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President Sata kneels in prayer at Saint Ignatius catholic church
President Michael Sata has urged the Muslim Community to assist in the national effort to develop the country. This is contained in the President’s message to the Muslim Community as they commemorate Eid-Ul-Adha today.
“On the occasion of Eid-Ul-Adha, I wish to urge all my brothers and sisters in the Muslim Community to let love, sacrifice and compassion, influence their everyday interactions with one another,” says the President.
“I challenge you all to lend a hand in the national effort to fight crime, corruption and all other evils so that we can make our beloved country a better place for all to live in.”
Eid al-Adha or “Festival of Sacrifice” is an important religious holiday celebrated by Muslims worldwide to commemorate the willingness of Abraham to sacrifice his son Ishmael as an act of obedience to God, before God intervened to provide him with a ram to sacrifice instead.
And Mr Sata has expressed deep regret and sorrow at the death of chief Kapichila of Lundazi District. The President noted that since his ascendance to the throne on May 4, 1957, the late chief Kapichila who has passed on at the age of 87, has been instrumental in promoting local development among the people of Lundazi and the Eastern Province as a whole.
President Sata said the death of chief Kapichila will be intensely felt not only by the royal establishment but by many Zambians around the country and abroad.
“Kindly convey on behalf of the People and Government of Zambia and indeed on my own behalf, heartfelt condolences and sympathies to the royal family and the people of Lundazi district,” the President said.
The Following is an open letter that was sent to UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema on 25th October 2011 using the email address on the opposition leader’s website by the author. Due to the lengthy nature of the letter. We shall publish it in two parts. Below is the final part
By M Makalu:-
Sata won Luapula by 73.54% in 2011, Northern by 64.18%. I am sure this is what Mr. Mweetwa called ‘careful’ analysis that makes you conclude that even other candidates receive votes from their tribes. So you take your 71.41% win of Southern province as normal and say, “the regional support given to the UPND is not different from that received by other parties including the Patriotic Front (PF).”
But when I say stop your tribalism, I am not saying start losing in Southern province. That would be dumb. Southern province is your home ground; you have every right to even set the record of scooping it by 100% if you can.
“Stop your tribalism” instead means:
a. Stop talking ONLY to Tongas. Based on how UPND’s support has evolved over the past 10 years, it is clear that you talk only to Tongas. Talk to other regions as well.
b. Stop accepting tribalism ANYWHERE in Zambia.
One Zambia, One Nation , Take the fight to them
You owe nobody no apologies for winning in Southern Province. But as somebody who aspires to be president of Zambia, you all everybody, including Tongas, apologies for only managing to convince Tongas to your agenda.
We are One Zambia One Nation. We are a union of 73 Bantu speaking tribes. (In my dreams, I even wish we were called United Bantu of Zambia (UBZ) so as to keep ‘unity’ on our lips everyday).
This means that ALL tribes have committed themselves to seeing each other as brothers and sisters. This came automatically for people who were there at independence because they shared the same pain and indignity from colonialism. So it was easy for them to embrace each other from Northern to Southern, Eastern to Western and everyone in between.
But to those of us born yesterday, who did not share in the pain, we need our leaders TODAY, to call us to unity just like the leaders then called our forefathers to unity. So you must see the tribes’ commitment to One Zambia One Nation not as something that is fully done and dusted for all eternity, but rather as WORK IN PROGRESS.
[pullquote]But when I say stop your tribalism, I am not saying start losing in Southern province. That would be dumb. Southern province is your home ground; you have every right to even set the record of scooping it by 100% if you can.[/pullquote]
In other words, as somebody who aspires to rule Zambia, your first responsibility is to make sure that that Zambia continues to exist. Zambia exists only as a union so you want to make sure that you work and are seen to work towards making that union more perfect. Unite your Zambia before you rule it.
When your ‘careful’ analysis of election results revealed that you received less and less support from Northen and Luapula, you should have reached out more; you should have talked to them more, engaged them more. You should have taken the fight to them. You should have refused to bow to tribalism. Instead, what you did was, you went back to Tongas, asking them to vote for you more, explaining that the tribalistic Bembas did not vote for you enough.
You then went to Lozis who also share similar anti-Bemba sentiments and brought them on board. It is the reason the ‘tribalism’ mark has been put on your head and not on Sata’s.
Sata also gets his least votes from your region: Southern, Western and North Western. But instead of him going back to Bembas crying for more votes, mind you, the vote of Bembas and associated tribes is twice that of the Tongas and associated tribes’ he reached out more, engaged more. He brought the fight to you.
This is what I meant when I said stop accepting tribalism anywhere. Sata refused to bow to Tongas’ tribalism. And over the 10 years, his support in your regions has seen growth.
[pullquote]From 2001 to 2011, your votes in Northern fell from 8,888 to 2,935; in Luapula from 5,674 to 1,758. Sata’s rose from 790 to 24,609 in Southern; 838 to 43,579 in Western; 275 to 18,790 in North Western and 1,930 to 63,890 in Central. You had a better start in Sata’s territory than he had in yours. [/pullquote]
From 2001 to 2011, your votes in Northern fell from 8,888 to 2,935; in Luapula from 5,674 to 1,758. Sata’s rose from 790 to 24,609 in Southern; 838 to 43,579 in Western; 275 to 18,790 in North Western and 1,930 to 63,890 in Central. You had a better start in Sata’s territory than he had in yours. But because you accept tribalism it has cost you.
In a nutshell, this is what makes you a tribalist while Sata is not. In a union of 73 tribes, you observed that certain tribes did not like you. Instead of reaching out more to those tribes to foster unity, which is a mark of a good leader, you went back to your tribe and ‘woke them up’ to tribal voting. In the end your tribal vote grew so big that it swallowed your national vote. This is what makes your regional support VERY DIFFERENT from that of other political parties: it devours your national vote. At 52% from Southern, you outdid Sata’s 33% from Northen and Luapula combined. You effectively became UPTD (T = Tribalistic) and stopped being UPND.
