Preparations for the first ever Patriotic Front General conference to be held at the Mulungushi rock of authority in Kabwe from the 2nd-5th July, 2011, have reached an advanced stage with party General secretary Winter Kabimba calling on all bonafide party members to freely participate.

Unlike the usual system by most political parties of electing leaders for various party positions, the delegates to the PF convention will only elect the party president and members of the central committee.

Party general secretary Winter Kabimba explains that the PF’s general conference is unique from any other party’s convention as it gives party members the full authority to appoint their leaders.

Mr. Kabimba says the party’s electoral system is deliberately designed to promote unity in the party.

He explains to QFM that once members of the central committee are elected, it is the responsibility of the party president to make appointments to various party positions.

Mr. Kabimba says any bonafide member of the party is free to challenge the incumbent party leader Michael Sata as the party is democratic.
[ QFM ]

Government has increased meal allowances for students at the Copperbelt University and the University of Zambia. Government has also commissioned two hostels at the Copperbelt University that have been constructed at a cost of over eleven billion kwacha.

Education Minister Dora Siliya also says Government has increased book and project allowances for students at the two universities.

Ms Siliya says government has since has released sixteen billion kwacha to CBU and UNZA for the allowances.

Ms. Siliya says meal allowances for the two institutions have been increased by fifty percent, while book allowance has been increased by thirty three percent.

She says project allowances have been increased by twenty five percent.

Ms Siliya says government is committed to addressing the numerous challenges that affect higher learning institutions.

And Students at the Copperbelt University are happy with government’s decision to increase their allowances.

Copperbelt University Students Union president Matora Mbewe told ZNBC News that government has done a commendable job.

And Ms Siliya says there is need to invest in education if the country is to achieve its middle income status.

Ms Siliya says the education sector is the driving force of the economy.

She was speaking after commission two hostels at the Copperbelt University in Kitwe.

And Ms Siliya has disclosed that government has recruited a total of thirty thousand teachers since 2007.

Ms Siliya says Government also intends to construct 16-thousand classrooms by 2016 in an effort to make education accessible to every Zambian.

She was speaking after commissioning the hostels.

Ms Siliya met a combined group of staff and students representatives that included deans and directors of the Copperbelt University.

And Copperbelt University Vice Chancellor Professor Mutale Musonda praised government for constructing the two students hostels.

Professor Mutale says the hostels will ease the accommodation crisis that has affected the students for a long time.

And a forth year student of Business Administration at the Copperbelt University Malingose Mtonga has thanked government for constructing the state of the art students hostels at the institution.

[ZNBC]

PATRIOTIC Front (PF) leader Michael Sata said he did not attend Dr Chiluba’s funeral because it was commercialised.
“That funeral was too commercialised. I do not attend commercialised funerals. I only attend funerals where I have a feeling,” he said.

He also denied being sick and that only his personal doctor should state whether he was sick or not.

Meanwhile former PF secretary general Edward Mumbi said it was shameful for the PF to try and politicise Dr Chiluba’s funeral because they had only succeeded in embarrassing Mr Sata, leaders and the entire party, especially that all the Zambians ignored them.
He said Mr Sata has successfully managed to embarrass himself by trying to politicise the late second president Frederick Chiluba’s funeral and in the end swallowed his pride by sneaking into Mulungushi International Conference Centre (MICC) for a rushed body viewing, former PF secretary general Edward Mumbi has said.

Last week, PF chairperson for local government Given Lubinda was on a Radio Phoenix phone-in programme where he announced that the entire PF central committee met and decided that they should not attend Dr Chiluba’s funeral.

But when contacted for a comment yesterday, Mr Sata sharply contradicted Mr Lubinda by saying it was not true that the PF top leadership had convened a meeting to discuss whether they should attend the funeral or not.

“Who told you that there was such a meeting? We never had any meeting to discuss whether we attend Dr Chiluba’s funeral or not.

“If there was such a meeting, then why did Lubinda contradict himself by attending the burial at Embassy Park? Lubinda was among MPs (Members of Parliament) that attended the burial.

“I also went and viewed the body at Mulungushi and if we had decided otherwise, why did I go there myself,” he said.

But Mr Mumbi said Mr Sata had embarrassed himself and the entire party by trying to politicise the funeral.

“I am very sure it is too early for the Zambians to forget that just last week, the PF through Mr Lubinda announced that they had a meeting at which they decided that they were not going to attend Dr Chiluba’s funeral but for Mr Sata to just turn around and contradict Mr Lubinda, then it means there is something seriously wrong in PF.

“In fact Mr Sata even participated on that programme by calling in, why did he not dispute Mr Lubinda’s statement there and then? This is the highest level of inconsistence we have been talking about on the part of Mr Sata,” Mr Mumbi said.

