of my scholarship I was cleaning toilets, I could say that was not what God called me to do but that’s part of the preparation. It’s part of the job that shows that you are appliable. What I didn’t know at that time was that God had given me the challenge to do politics alongside side what I was doing. “
On his Marriage
The MMD leader also opened up about his marriage to Florence saying she has been instrumental in his life and all that he has achieved.
“I thank God for her life, infact I cannot live without her. She has been amazing to me and God has blessed us with a lovely family. I met her in the Youth Ministry at Church, infact I was a Youth Director. She loves the Lord too and what most people don’t know about Florence is that she is a better preacher than I am. She went to the same Bible School and I had to make sure that she fell pregnant each other year so as to keep her busy and away from the pulpit because she was clearly outshining her husband,” Dr Mumba jokingly said.
On the current state of MMD
On the state of the MMD, Dr Mumba said the former ruling party is at a point where it has found some stabilization.
“Every political analyst understands that each time a political party loses power, you have a mixed pot of anxiety, emotions, expectations and the first two years is the most critical, as a matter of fact it is like you are in the ICU. It’s either you make it or you die.That is exactly where we were as the MMD.In 2011 especially towards the end of the year, we didn’t have a President for 8 months, our MPs were taken away from us to become PF Ministers, our seats were being nullified and our vehicles were being taken away, really the spirit of a lot of our members were in the dumps. So we call that ICU situation.”
He added, “When I was given the responsibility to take care of this stage, I had to trust in God and the faithfulness of members that surrounded me. Some of the troubles we had to fight were bordering on destruction of the party but we had to trust God for people’s aspirations to be protected in as far as their democracy was concerned.We had to be survive and so I give credit to all the members of NEC for a resilient fight that has warded off all these fights and tried to focus on why we exist and that is providing checks and balances and prepare to take over Government again.”
Dr Mumba said the battles MMD went through were necessary battles. UNIP went through them, unfortunately it was difficult for them to survive.In any case, we are learning from some of the mistakes they made,to make sure we don’t fall into the same trap but there are many differences between UNIP and ourselves.We didn’t lose with a big margin, the winning party had 66 and we had 55. UNIP was almost completely wiped out.We are now at a stable place where we can now focus on winning elections and start bringing back confidence that the MMD has a new team now and my goal is firstly to renew the MMD, to convince the Zambian people that this is not the same MMD that they threw out. There is new leadership with vigour that could meet the aspirations of the party.”
On the ruling PF party
He said the PF has lamentably failed to live by its own promises as a party founded on pro poor ideologies.
Dr Mumba said the removal of subsidies on fuel and maize has taken Zambians deeper into poverty.
“The PF said it will be a pro poor Government but the cost of living in Zambia has continued going up under it’s watch. The only thing they have succeeded to do is open up the eyes of Zambians on the need for quality leadership. PF has reneged on all its promises. A bag of mealie meal which the MMD left at K 36 is now selling at K 95, we are worse off now,” he said.