UPND’s Political strategy Going Forward
The era of the ‘old political folk’ ends with Michael Sata. Everybody wants new blood; young and fresh brains. You are far ahead of the pack amongst all young people who will emerge, be it in MMD or PF. So if you play your cards right, the next election could be yours.
So think about the following:
1.Abandon character assassination
The phasing out of the old political folk is the dying of politics of character assassination. So as you “ensure checks and balances” and “curb government excesses,” avoid attacking Sata’s character. You would be sinking yourself down with him. Like it or not, Sata has been voted for his pro-poor policies. You are committing political suicide if you want to put “checks and balances, and curb government excesses” to that. So adapt!
2.Flow with The Post Newsspaper do not fight them.
Going by your youth wing’s press statement, it appears you feel as if the Post hates you and is jealous of you. I have no comment about that. But the Post is a very important asset to every Zambian politician. It being a private newspaper, its survival depends on its sellability. Meaning that being relevant to Zambians is their lifeblood. So if the Post picks up a certain line of reporting and editorials, know that the newspaper is selling.
Take that line of reporting as the line of thinking Zambians are on. Flow with that instead of fighting it. And for fear of legal action, they make sure their facts are accurate before they publish.
In the event that the line of reporting is against you, like on tribalism, do not be defensive and go on attack against the Post. From now on, your response to tribalism allegations shall not be “M’membe hates HH, M’membe is a trouble maker, M’membe this M’membe that, etc” or “other parties are tribalistic too, including PF” or “we are too important or too big to go in a fight with a newspaper.” When M’membe’s readership hear that, they go, “Guilty, guilty, guilty!” That is not good for you.
So your response shall be, “We are happy with our performance in the 2011 elections. We have emerged stronger as a party. Although, like all Zambians, we are disappointed that we got over 52% of our votes from Southern which indeed makes us appear tribal, since that is where our president comes from. Perhaps it could be that we over spent our campaign resources there to ensure he did not lose on his home ground. As you know in Zambian politics, home ground advantage is key. We have definitely learnt from this, and we will allocate resources better in the next elections.”
In other words, while everybody explains your 52% from Southern as tribalism, explain it as allocation of resources, a planning error or something. From there, assure the Zambian people that UPND is their party. If it did not reach them in 2011, you will make sure it reaches them BEFORE 2016. In publicity, there is a saying, “There is not good or bad publicity.” So use the Post’s “attacks” to your advantage.
3. Have a two-pronged approach to “cracking” the Bemba vote.
So far it appears as if your only approach to winning Bemba support is ‘pacts’ with Bemba parties. Go as far as you can on that front. But in my view, it is highly unlikely for a Bemba party to leave the presidency for you. Can you leave the presidency for a Bemba yourself?
So in addition to seeking pacts with Bemba parties, have a “Bemba Attack Team (BAT).” Launch “bats” on Bembas. Just make sure those bats will include Bembast too. It is an old saying, “Set a thief to catch a thief.” You need this wisdom from where am sitting.
The job description of this team is to reach Bembas before 2016. To reach Bembas NOW. And let this team report directly to you, or somebody just next to you, from their permanent residence in Bemba territory.
Also keep your eyes closely on Nevers Mumba. It is very likely he will swing the Bemba vote. PF, MMD and UPND will all want him. This might be a far cry shot, but to me, Nevers has not been fired; he has been promoted. He is Sata’s successor. Well, even if you disagree, just keep your eyes on him, will you?
4. Have a message for the people.
The major issues of the past election were poverty and corruption. Sata’s message on both of them was “more money in your pockets” and “Don’t kubeba” respectively. You are guaranteed that poverty will still be an issue in the next 3 or 4 elections. So coin a message against poverty, which even the street will understand. Your 5 reasons listed on www.hakainde.com are too many and meaningless to the street. They are for the educated like me. The phrase “real change” is too abstract, only analytical people can listen to such.
If you don’t mind positioning yourself as someone who will build on from where Sata, the people’s popular president, will leave off with pro-poor policies, your poverty message can be: more money in the bank too.
People don’t just want money they can spend, they want to save too. Tell them, “Sata gave you money to spend; I will give you more you will save some.” Or you can just say, “HH For Enough Money.” Enough money for food, accommodation, education, health, travel, etc.
Or you can re-phrase your “food for all” into “No more hunger.” The street understands the latter better than the former. “No more poverty, No more ama broke, etc” are variations.
On corruption, you are trying to spin “Don’t kubeba” to mean ‘a conspiracy within PF where they will run a corrupt government and cover their tracks.” I doubt if this will take you anywhere. Trust me, people know what Donchi Kubeba means.
So just go to the heart of your passion for politics. To me, Mr. HH, looking at news articles on your vuvuzela, the www.zambianwatchdog.com, it is clear that what drives your political career is you hate it that politicians deceive people (especially Bemba politicians who are too clever on their mouths, if I might add). They don’t keep their promises. It is no wonder you are trying to put a ‘conspiracy’ spin on donchi kubeba.
I understand where you are coming from.
As a Tonga, you are deeply aggrieved that your region has not seen as much development as Bemba land. Hence you feel the creation of Muchinga province is “just taking development to the same region;” the same crookedness you want to fight. You are really pieced that your people have been voting for leaders who have ended up doing nothing for them.
Rest assured that this anger is not only in Tonga land; it is in Bemba land too. As a non-Bemba, you might think Bembas are happy because they receive “all” the development. Far from it. The poverty that stripes your people of dignity, stripes Bembas of dignity as well. Can’t you see how Bemba chiefs easily get partisan? Poverty!
