VICE-PRESIDENT George Kunda has castigated Chipata Central member of Parliament and former deputy minister of Works and Supply Lameck Mangani for stabbing the MMD in the back.

And the Forum for Leadership Search (FLS) says Mr Mangani’s departure from the MMD is part of the party’s self-cleansing process through which undesirable elements are leaving on their own.

Mr. Kunda said in Lundazi district yesterday President Banda had entrusted Mr. Mangani with various responsibilities, including ministerial portfolios, but the man was a disappointment.

He was speaking when he addressed a public rally at which over 500 members of different political parties defected to the MMD.

He warned the people against listening to Mr. Mangani, whom he said intends to visit the district to sell PF president Michael Sata as a presidential candidate.

Mr Kunda described Mr. Sata as a product which is not sellable because he has nothing to offer to the Zambian people.

He also wondered why Colonel Panji Kaunda has been going round campaigning against President Banda for no apparent reason.

And mr. Lifwekelo says the departure of mr. Mangani from the MMD is part of the party’s self-cleansing process through which undesirable elements are leaving on their own.

And Copperbelt task force co-ordinator Prince Robert Mushili has described Mr Mangani and other former ministers who have left the MMD such as George Mpombo, Mbita Chitala, Mike Mulongoti and Sylvia Masebo as traitors who cannot be trusted.

Mr Lifwekelo said in Lusaka at the weekend it is good that the undesirable elements are finding it difficult to remain in the MMD because it is a strong party with credible leaders.

He said Mr Mangani was excess baggage in the MMD, and just done the party “a big favour” by leaving on his own.

Mr Lifwekelo said Mr Mangani had never accepted his demotion from the position of minister of Home Affairs, and his departure was therefore expected.

“His departure is good riddance because the MMD is going through what can be termed as self-cleansing. It is good because it is helping to cleanse the party of selfish and incompetent individuals such as Mangani, Mpombo and (Chongwe member of Parliament ) Masebo,” he said.

Mr Lifwekelo said President Banda dropped Mr Mangani from his Cabinet portfolio because of his own incompetence, and advised the former minister not to hate the President for making the wise decision.

“Mr Mangani and other selfish leaders who have left the MMD have found solace in the Patriotic Front because it has become a dumping ground which accepts such frustrated and undisciplined characters,” he said.

And Prince robert said Mr Mangani belongs to a group of traitors who were working against the MMD while in the party.

“To (PF president Michael) Sata and PF sympathisers, my warning is that they should not be excited by the departure of Mangani, Mpombo, Mulongoti and Masebo because they are a bunch of traitors who are ungrateful to the MMD, which has made them what they are today,” he said.

Prince robert warned Zambian youths not to vote for such leaders because they are unreliable.

Mr Mangani announced his resignation from the MMD last week.

In January, he was captured in a photograph published by the Sunday Mail having a drink with former minister of Lands Judith Kapijimpanga a few days after her defection to the PF.

[Zambia Daily Mail]

MMD spokesperson Dora Siliya has warned the youths in Kitwe’s Wusakile township not to treat as mere speculation allegations that the Patriotic Front (PF) plans to send youths to war-torn Afghanistan when it wins this year’s tripartite elections.

And alert MMD security personnel yesterday foiled an attempt by some unruly PF cadres to disrupt a public rally Ms Siliya was addressing in Kitwe’s Wusakile township.

Ms Siliya said during a public rally at Wusakile grounds yesterday Zambians should ensure PF president Michael Sata does not ascend to power because he plans to ship the youths to Afghanistan if he wins this year’s elections.

“Mr Sata lies that he will create employment for the youths within 90 days if he wins this year’s elections. Don’t be cheated; Mr Sata will take the youths to war-torn countries such as Afghanistan. Those are the jobs he will create for you,” Ms Siliya said.

She said the PF leader plans to legalise homosexuality should he win this year’s elections.

Ms Siliya said the Copperbelt will continue to lag in development if the people vote for Mr Sata.

“North-Western , Southern and Eastern provinces will continue developing while the Copperbelt will lag because the people here do not appreciate the good things that Government is doing. You will continue sending your children to work in other places like the mines in Solwezi if you vote for PF,” Ms Siliya said.