He said what was interesting was the fact that no one even recognised Mr Sata when he went to view Dr Chiluba’s body at Mulungushi where The Post Newspaper revealed that some people were even heard debating among themselves in low tones as to whether the person on the queue was actually the PF leader, especially that he allegedly looked sick.

“In fact The Post Newspaper left out some information because the people there even went on to say that they have now believed that Mr Sata is truly sick going by how frail he looked on that day,” Mr Mumbi said.

He said what was said in the Monday edition of The Post about the people debating among themselves in low tones as to whether the person they had seen was Mr Sata or not confirmed that the PF leader was not himself.

Mr Mumbi said what was surprising was the fact that the entire PF leadership should hold a meeting at which they decided to shun Dr Chiluba’s funeral on the pretext that some people had planned to beat them up but later started sneaking to the same funeral “like thieves.”

[Times of Zambia]

University of Zambia lecturer in the school of political science and administrative studies, Phineas Bbaala has said there is no justification for change of Government this year because there is no socio-economic crisis in the country.

And the Kaonde Inamusale Kapijimpanga clan of Solwezi has observed that Zambia is currently undergoing positive economic and social development and has endorsed the candidature of President Rupiah Banda in this year’s elections.

Mr Bbaala said in an interview in Lusaka yesterday that President Banda’s Government had performed well in the last two-plus years he had been in office and deserved a full five-year term.

“It will be unfair for the Zambians not to give President Banda a full term. He has just completed Levy (Mwanawasa)’s term and from where I stand he has performed extremely well.

“Those who are agitating for regime change are not explaining and convincing Zambians on the alternatives they are providing. There is no socio-economic crisis to warrant a regime change,” he said.

Mr Bbaala said people campaigning for change of Government had not explained what they would want to do differently from the current administration.

Meanwhile, the Kaonde Inamusale Kapijimpanga clan of Solwezi in a statement in Lusaka yesterday said Zambia was currently undergoing positive economic and social development as evidenced by the single digit inflation figures, the stable Kwacha rate to foreign currency, the growing foreign direct investment, and the massive investments in health services and education infrastructure.

“I Opa Kapijimpanga, on behalf of the Inamusale and Kapijimpanga families, would like to express our position with regard to the current political and economic situation prevailing in the country.

“Firstly we would like to acknowledge the achievements made in the last three years by the Rupiah Banda administration, which has come about through his decision to carry on the positive facets of the legacies left by all three of his predecessors,” he said.

Mr Kapijimpanga said President Banda had carried on the legacy of first president Kenneth Kaunda of uniting all Zambians under the flag, providing for the poor in rural areas through enhanced agricultural production, the establishment of new schools and hospitals, improved road networks, rural electrification and citizenship empowerment programmes.

“The pesident has continued where Levy Mwanawasa left off by completing initiated projects, strengthening the fight against corruption by empowering the legislated organs with greater responsibility and clearer guidelines, allowing greater independence and authority of the judiciary and fostering growth and economic stability through fiscal discipline.

“This positive approach that President Banda has chosen to take can only yield more positive results for our beloved country. Therefore, as a united family, we pledge our full support to the ruling MMD and President Banda in this year’s elections,” he said.

He said Mr Banda had also continued with the late president Frederick Chiluba’s legacy of poverty alleviation through further liberalisation, increased foreign direct investment and support for home ownership.
[ Times of Zambia ]

United Party for National Development (UPND) president Hakainde Hichilema has joined calls for President Rupiah Banda to announce the election date.

Mr. Hichilema says the election date should now be announced considering that parliament has now adjourned.

He regretted that had the constitution with people’s aspirations been passed, the election date would have been known.

He noted that if the election date is known in advance, manipulation of elections by selfish individuals would have been avoided.

Speaking to QFM News in an interview, Mr. Hichilema further called on the Electoral Commission of Zambia to clean up the voters register ahead of the elections.

He says the voters register is full of flaws which need to be addressed before the elections.
[ QFM ]

By Elias Munshya wa Munshya

Of all politicians Hakainde Hichilema had handled himself very well and very maturely during the week of mourning President Frederick Jacob Titus Chiluba. In fact, I almost was going to pen an article highlighting how the so called “under-five politician” had handled himself most maturely in mourning President Chiluba. Indeed, HH had handled himself far much better than Michael Sata.

Hichilema had a great week, at least until yesterday. He paid glowing tribute to the late Chiluba. He donated a token from his vast wealth as a symbolic way of mourning. He earlier in the week, called a press conference where he received some defectors from the MMD and then suspended his campaigns to mourn Chiluba. I thought that was good for him.

I thought that is the way to go. But alas! just a day after burying Chiluba, HH became susceptible to a major weakness. He poked fun at Sata’s illness in criticizing his absence at Chiluba’s funeral and burial. According to Hakainde Hichilema, Michael Sata had failed to show up for the funeral because he was very sick.