So as the pain of colonialism united our fore fathers, the pain of poverty unites us today – Tongas, Bembas, Lozis and every Bantu speaker in our union.
As an aspiring president, show your leadership by finding an inspiring slogan in this widespread anger at politicians’ lies. I give you: “Don’t Kubepa.” Which means, “Don’t lie.” Translate that into Tonga and other languages and off you go.
You are no longer an opposition to “ensure checks and balances and curb government excesses” of a pro-poor government; you are an opposition to “ensure that people’s minimum expectations are met and that government stays true to its people.” You have adapted.
You might ask, “If the government stays true to its people and meets their expectations, won’t that deny me a chance to rule?” No. People will like you that you held the government accountable. You forced government to be true to their word as you rallied people with “Don’t kubepa.” People will see you as their hero as they will see you as having fought for and with them.
Your party symbol is an open hand reaching out for a handshake; make it an open hand ready to receive. But your message is not receiving, it is OPENNESS, TRANSPARENCY, GIVING, HONESTY. An open hand is a blessing. Position UPND as a blessing to the Zambian people.
5. Your priorities.
I only see one actually: Freedom of Information Bill (FIB) and a protective legal framework for journalists at ZNBC who expose government failures. UPND has no mouth piece, so unless you will invest 20 years into a newspaper like The Post, you need ZNBC free from government interference inDEED not just on paper and in rhetoric. So advocate that the FIB happens as quickly as possible, and be of good quality. Also side with journalist groupings seeking a protective legal framework. Commit your legal and money resources to help with ideas in this area.
Every time you open your mouth anywhere and every where, you shall call for these legal instruments. Then step back from the constitution a bit. Wait to see how any new constitution will be received by the church and NGOs before you issue your official position. If you find that a constitution you disagree with is still popular (with the church, NGOs, etc), tell your MPs to vote for it nonetheless. The point is, everybody knows you were part of NCC so there is no “sense” you can say about this issue now.
6. What do you make of Livingstone?
You keep losing in Livingstone while you overwhelmingly win all other constituencies in Southern province, how do you explain that?
My hypothesis is that you lose in Livingstone for the same reason you lose in Copperbelt and Lusaka. The common factor in these areas is that there is a bit of development. This means your developmental message is not getting across. Polish it up.
7. HH until the next election.
Sata is popular, and unfortunately, as the Bible says, “Love covers a multitude of sins.” The strategy of painting Sata evil in the traditional way of criticising and attacking is a non-starter. Forget it. Until the next election, HH must position himself as a leader who fights to make sure Zambians get what they deserve, no matter what. Sata’s promises are good. You may disagree but the people agree. Have a team of people that will compile every developmental promise Sata and PF made: roads, hospitals, money in the pockets, agriculture, etc. Tick off what he implements and use what he does not implement as your ammunition. Quote him and give facts and figures. With your “Don’t Kubepa” slogan, you will inspire masses.
That is about it from me. I remain with the hope that as you seek pacts to earn UPND national support, you will as well form a team of people working on a strategy to achieve just that without a pact (to avoid a repeat of the PF-UPND pact that failed at the eleventh hour). You might need that as you may end up with no choice but to ‘confront’ Bembas on your own. As my statistic on “2011 registered voters and valid votes” shows (see “Additional Statistics”), anti-HH voters (Bembas and associates) are twice pro-HH (Tongas and associates). You need Bembas to have a real shot at the presidency. Creates “bats” for them.
My last words: We are One Zambia One Nation. Tribalism can neither stop you nor take you anywhere.
Josh Kovacs( Ben Stiller) has managed one of the most luxurious and well-secured high rise residences in New York City for more than a decade. Under his watchful eye, nothing goes undetected. Wall Street titan Arthur Shaw is under house arrest after being caught stealing two billion from his investors. The hardest hit among those he defrauded? The tower staffers whose pensions he was entrusted to manage. With only days before Arthur gets away with the perfect crime, Josh’s crew turns to small time crook ,Slide( Eddie murphy), to plan the nearly impossible…to steal $20 million from Arthur’s FBI guarded room. Though amateurs, these rookie thieves know the building better than anyone. Turns out they’ve been casing the place for years, they just didn’t know it
PRO’S
Ben Stiller and Eddie Murphy make a good comedy combination .
Arthur Shaw (Alan Alda) was really convincing as the cold hearted wall street titan who swindled the entire staff out of their pensions.
It was interesting to watch them plan the heist and see how things went wrong , and them still managing to pull it off.
When the doorman, Lester ,tries to kill himself because he has lost his life savings from the past 25 years , you really start to feel for him and the rest of the staff .
CON’S
The ending was a bit predictable.
Some of the supporting actors could have been given better roles ; such as Gabourey Sidibe ( Odessa).
FAVORITE QUOTES
Slide(Eddie murphy): You the little seizure boy that’s having seizures all the time!
Josh Kovacs (Ben Stiller): That’s it, I don’t want you talking to me for the rest of the robbery!
Mr. Fitzhugh(Matthew Broaderick): If anybody needs me, I’ll be living in this box…
CONCLUSION
This was a very nice , fun movie for a Saturday afternoon. Ben stiller and Eddie Murphy and numerous funny moments . You will leave this movie with a satisfied smile on your face. It was nice to see Eddie Murphy play a “bad guy” for a change.
“REMIND PEOPLE to be submissive to [their] magistrates and authorities, to be obedient, to be prepared and willing to do any upright and honorable work.”
(Titus 3:1, AMP)
TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria
What do you do to honor God? A lot of times people think, “I go to church to honor God. I read my Bible to honor God. I sing and clap in worship to honor God.” And yes, those are ways to honor God, but did you know that you honor God just as much when you get to work on time? You honor God when you are productive each day and honor the people in authority over you. You honor God when you excel in your career.