She said she is confident the MMD will win this year’s elections because people in rural areas appreciate the free distribution of fertiliser under farmer input support programme (FISP), which has enabled them to grow food for their families.

Ms Siliya also said Mr Sata is allegedly depressed because it is now clear that he will lose this year’s elections.

Minister of Science, Technology and Vocational Training Peter Daka warned that the PF will grab the title deeds President Banda and late President Frederick Chiluba gave the sitting residents of Wusakile township under the MMD’s home empowerment policy if Mr Sata wins this year’s elections.

Mr Daka said the PF will reverse the economic gains the country has recorded.

MMD Copperbelt province chairman Joseph Chilambwe described Mr Sata as a violent man who should not be allowed to rule the country.

And alert MMD security personnel yesterday foiled an attempt by some unruly suspected PF cadres to disrupt a public rally Ms Siliya was addressing in Kitwe’s Wusakile township.

The MMD security personnel swung into action and subdued the suspected PF cadres who displayed the PF symbol while running around the arena where Ms Siliya was addressing the rally in an attempt to distract her from speaking.

[Zambia Daily Mail]

The National Restoration Party (NAREP) has called on the judiciary in the country to play an active role in ensuring free and fair elections later this year.

NAREP Secretary General John Phiri told Qfm that the fact the judiciary has been at the center of controversy in the elections aftermath calls for urgent improvement in the way they handle election related cases.

Mr. Phiri said as the final institution for conflict resolution, the judiciary should strive to ensure that any disputes that may arise after the forthcoming elections are dealt with in a manner that does not arouse discontent among political players.

And Mr. Phiri has called on the Electoral Commission of Zambia chairperson justice Irene Mambilima to put the ECZ’s house in order to avoid complaints of foul play after the polls.

The opposition party leader adds that Justice Mambilima has enough experience after being at the helm of the country’s electoral body in the 2006 general elections.

He says this time around Zambians expect an improved and more transparent electoral commission ahead of the polls.

[QFM]

By E. Munshya wa Munshya

Michael Chilufya Sata has a lot going for him politically. In fact, his political skills are unparalleled in Zambia. I have in a number of articles pointed out the fact that Michael Sata is a down-to-earth individual who easily connects with the people. He is also an opportunist who does not shy from using any event to his political advantage. Any serious contender to the presidency this year will ignore Sata only to his or her disadvantage. Sata is an enormous political force and he has been so for several decades.

However, some tendencies within the Michael Sata phenomenon are genuinely worrisome. Perhaps the most ridiculous of the Sata phenomenon is the promise he keeps making to Zambians that he would restore Zambian dignity (whatever that term means) within ninety days of assuming office. Principally, he keeps promising that he would change and transform the country within that period. In 90-days, Sata has promised to bring changes in fields stemming from the price of Coca-Cola, to gay rights, to the Barotseland Agreement of 1964. By promising so much change in so little time, Sata is putting himself up for failure and setting us for serious disappointment.

The 90-day promise is a messianic deception. Sata feels that he is the saviour of Zambian problems. This messianic complex is the last thing Zambians need. In fact, no serious leader who wants to bring genuine change to a country as needy as Zambia can trivialize the kind of change that is needed for our decaying nation. And for Sata to say that he can bring change, all the changes in three months is despicable and smacks mockery of the highest kind.

Sata speaks to Zambians as one would speak to “under-fives”. When Kaunda was fighting for Independence in the 1950’s he knew very well the challenge that lay ahead of the new nation. He humbly took up the challenge to lead Zambia. He was humble before God and before Man to realise that the challenge to lead a country is no small feat. He asked the people of Zambia to persevere through the difficulties that lay ahead. He did not trivialize the challenge of leadership. When Frederick Chiluba, proclaimed with his MMD cohorts that the hour had come for democratic change, Chiluba kept asking people at mammoth rallies whether they would persevere with him to change Zambia for the better. Chiluba understood very well the challenges of leadership and he was humble enough not to take leadership lightly. It was at those rallies in 1991 that Zambians agreed in unison that they were willing to walk the tough path of national healing with Chiluba as Head of State. Zambians liked the idea that a leader had told them the kind of challenges that lay ahead.

