By M Kapumpe:-

How do you win the Presidential election, an election you have already lost three times previously? That is the question that Michael Sata has been contemplating in anticipation of the 2011 election.

Initially, his plan was to enter into a coalition with the third largest party in the country, the UNDP. However, when the leader of the UNDP, HH realised that there wasn’t going to be an open selection for the coalition’s Presidential candidate and that the whole purpose of the coalition was to advance Michael Sata’s Presidential aspirations, that strategy failed.

Sata then began to look for an alternative tactic to help him win in 2011. He was becoming more desperate as the months passed, because it was becoming clearer and clearer that the incumbent President and Sata’s main opposition, Rupiah Banda, was enjoying the economic benefit of high copper prices and that Rupiah Banda had not squandered this boost, but had reinvested the money back into new roads, schools and hospitals.

Sata also faced the difficulty of raising money for his campaign (oops, am I not supposed to mention money for fear of a lawsuit?), the pro-business environment created by President Banda had made businessmen reluctant to support Michael Sata’s campaign. It is even rumoured that one businessman has left the country until after the election in order to avoid meeting the aspiring candidate.

Considering the potential of a very difficult election campaign in 2011, Sata began to look around for a strategy. He ended up taking a leaf out of two recent campaigns on the continent, the 2007 Kenyan campaign and the 2008 Zimbabwe campaign. This is a strategy that Michael Sata partially employed in 2008, but now he has decided to put all his hopes in its use.

The strategy was to begin early on to challenge the validity of the election process. Every ambassador or foreign dignitary that he met, he continually stressed his fear that the MMD were going to falsify the results. As Mr Sata is well known for shouting things louder than anyone else, his continued drumming of this issue had begun to bear fruit. His intention all along was to focus this strategy on the international crowd.

A cursory sample of the feelings of most the embassies around Lusaka today, it is clear they have begun to give credence to Mr Sata’s claims. An example of this concern is that of the US embassy, that although they are unable to give substantive reasons as to why they think the election process is susceptible to fraud, they went so far to request that one of the US democratisation institutes, the National Democratic Institute (NDI) conduct a full fledge election observation in the country.

Mr Sata also has chosen to challenge every conceivable procedure, both in the judicial courts and the court of public opinion, no matter how trivial or unwinnable. His intention was not to win these cases through the courts, but again to cast doubt on the integrity of the electoral process in the Zambia. This was also the purpose of cast doubt on the South African printers UPG, whom coincidently Mr Sata had no problem with in his last three election losses.

By building up this perception that the process is flawed, Mr Sata will be able to institute the next phase of his plan. There is an anomaly in the demographics and way the Zambian people vote that will allow him to no doubt take an early lead in the vote tally the night of the election. Mr Sata’s vote tends to be based in the urban centres of the country and those are the areas that tend to report their results first.

The MMD vote on the contrary tends to be more rurally based. Once Mr Sata’s early lead will begin to disappear, he will begin to cry foul in the media. He will bring his thugs onto the street to cause mayhem and having convinced the internationals that the election process is fraudulent he will demand mediation.

Like the elections in Kenya and Zimbabwe, he will hope to achieve “an African Solution to an African problem”, which means that a former African leader like Kofi Annan, who’s famous line we have quoted, will be brought in to set aside the true election results and force a deal on the Zambian people and bring Mr Sata into power.

There is only one way to defeat a strategy like Mr Sata’s, which is for the people of Zambia to come out in large numbers to give several definitive messages. First the message is that they and they alone will choose the future of their country at the ballot box and not careerist politicians that are interested in looking after their own and their friend’s interest and not the interest of the Zambian people.

And secondly, is to choose a candidate that believes in the democratic process, that recognises that their responsibility is to serve the interest of the Zambian people and not just themselves and those around them. If the Zambian people do that, they will not find themselves saddled with a president not of their choosing.

Former Republican vice-president Enock Kavindele rebuked people alleging that he was accompanying President Banda on his nationwide campaign trail because government has given his company to construct a railway line in North-western province but because President Banda was a progressive leader.

“Mr. Banda was a progressive leader who will take Zambia forward unlike the opposition presidential hopeful who had empty promises,” he said. He said President Banda has a good heart and passion for all Zambians.

Mr. Banda got concerned that Zambian people were being derailed by cheap claims by the opposition over Mr. Kavindele.

“What is wrong with Mr.Kavindele being given a project to construct a railway line. Is it because he is moving with me,” he asked.

Earlier, President Banda says he is happy that Zambia is making positive economic strides under his administration.

Mr. Banda said it was gratifying to note that Zambia’s economy was growing since he assumed presidency within a period of just three years.

President Banda noted that he is evermore geared to continue building on from what his predecessors, Dr Kenneth Kaunda, late Dr Frederick Chiluba and Late Dr Patrick Mwanawasa , had done so far.

ZANIS reports the President saying this in Solwezi today when he addressed civil servants, defense chiefs and senior government officials held Kasanshi hotel.

He said that more Zambian people are participating in nation building through viable business ventures as the country’s economy was now liberalized since 1991.