Actions speak louder than words. When you give your very best in the workplace, your whole life is giving praise to God. Showing up with a good attitude, being friendly, organized, just being your best — people will notice there’s something different about you. They’ll want what you have.
As believers, we should set the standard in all areas of life. People should see the depth of your character and your spirit of excellence and know that you are a child of the Most High God. Make the decision to honor Him in all that you do because You are His representative in the earth today!
A PRAYER FOR TODAY
Father in heaven, I choose to honor You in all that I do. I choose to set the standard and do my very best. Thank You for the privilege to be Your representative. Help me to show Your love and excellence in everything I do. I love You and bless You in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Power Dynamos today ended an agonizing 11-year wait for the Faz Super Division title after beating Zanaco 1-0 at Sunset Stadium in Lusaka.
Power, who last won the league in 2000, secured the crown with a game in hand after amassing an unassailable 56 points from 29 matches in their penultimate game of the season.
The win also earned coach Fordson Kabole’s second career title as coach after winning the Super Division with Nchanga Rangers in 1998.
“Well it is a great feeling and I should think you saw the challenge that I had,” Kabole said in a post-match interview at Sunset stadium today.
“I was I was given three season in which to win it (The league) but I have done it in two season which is a good thing for me.”
Meanwhile, Sunset was packed to the rafters as Power fans imported to Lusaka the electric atmosphere of Arthur Davies Stadium giving the Capital a rare ambience of true football fever.
Power secured their sixth league title via a 44th minute solitary goal scored by Luka Lungu who rifled in from close-range.
Zanaco struggled to find any rhythm in a match Power dominated much of this game playing some sweet passing football showing why they are deserved champions for 2011.
However, Lungu and Simon Bwalya found Zanaco goalkeeper Racha Kola in inspired form or were also let down by poor finishing.
And Power had a late scare in the 90th minute when Danny Chama’s header for Zanaco flew just winches wide of the right angle.
Power will represent Zambia in the Caf Champions League and return to continental football for the first time since 2003 when they reached the quarterfinals of the defunct Caf Cup Winners Cup.
President and government officials pose for a photograph with Chinese diplomats and investors
THE Mineworkers Union of Zambia (MUZ) has refused to entirely blame the Chinese-owned mining companies over the ‘flouting’ of the country’s labour laws saying Chinese investors have certain positives that have benefited Zambians in many ways.
Newly-elected MUZ president Oswell Munyenyembe said in an interview yesterday in Kitwe his union cannot entirely blame the Chinese companies because other mining houses are equally culprits.
“We cannot wholesomely condemn the Chinese-owned mining houses. Remember when we had the global crisis, no worker was retrenched at any Chinese mine. Yes, they have their own problems like mistreating workers and not following labour laws, but other mining houses are also culprits in this area. It is not only the Chinese mining companies,” he said.
Mr Munyenyembe, however, urged the Chinese companies to ensure that they follow the country’s labour laws and desist from harassing their workers.
[pullquote]“We cannot wholesomely condemn the Chinese-owned mining houses. Remember when we had the global crisis, no worker was retrenched at any Chinese mine. Yes, they have their own problems like mistreating workers and not following labour laws, but other mining houses are also culprits in this area. It is not only the Chinese mining companies,” he said.[/pullquote]
He was reacting to the report released by the United Kingdon-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) in which the watchdog has accused Chinese minies of abusing workers and blamed Government for being indifferent to the plight of the miners.
Mr Munyenyembe said investors must work hand in hand with their workers to promote industrial harmony. “We want the Chinese and other investors in the mining industry to respect the labour laws, to respect rights of their workers. They must pay the workers well and they must ensure that the safety of the people is a priority,” Mr Munyenyembe said.
And Government says not only Chinese Mining companies have been flouting labour laws but all employers should try and ensure their workers are properly looked after. Deputy Minister of Labour Rayford Mbulu says Government has been prompted to quickly and effectively revise labour laws and regulations because of revelations that have shown how workers in the country continue to be exploited because of the harsh conditions of service they operate under.
Mr Mbulu said Government intends to put in place laws which will ensure companies that flout them are slapped with stiff sanctions to deter others. He said in an interview in Lusaka that the country’s current labour laws are intolerable because they do not adequately address issues that are on the ground.
“The labour laws in the country are intolerable, and we need to put in place stiffer laws and penalties that will make people responsible when they abrogate them,” he said. He said issues concerning safety of workers should be the priority of any company because this reduces accidents making the company more productive.
On Thursday a report by Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Chinese mining companies in Zambia, were routinely flouting laws designed to protect workers’ safety and the right to organise. The New York-based body urged President Michael Sata to follow through on campaign promises to stamp out abuse of workers in the sector.
China’s Foreign Ministry dismissed the report, saying Beijing had been working closely with African countries to ensure all cooperation was beneficial to both sides, and that workers’ rights were protected.
“We have promoted employment there and contributed to the economic and social development of African countries,” spokesman Hong Lei said.
The 122-page study detailed persistent abuses in Chinese-run mines, including poor health and safety conditions, and regular 12-hour and even 18-hour shifts involving arduous labour — all in violation of Zambian law.
Furthermore, HRW said mine bosses routinely threatened to fire workers who refused to work in dangerous locations underground or tried to report their grievances to mining regulators.
The four Chinese-run copper mining companies in Zambia are subsidiaries of China Non-Ferrous Metals Mining Corporation (CNMC), a state-owned enterprise.
[pullquote]Opposition leader Sata came to power in September on the back of a populist election platform that included virulent criticism of Chinese mining investment. Since taking office, he has toned down his rhetoric and stressed the need for foreign investment, but has made clear that all companies must observe labour laws.[/pullquote]
CNMC denied the allegations, saying miners’ safety was its highest priority and that the company had achieved an unprecedented 26 months without any fatal accidents from September 2006 to October 2008.