But in 2011, Sata is telling us that he has the magic wand to bring change to Zambia in 90 days. Sata is speaking as if he is speaking to kindergarteners. He is the one that has accused Hakainde Hichilema of being childish. But from what I have heard from Hichilema, he has taken the challenge of leadership more seriously. Hichilema is promising to work as hard as he can to bring change to Zambia. For Michael, Zambia does not need a long time to heal—in 90 days all the rot will be healed. It seems, Sata lives on Mars and not Earth.

Sata in promising change within 90 days does not take into account the dynamics of government. To his credit, Sata has had lots of experience in government. This is what really is shocking. You would expect that a person with so much experience in government would be wiser to know the complex apparatus that government is. In spite of Sata’s many years of service to our country, it seems there are many lessons he still needs to learn. Government is not like a private home along Omelo Mumba Road. As president, you cannot just command dignity into existence. It takes lots of courage, time and effort. Economic development change cannot be done in 90 days. Sata may be having a genuine vision to bring change. But this vision is very misplaced and is being inspired by his own pride and personal ego. He needs to shed off this messianic complex.

Old and experienced men like Michael Sata, are good for the country. But when these men do things or say things that do not make political or economic sense, it is even a greater disaster. I think Zambia should consider voting for a high school pupil to lead our country. It looks like 35-plus individuals have not done us any good. There is no need to have an experienced driver in State House, it these experienced individuals begin having 90-day hallucinations.

In 90-days, Sata has promised that he will stamp out corruption. He cannot certainly stamp out corruption in 90-days that took fifty-years to make. In fact, I seriously doubt Sata’s commitment to fighting corruption. He has a team of PF members who yesterday where running the very government that he is today accusing of corruption. PF’s Sata is today accusing the MMD of corruption when in fact; Sata was the kingpin of Chiluba’s leadership at a time that Chiluba was busy purchasing designers underwear. Sata did not leave Chiluba’s government due to corruption; he stayed on in government until it was becoming clear that Chiluba had dribbled him out of presidential succession. It is this political dribbling that we must credit Sata’s manic 90-day mantra.

Then of course, Sata is daily receiving new members into his party. These new members are a litany of the people that are corrupt. And in the next few weeks before the elections, Sata is likely to receive even more corrupt defectors from the MMD. These people are not genuinely looking for ways to serve the Zambian people; they are looking for genuine ways to serve their own stomachs. As such, Sata cannot fight corruption when corrupt people surround him! In 9 days and not 90-days, they will show him how to steal, and by the 90-day mark, Sata may start stealing with them.

What Sata should do, if he wants to be taken seriously, is to become a little bit more thoughtful with the challenges Zambia is facing. They are challenges of democracy, and economic development. They are challenges of corruption and education. They are challenges of media independence and national sovereignty. We like Sata because we know that when we attend his rallies we will be treated to free comedy. And comedy goes a long way in assuring votes. But beyond the oath of office, is the call to serve the nation and bring change in a difficult and sometimes painful manner.

The 90-day mantra is a lie which should be abandoned. Sata must use his popularity as the opportunity to speak to Zambians on ways he is going to fight corruption when his PF is full of corrupt MMD. He should be speaking to us about how he will respect press freedom when he banned government media from covering him at Mulungushi in Kabwe. He should be explaining to us how he would chase the Chinese only to receive the Taiwanese and recently the Afghans. He should explain to us, how he would promote democratic elections in Zambia when his party the PF conducted a national convention where no ballot was cast. He needs to explain to Zambians why he would not go to Chiluba’s funeral home to console the Chiluba family when he served Chiluba for so long. He needs to explain to us why we should not vote for an “under-five” Hichilema when his 90-day sweet change does seem childish. He needs to explain to us how he would implement the BA64 when he has on several times wanted to disband the Lozi monarch. He needs to explain to us why intellectuals within the PF cannot speak. He needs to explain to us how as a Catholic he would want to do away with the Declaration of Zambia as a Christian nation.

Finally, he should explain why Zambians should not go “Nafuti, Nafuti” for Rupiah Bwezani Banda. The 90-day nonsense is adequately insufficient.