He said he was not satisfied that Zambians cannot be productive people as some opposition leaders were alleging. He has implored Zambians to be careful with such leaders.

” In countries where I have been, there are putting up massive businesses and I’m convinced that Zambians too can do that,” he said.

Mr. Banda also interacted with civil servants, business community, church leaders who attended the meeting.

He said Lumwana mine the then Equinox mines Limited paid to government K260 million in form of dividends.

“ Government was on track to collecting more revenue from potential firms going at the rate the economy was growing, “ he said.

He further disclosed that Lumwana mine which started with an initial US$8 billion had been sold at US$ 8 billion to the new owners.

He further stated Government is determined on infrastructure development so as to improve the key sectors of the economy among them the health sector.

He clarified that housing empowerment scheme was not a political ploy to hoodwink Zambian people but said it was a policy of MMD which is a party in Government.

Mr Banda has disclosed that Government has sourced funds to construct a modern university for the medical doctors in Ndola on the Copperbelt province.

He hoped that doctors from Congo DR, Tanzania and many other countries would now come to Zambia instead of Zambian doctors going outside the country in search for greener pastures.

TRICEPS

If you want to have really huge arms you have to make sure to work on both your biceps and triceps. Triceps are one of the hardest muscles  to build but with the correct technique you can add some serious size and strength to the muscles.

THE BEST TRICEP EXERCISES

BENCH DIPS

This is a good workout for the triceps and can be done at home.

How its done:

• Place two flat benches parallel to each other, about three to four feet apart, you can alternatively use chairs or the edge of your bed.
• Sit on one bench facing the other, with your hands grasping the side of the bench
• Using your hands to support your weight, lift your feet to the top of the other bench so that the rest of your body is suspended between the two benches.
• Cross one foot over the other.
• Slowly lower your body toward the floor by bending your elbows until your upper arms and forearms form a right angle.
•  Slowly raise back up to the start position by straightening your arms.
• You can also place a weight plate on your upper legs for added resistance!

• To get into the starting position, hold your body at arm’s length with your arms nearly locked above the bars/chairs.
• Now, inhale and slowly lower yourself downward. Your torso should remain upright and your elbows should stay close to your body. This helps to better focus on tricep involvement. Lower yourself until there is a 90 degree angle formed between the upper arm and forearm.
• Then, exhale and push your torso back up using your triceps to bring your body back to the starting position.
• Repeat the movement for the prescribed amount of repetitions.

DUMBBELL TRICEP EXTENSION

If you do not have dumbbells you can use bottles filled with water or filled with sand. This workout can be done either seated or standing.

How its done:

• To begin, stand up , or sit, with a dumbbell held by both hands. Your feet should be about shoulder width apart from each other. Slowly use both hands to grab the dumbbell and lift it over your head until both arms are fully extended.
• The resistance should be resting in the palms of your hands with your thumbs around it. The palm of the hands should be facing up towards the ceiling. This will be your starting position.
• Keeping your upper arms close to your head with elbows in and perpendicular to the floor, lower the resistance in a semicircular motion behind your head until your forearms touch your biceps.
• Go back to the starting position by using the triceps to raise the dumbbell. Breathe out as you perform this step.
• Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

Precaution

• The upper arms should remain stationary and only the forearms should move.

 

 BY KAPA187

FORMER MMD national secretary Katele Kalumba has said the people of Luapula will not waste their time voting for Patriotic Front (PF) leader Michael Sata and his party’s parliamentary and local government candidates because they have failed to address their concerns on development in the area.

Dr Kalumba said in an interview in Mansa yesterday that the PF leader and his parliamentarians had failed to champion development in the province but were instead engaged in name-calling and fighting one another.

“It is not a secret that Luapula voted for Mr Sata in the last presidential elections because they had misunderstanding with the MMD leadership but after President Rupiah Banda was voted into office, our people developed confidence in the MMD’s ability to deliver development,” he said. Dr Kalumba said Mr Banda had demonstrated that he was a caring person who was always ready to embrace all Zambians.

He also said the people of Luapula Province were disappointed with Mr Sata’s failure to thank them for voting for the PF in the previous elections. “Instead of thanking the people of Luapaula for voting for him, Mr Sata has been calling us Matuku, a vernacular word meaning ‘small breams’ or people who are not important,” he said.

Dr Kalumba said in the last two presidential elections, the people of Luapula voted for the PF twice but were in turn rewarded with spiteful leadership from the PF. He said he was confident that the MMD would get the majority votes in this year’s elections.

The construction of infrastructure such as schools and hospitals in almost all the districts and improved maize and rice production are some of the achievements of the MMD under President Banda which have impressed the people of Luapula. Dr Kalumba said the province, which had been mainly associated with fishing, recorded a maize bumper harvest this year.

And Dr Kalumba said MMD candidate Cosmas Mpampi would scoop the Chiengi Constituency seat because the area, which is one of the country’s leading rice producing centres, is being transformed under President Banda’s leadership. He said the people of Chiengi, where he was member of Parliament for several years, were united under the MMD.

Dr Kalumba said he was glad to support another party member to take over from him and demonstrate that he could also help transform the constituency.

[Times of Zambia]