Copper mining is the lifeblood of Zambia ‘s economy, contributing nearly three-quarters of its foreign exchange earnings, while China is the biggest investor, having sunk more than $2 billion into the sector.
“China’s significant investment in Zambia’s copper mining industry can benefit both Chinese and Zambians,” said Daniel Bekele, HRW’s Africa director.
“But the miners in Chinese-run companies have been subject to abusive health, safety, and labour conditions and long-time government indifference.”
Opposition leader Sata came to power in September on the back of a populist election platform that included virulent criticism of Chinese mining investment. Since taking office, he has toned down his rhetoric and stressed the need for foreign investment, but has made clear that all companies must observe labour laws.
After his victory, analysts said Sata was unlikely to make drastic changes for fear of derailing an industry goal of doubling annual copper output to 1.5 million tonnes by 2016 — an increase that will also enrich Zambia’s treasury.
Other mining firms in Zambia include Canada’s First Quantum Minerals and Barrick Gold , London-listed commodity giant Glencore and Vedanta Resources , South Africa’s Metorex .
HRW said its research was based on three field visits between November 2010 and July 2011 and drew on more than 170 interviews with workers from both Chinese and other companies.
Eleven workers were shot and wounded during a pay dispute at a Chinese-run mine last year, though attempted murder charges against two Chinese managers were later dropped.
Five other miners were hurt during a similar confrontation at a different mine in 2005
VICE-PRESIDENT Guy Scott says Government will soon offload 45 percent shares in the government-owned media institutions to the public. Dr Scott said discussions are under way to offload 45 percent shares in the three public media institutions to help make them operate independently without any political interference from the ruling party and the government.
He said this in Parliament yesterday when responding to a question from Itezhi Tezhi United Party for National Development (UPND) member of Parliament (MP) Greyford Monde during the Vice-President’s Question Time.
Mr Monde wanted to know how far Government has gone with the privatisation of the Zambia Daily Mail Limited and TimesPrintpak Zambia Limited. Dr Scott said measures are under way to reposition the three public media houses to make them operate as truly public media institutions.
He said the measures the Patriotic Front (PF) government is undertaking will help ensure the Zambia Daily Mail, Times of Zambia and the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) are no longer monopolies of the ruling government.
“Discussions are underway to free the public media institutions from political interference of the ruling government so that they can inform, entertain and educate the public ethically and professionally.
“It is for this reason our government intends to offload 45 percent shares in these public media institutions so that they can be working independently,” he said. Dr Scott said once this is done, Zambians will have freedom of expression through the public media, unlike in the past when people were not given a platform to express themselves on many national issues.
He said the PF government will remain committed to ensuring that journalists in the public media operate professionally without any interference from Government. And the Media Liaison’s Committee (MLC) has welcomed Government’s plans to offload 45 percent shares in the three media institutions to the public.
MLC spokesperson Simon Mwila said the measure will help improve professionalism in the public media institutions as well as contribute effectively to the growth of the media industry in the country.
“We want to welcome the move that the PF government is intending to undertake to offload 45 percent shares in the three public media institutions. This will improve professionalism as well as allow these institutions to start operating as public media institutions.
“We also want to urge Government to consult the public media institutions before this process is concluded,” Mr Mwila said. He urged Government to protect the jobs of workers at the three public media institutions after offloading 45 percent shares to private investors.
THE Patriotic Front (PF) says it has no intentions of wiping out the opposition political parties because it needs them to provide checks and balances. PF secretary general Wynter Kabimba said the court petitions that some losing PF candidates have embarked on have nothing to do with the party leadership.
Mr Kabimba was reacting to MMD spokesperson Dora Siliya, who alleged during a media briefing on Thursday that the ruling PF wants to use court petitions to wipe out or weaken the MMD and other opposition political parties.
He said petitions are being pursued by individuals who feel they deserved to win the elections which they lost. “As PF we have no ill intentions regarding the opposition political parties because we need them to provide checks and balances. We are not like the MMD who had such motives,” Mr Kabimba said.
He said the petitioning of parliamentary by-elections cannot be attributed to the party leadership because everyone who feels grieved about the way elections were conducted has a right to seek justice with the courts of law.
Mr Kabimba said the petitions will also give the people a true picture on what transpired during the elections in the respective constituencies. “If the elections were genuine, parliamentarians whose constituencies are being petitioned have nothing to fear unless they engaged in malpractices,” he said.
He said the PF is also interested to know what transpired in the constituencies where the party lost.
About 51 constituencies are being petitioned by the PF losing candidates.
MINISTER of Foreign Affairs Chishimba Kambwili says Zambia has held bilateral talks with the Malawian government, which has promised to send an envoy to Zambia to deliver a special message to President Sata and an apology over his deportation in 2007.
“When we were in Perth (Australia) we had bilateral talks with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Malawi, who is His Excellency President Bingu wa Mutharika’s brother, and he has promised that he is coming to Zambia to deliver a special message and an apology to His Excellency President Michael Chilufya Sata,” Mr Kambwili said
And Mr Kambwili has said that Government is waiting for Cabinet approval to recognise the new Libyan government after the ousting and subsequent death of former leader Muammar Gaddafi. Mr Kambwili said in an interview on Thursday Government will reopen its embassy in Libya after Cabinet approval, which the MMD administration closed during the unrest that rocked the North African country.
“I can tell you that we are waiting for Cabinet approval on whether to recognise the new government of Libya. Zambia believes in the sovereignty of other states and will not interfere in their internal matters. If the people of Libya have agreed to change government then we will respect that,” Mr Kambwili said.
He said he does not see any reason for Cabinet to fail to approve the recognition of the new Libyan government because no-one has objected to it. Mr Kambwili said the previous administration completely closed the embassy in Libya and opened another in Turkey.