In painting a contrast between himself and the sick Sata, Hakainde gave himself to serious vanity. And it is this vanity that is symptomatic of the illness of our nation. It is not just Sata who is sick in Zambia. It seems that going by what we are concentrating on, we are all sick. Beginning from newspapers up to the greatest politicians, we are very fast going bananas and what we need as a nation is to have serious reflection on who we are and what our values are.

[pullquote]Hichilema had a great week, at least until yesterday.[/pullquote]

The Patriotic Front, begun the week of mourning on a very silly note. It was Given Lubinda who announced so unashamedly that his Party President Michael Sata and indeed the entire PF party had resolved not to attend Chiluba’s funeral based on some threats they had received from the likes of William Banda. This did not make sense at all.

First, the PF as a party is so complex and comprises so sundry members that it is absurd to put a blanket ban on its members to mourn Chiluba. Did Lubinda need reminding that Chiluba had for several years under Mwanawasa been a member of the PF itself?

[pullquote]And then Sata announced on one of the online newspapers that he had not appeared in public during Chiluba’s funeral because he had gone on a spiritual retreat to intercede for Chiluba’s soul. Since when did Sata become the pope?[/pullquote]

Second, the announcement came too early in the week of mourning. You do not make such premature announcements before you see how the week was going to turn out. In contravention of this ban from Lubinda it was indeed quite embarrassing that Michael Sata went to Mulungushi Conference Center to view the body of Frederick Chiluba. What had happened to the ban that had been put just five days before? The PF had seriously miscalculated.

And then Sata announced on one of the online newspapers that he had not appeared in public during Chiluba’s funeral because he had gone on a spiritual retreat to intercede for Chiluba’s soul. Since when did Sata become the pope? In fact, does Sata need reminding that it is Zambian tradition not to go on a retreat when a friend is dead? Zambians do not hide from funerals; they show up to mourn their departed compatriots. The week was bad for Sata as it was bad for the Patriotic Front.

Rumours that Michael Sata is very sick have made rounds during the week of mourning. In fact, one online tabloid made it a point to show and prove that Michael Sata is sick and that this sickness makes him unsuitable for election as president. Reading from the tabloid it misquotes the constitution of the republic of Zambia by asserting bizarrely that a president must be not be a sick.

Our country is dangerously going bananas. After these allegations, Michael Sata came out strong denying the rumours. He came out forcefully against the allegations and even recorded several interviews denying that he had been sick. I find both the allegation and the denial of the allegation to be symptomatic of our nation’s sickness. Do some Zambians expect Michael Sata to be a superman who never gets sick? And should Sata so defend himself against these allegations almost as if being temporarily indisposed is a bad thing? If Michael is not feeling too well, how does that become a political issue? Do politicians lose the right to contract malaria or diarrhoea simply because we do not expect them to be ill?

[pullquote]The constitution does not say that a president may never be sick. It mentions that a president must be mentally fit, and of course physically capable of carrying out his duties.[/pullquote]

The constitution does not say that a president may never be sick. It mentions that a president must be mentally fit, and of course physically capable of carrying out his duties. But this requirement does not preclude a president having Cholera, AIDS, TB, Ulcers, Cancer or even Hypertension. Presidents are human, and they have a human right to be sick, and a human right to die! We must desist from this nonsense of trivialising the gift of life. It is God who gives us life, but if for some reason one among us is not feeling too well we should not treat them like lepers. Sata’s ability to rule Zambia should not be predicated on whether he has been put on bed rest for a week or a month. It should be predicated on issues affecting Zambians, issues like food, water and shelter,

[pullquote]Sata, who is a victim of political uses of his personal sickness, is using Mpezeni’s sickness as a political weapon against Rupiah.[/pullquote]

The idea that government owes famous people the right to Morningside evacuation has been used by politicians from both sides of the aisle. Opposition leaders use Morningside when it suits them and so does the ruling party. Michael Sata had been an ardent critic of Morningside at least until Mwanawasa evacuated him there. Morningside is responsible for turning two bitter enemies, Mwanawasa and Sata into good friends. Sata has continued to use the Morningside criticism to put pressure on governments. And in the latest effort, he is condemning the Rupiah government for failing to evacuate His Majesty Nkhosi Mpezeni who has been ill. If reports are correct, Sata has found the sickness of Mpezeni as a political opportunity to show that Banda does not care enough for his own paramount chief.

Sata, who is a victim of political uses of his personal sickness, is using Mpezeni’s sickness as a political weapon against Rupiah. Unless we reflect on who we truly are, I am afraid as a nation we are becoming gruesome by the day. And this sickness is shown not only by the behaviour of Hakainde Hichilema and Michael Sata but by all of us, including the media and bloggers as well!