“As PF government, we are relooking at the whole issue. We would rather maintain the embassy in Libya and open the one in Turkey,” Mr Kambwili said.
Members of Parliament listen to President Sata's speech n which he promised to deliver a new constitution in 90 days
THREE political parties have criticised the Patriotic Front (PF) government for allegedly failing to honour its campaign promise of delivering a new Constitution within 90 days of coming into power.
The three political parties are the opposition MMD, United Party for National Development (UPND) and the National Movement for Progress (NMP). They were reacting to the announcement in Parliament yesterday by Minister of Justice Sebastian Zulu that it will not be possible for the PF government to deliver a Constitution that will stand the test of time within 90 days as it had promised because there is a process involved.
Speaking in Lusaka yesterday, MMD national chairman Michael Mabenga said it is disappointing that the PF government has U-turned on its earlier campaign promise of delivering a Constitution that will stand a test of time within its first 90 days in office.
Mr Mabenga said it is not enough for Government to just promise to deliver a new constitution without a clear roadmap and that Zambians are disappointed to hear statements from Mr Zulu indicating that it will not be possible for government to come up with a Constitution within 90 days.
“During the campaigns President Sata repeatedly mentioned among other things that the PF will deliver the new Constitution that will stand a test of time in 90 days if it formed government. “We are now surprised and disappointed to hear that the same party has U-turned on its campaign promises,” he said.
UPND spokesperson Charles Kakoma said his party is shocked to note that the PF government has failed to honour its campaign promises of coming up with a new Constitution within the promised 90-day period.
“President Sata, when he was campaigning, told the people of Zambia that he will deliver a new Constitution within 90 days. Even when he opened the First Session of the 11th National Assembly he assured Zambians that the new Constitution will be in place within 90 days.“We are now shocked that the Minister of Justice is contradicting what the President said,” Mr Kakoma said.
And NMP president Ng’andu Magande called on government to come up with clear roadmap on the Constitution-making process.
Yesterday, Mr Zulu said although Government is making frantic efforts aimed at coming up with a new Constitution, there is need for the people of Zambia to give the government time to come up with a Constitution that will stand the test of time.
Mr Zulu said this in Parliament yesterday when he outlined the new constitution review roadmap. He said President Sata will soon constitute a committee of experts to analyse the recommendations of all the previous constitution review commissions and come up with an inclusive draft law.
Mr Zulu said the draft Constitution, which will be drafted by the committee of experts from the Chona, Mvunga, Mwanakatwe, Willa Mung’omba commissions and the National Constitutional Conference (NCC) will be taken round the country for people’s input.
“Mr Speaker, let me inform the nation through you that this government attaches great importance towards the constitution-making process. President Sata will soon appoint a committee of experts that will consider all the previous constitution review commissions and come up with an inclusive draft law.
“Let me also inform the nation that it will not be possible for the Patriotic Front (PF) government to come up with a Constitution within 90 days. This is because we want to come up with a Constitution that the people of Zambia will appreciate, and this will take a little longer,” he said.
Mr Zulu said over the years, the people’s call for a Republican Constitution that is expected to stand the test of time has been loud and clear. He said it is unfortunate that the previous regimes have wasted a good portion of the country’s meagre resources on financing the previous constitution review commissions without coming up with such a Constitution.
The Justice Minister said it is shameful that after 47 years of political independence, the country has failed to give its people an acceptable Constitution that will embrace the interests of all Zambians.
He said the PF government should be commended for promising to deliver a new Constitution that will stand the test of time. Mr Zulu also said the committee which will be constituted to work on the Constitution should be given time to complete its work rather than 90 days if it is to do a thorough job in addressing the many contentious issues, errors and inconsistencies in the previous constitution review efforts.
He said the terms of reference for the committee of experts will be among other things to identify and examine contentious issues, errors and inconsistencies in the 1996 Republican Constitution and the draft constitutions of the commissions led by Chona, Mvunga, Mwanakatwe, Mung’omba and the NCC.
Mr Zulu said the committee will prepare a provisional draft Constitution based on its findings and that citizens will be given time in which they will present their comments on the content of the provisional draft Constitution, followed by the preparation of a final draft Constitution based on refinements made upon consideration of the people’s comments.
He said after the preparation of the final draft Constitution, a nationwide referendum will then be organised to gauge whether or not the final draft Constitution will reflect the will and the desires and aspirations of the Zambian people.
Mr Zulu said the role of Parliament and the President will be limited to the provision of financial and material resources to the constitution-making process, and to assent to the final output of the process after the referendum.
Zambezi Airline has challenged the suspension of its air service permit.
The Airline has sort judicial review over the matter in the Lusaka High Court.
Zambezi airline is seeking a court order to quash the decision by transport, works and supply Permanent Secretary, Dominic Sichinga to suspend the airline service permit.
Zambezi Airline has contended that the suspension of it airline permit is illegal as it lacks jurisdiction.
The Airline has also argued that Director of Civil Aviation acted illegally by invoking legislation which has not been enacted in Zambia to arrive at the suspension of the permit.
Zambezi Airline has also lamented that the verdict to suspend the air permit was defiance of the rule of Natural justice as the airline was not given an opportunity to be heard.
Justice Minister Sebastian Zulu has outlined a new constitutional road map in which the process will take longer than the 90 days earlier announced.
Mr. Zulu told Parliament that President Michael Sata is in the process of appointing a team of experts to revisit the Mvunga, Mwanakatwe, Mun’gomba Constitution review commissions.
He says the experts will also look at the recent constitution review commission draft constitution.
Mr. Zulu explained that the experts will then come up with a draft constitution which will be taken around the country for peoples’ inputs before going for a referendum.
After the referendum the draft constitution will then be brought before parliament for possible enactment.
Meanwhile Mr. Zulu says his Ministry is drafting various pieces of legislation to support the pronouncements made by President Sata in his recent speech to Parliament.
The Following is an open letter that was sent to UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema on 25th October 2011 using the email address on the opposition leader’s website by the author. Due to the lengthy nature of the letter. We shall publish it in two parts. The first part makes a case of tribalism against HH and the second part provides advise on how HH could deal with this issue and even hope to be Zambian president some day.
By M Makalu:-
The Post newspaper has in the recent past featured editorials condemning your “tribalistic and dangerous anti-Bemba politics.” The Zambian Inquirer asked Mr. Cornelius Mweetwa, Deputy Spokesperson of UPND and Choma Constituency MP, to comment on these allegations. Here is what he said,
“The (tribalism) attacks (from The Post) are unfair as the regional support given to the UPND is not different from that received by other parties including the Patriotic Front (PF).” He continued that, “A careful analysis of election results has revealed that the major political parties have attracted a home vote associated with a leader of the party. Further since 2001, UPND has received least votes in Northern, Luapula; while Sata has received support from the regions associated with his tribe.”
I want to give you that ‘careful analysis of elections results.’ Because clearly, if Mr. Mweetwa has ever done any careful analysis, he cannot tell such lies in the media; unless if he just wants to deceive you and the Zambian people. Or perhaps he is acting under your instructions, which I believe not, to defend your tribalism even if it means lying to the Zambian people.
According to the careful analysis, Mr. HH, the facts are:
The regional support given to the UPND is VERY DIFFERENT from that received by other parties from the region of their presidents.
The support Sata has received from regions associated with his tribe is not abnormal such that you should compare and use it to defend your tribalism.
Further from 2001, UPND has received least votes not just from Northern and Luapula, as if Bembas were tribalistic, but from other regions as well: Livingstone Constituency, Copperbelt, Lusaka and Eastern provinces. You have grown by just over 1% in Western, North western and Central combined.
Your party has received 99% growing support only from areas with growing anti-Bemba sentiments. Is that a coincidence?
Let us begin the ‘careful analysis’ that proves the above facts.
Please notice that since you took over from Mazoka, UPND has lost support as follows:
Northern – from 1.88% to 0.58% and Luapula – 1.20% to 0.35%. According to your reasoning, you continue to receive this declining support in these regions due to Bembas being tribalistic (taking their votes to somebody of their tribe). What about Copperbelt? From 8.32% to 3.54%. Or that too is part of “regions associated with Sata’s tribe”?
In Lusaka too, your support keeps falling. In fact, in Lusaka, your decline in support was even higher than that in Bemba territories? Your support fell from 16.80% in 2001 to 8.96% in 2011; that is a drop of 7.84% compared to Copperbelt of 4.78%.
How do you explain that? What is making you conclude that your support in Northern and Luapula, and for argument’s sake, Copperbelt, has been declining due to Bembas being tribalistic, while that in Lusaka declines for a reason other than tribalism? Or do you consider Lusaka as being Bemba territory as well?
[pullquote]‘Tribalism’ means, “Behaviour and attitudes arising from a person’s strong loyalty to his/her tribe (or social group) based on the prejudice that his/her tribe is ‘special’ while the other tribes are ‘wrong.’”[/pullquote]
Then what about Eastern province? Your support in Eastern shot to 18.81% in 2006 from Mazoka’s 1.98% in 2001. You will probably argue that this is proof of your tribalism explanation to voting behavior. I say so because in 2006, you headed a coalition of UNDP, FDD and UNIP (UDA – United Democratic Alliance). FDD and UNIP were started by Easterners: (C. Tembo and Kaunda).So in your tribalistic view of things, easterners voted for you because you allied with their tribal relatives.
If that is the case, why did you manage a paltry 18.81% and not the over 52% you scooped from Southern province? Are you saying Easterners are tribalistic against their fellow tribesmen? Because in 2006, Levy Mwanawasa, a non-Easterner, polled higher votes than you who allied with Easterners. He got 148,139 while you got 130,485, with Sata at 36,677. In 2008 and 2011, your Eastern vote has seen a downward trend: 3.29% in 2008 and 2.11% in 2011. How do you explain that, tribalism?
You are deliberately misleading the Zambian people when you send your spokesperson to say things like, “Further since 2001, UPND has received least votes in Northern, Luapula; while Sata has received support from the regions associated with his tribe.”
The truth, Sir, is: Further since 2001, UPND has received least votes in Northern, Luapula, Copperbelt, Lusaka and Eastern provinces; while Sata has received support BOTH from regions associated and not associated with his tribe. We will look at Sata’s statistics in a moment.
Your declining support, Sir, EVERYWHERE, not just in Northern and Luapula, is NOT due to tribalism. Livingstone constituency, among your fellow Tongas, attests to this point.
While Mazoka won Livingstone constituency with 53.52% (11,617 votes), UPND under your leadership has never won Livingstone on its own. In 2008 and 2011, you lost to Rupiah Banda.
It is even more enlightening when one realizes that you keep losing in Livingstone, while you win the other 18 constituencies in Southern province with very high margins, averaging 80% to 90%.
If you explain your declining votes in Northern and Luapula as being due to tribal reasons, what do you say is the reason Livingstone has never voted for you? The only time you won Livingstone was in 2006, as UDA, when you polled 15,198 votes (42.22%).
Since tribalism cannot explain this rare victory for you in Livingstone, we also cannot assume that your popularity in Eastern province in 2006 was because you allied with easterners. So your 18.81% popularity there was not due to tribalism either.
My point, Mr. HH, is this: It is true that you get your least votes from Northern and Luapula provinces and that since 2001, your support there keeps declining. But it is not only in Northern and Luapula where your popularity keeps declining, it is in many parts of Zambia. You are therefore, being malicious and simplistic when you explain this as, “Sata receiving support from the regions associated with his tribe.”
[pullquote]Your Tonga tribe is ‘special’ because it votes for you; Bembas are ‘wrong’ because they do not vote for you. You are therefore, singling Bembas out, telling lies in the media, that Northerners and Luapulans take their votes to somebody associated with their tribe. You want others to share your negative attitude about Bembas (and your positive attitude about Tongas). That is tribalism.[/pullquote]
Clealry, you are seeing tribalism where it is not. I think this is because you practice politics of tribalism, as the following statistics reveal.
Mr. HH, since you took over UPND, it has registered growth in Southern, Western, North Western and Central provinces. Your growth of 0.13% in Eastern, 0.24% in North Western and 1.02% in Central, cannot definitely compare with 16.20% in Southern province. So clearly, your focus is Tongaland, the region of your tribe. That Mr. HH is what makes you a tribalist. We have not even mentioned the fact that you have let your support fall in the other five provinces, which means you do not care about them.
‘Tribalism’ means, “Behaviour and attitudes arising from a person’s strong loyalty to his/her tribe (or social group) based on the prejudice that his/her tribe is ‘special’ while the other tribes are ‘wrong.’”
Your Tonga tribe is ‘special’ because it votes for you; Bembas are ‘wrong’ because they do not vote for you. You are therefore, singling Bembas out, telling lies in the media, that Northerners and Luapulans take their votes to somebody associated with their tribe. You want others to share your negative attitude about Bembas (and your positive attitude about Tongas). That is tribalism.
You aspire to be president of Zambia but all you have done since taking over UPND is gunning support from your tribe, raising it from Mazoka’s 36% in 2001 to 52% in 2011
(16% growth). If we follow the 50 plus 1 rule, which you are an advocate of, you have effectively turned what was once a United Party for National Development (UPND) into a United Party for Tribalistic Development (UPTD). UPND is no longer national; it is Tonga – Tribalistic.
[pullquote]You aspire to be president of Zambia but all you have done since taking over UPND is gunning support from your tribe, raising it from Mazoka’s 36% in 2001 to 52% in 2011[/pullquote]
Because of this tribalistic mindset of yours, you maliciously accuse others to be like you. When your spokesperson says, “A careful analysis of election results has revealed that the major political parties have attracted a home vote associated with a leader of the party,” you are accusing Mwanawasa, Banda and Sata to be like you.
But once again, a careful analysis reveals otherwise, proving the malice in your tribalistic propaganda. We will just go in details on Sata’s results; Banda’s and Mwanawasa’s.
Cecafa has withdrawn Zambia’s participation in this month-ends Cecafa Senior Challenge Cup to be held in Tanzania.
Cecafa general secretary Nicholas Musonye said in correspondence to Faz on Friday that they had been informed by Caf that regulations prohibited a team that had qualified for the Africa Cup from taking part in the event.
“We have just received a letter from CAF informing us that according to CAF regulations we cannot invite team(s) that have qualified to CAN to participate in CECAFA competition, more particularly after the CAN draws have been done,” Musonye said.
“This means we cannot invite you and Cote d’Ivoire as we had planned.”
A 24-man Zambia team was due to go into camp in Lusaka on Sunday to start training camp for the tournament that will be held in Dar es Salaam from November 24 to December.
Emmanuel Mwamba being sworn in as Permanent Secretary for Northern Province
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Defence minister Geoffrey Mwamba (in white) practicing how to shoot on an AK 47 assault rifle during the sound of war officer cadets battle demonstration in Ndola.
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Defence minister Geoffrey Mwamba (in white) is helped to disembark an army gun carrier after practicing how to shoot during the sound of war officer cadets battle demonstration in Ndola
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Zambia soldiers in action during the sound of war officer cadets battle demonstration in Ndola
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Zambia soldiers in action during the sound of war officer cadets battle demonstration in Ndola.
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Police in riot gear ‘invade’ Evelyn Hone College during a student’s protest against the shortage of water at the institution
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A female student is helped to ‘safety’ after choking with tear gas during a protest against the shortage of water at the institution.
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Evelyn Hone students rinse their faces after choking with tear gas during a protest against the shortage of water at the institution.
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A police officer in plain clothes talks to reporters during the student protest against the shortage of water at Evelyn Hone College.
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Sylvia Masebo, Nkandu Luo and other Patrotic Front members and supporters arrive for the filing in of nominations at Chongwe council chambers
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Patrotic Front cadres on a motor vehicle roof top of when they escorted Sylvia Masebo to file in her nominations in Chongwe
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Sylvia Masebo poses for an official photograph for the ballot papers during the filing in of nominations
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Finalists for MUVI TV's reality show Ready for Marriage contest
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Alangizi (traditional marriage counsellors) captured during the finale for MUVI TV's reality show Ready for Marriage contest, which had former sex workers as contestants.
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Precious Amukusana the first prize winner of MUVI TV's reality show Ready for Marriage
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Precious Amukusana the first prize winner of Ready for Marriage reality show
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Roma Catholic priests lay wreaths on the grave for late Mission Press director Father Miha Drevensek in Mpongwe
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Ndola diocess Bishop Banda performs a funeral ritual during the burial of Father Miha.
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Fr Camilo and Fr Chisanga lay wreaths on the grave for late Mission Press director Father Miha Drevensek in Mpongwe
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Catholic women during the requiem mass for the late Father Miha.
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Information, Broadcasting and Tourism minister Given Lubinda (second from r), Foreign Affairs minister Chishimba Kambwili (second from l) during the burial of late mission director Father Miha Drevensek
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William Banda with Edward Mumbi at the Lusaka magistrate court.
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James Banda, Edward Mumbi and William Banda at the Lusaka magistrate court.
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James Banda with lawyer Lindaba Linyambo at the Lusaka magistrate court