MMD Spokesperson Dora Siliya has urged the people of Mufulira and the entire Copperbelt to reject Patriotic Front Leader Michael Sata in this year’s general elections because he is a failure who failed to bring any meaningful development in the country when he served in various MMD government portfolios.

Speaking when she addressed heads of government departments, parastals organizations , NGOs and members of the Civil society, Ms Siliya said in 1992 when Mr Sata was Minister of Local Government and Housing, the Copperbelt recorded the worst cases of Cholera which demonstrated his lack of leadership qualities.

Ms Siliya who is also Education Minister cautioned the people of Mufulira not to entrust the PF leader with running affairs of the nation because he flip- talks and is also inconsistent on many national issues a tendency that would make take the country backwards in development.

She said Mr. Sata has changed goal posts on several national issues such as the Constitution making process and the windfall tax among other serious national issues.

The Education Minister further cautioned civil servants against engaging in politics saying those interested in politics should resign and join politics.

And addressing MMD members at Bufuke Women club Hall, Ms siliya appealed to the people to vote for credible leaders who will bring development to their area.

[pullquote]She said the PF MPs have failed to take development to their constituencies despite receiving huge sums of many through CDF and people have now resolved to vote for the MMD for them to experience real development.[/pullquote]

She urged people not to base their voting on material and perishable things that they receive from politicians during campaigns.

Meanwhile Ms Siliya expressed confidence that the MMD will win this years elections on the Copperbelt because the people have tested the PF MPs leadership and are dissatisfied.

She said the PF MPs have failed to take development to their constituencies despite receiving huge sums of many through CDF and people have now resolved to vote for the MMD for them to experience real development.

She said the people have realized that the PF has no focus and plan to develop the country and that it is only the MMD that has a vision for this country.

ZANIS

PRESIDENT Banda has said that he had failed to trust Chongwe member of Parliament (MP) Sylvia Masebo because he knew that she was a mole in the MMD.

And President Banda has wished former deputy minister of Works and Supply Lameck Mangani good luck with his newfound love in the Patriotic Front (PF).

President Banda said Ms Masebo, who recently resigned from the MMD and joined the PF, had remained in the ruling party after the death of President Mwanawasa as an agent of the opposition political party.

The President said in an interview at Lusaka International Airport yesterday shortly before departure for South Sudan that he had always doubted Ms Masebo’s loyalty to the MMD.

He said he had always been aware of Ms Masebo’s political mischievousness and that is why he could not trust her.

President Banda said he had reminded Ms Masebo about her schemes but being what she is, she continued maligning him and smuggling information from the MMD to the PF.

President Banda said when President Mwanawasa died in 2008, Ms Masebo waged a vicious hate campaign against him because she wanted former Minister of Finance and National Planning Ng’andu Magande to succeed the late Head of State.

President Banda said Ms Masebo launched a malicious and smear campaign against him just because he was the favourite to succeed the late President Mwanawasa.

The President stated that while he has never said anything against Ms Masebo, the Chongwe MP has always abused the Head of State without justifiable reasons.

President Banda said Ms Masebo continued abusing him even after the 2008 Presidential elections.

“It is an open secret that Masebo was a mole in the MMD and I did not think I could trust her. When President Mwanawasa died, she launched a hate and malicious campaign against me because she thought Magande would be president. She verbally abused me but I have never said anything against her. So let the people judge between me and her who has hatred against the other,” President Banda said.

Mr Banda said since Ms Masebo is claiming to be the most popular in Chongwe, the MMD is ready to meet her on the campaign battle field.

The President said he is waiting to see how popular Ms Masebo is in Chongwe adding that the elections will dictate who is going to have the last laugh.

And President Banda has said Mr Mangani has exercised his democratic right by resigning from the MMD and joining the PF.

Mr Banda said while he is sorry that Mr Mangani decided to resign when the MMD was considering adopting him to re-contest the Chipata central seat, he wished him good luck in his new party.

“He has chosen to go and when the MMD was formed way back in 1991, it was on the basis of giving people the right to freely associate themselves with their preferred parties. He has made his choice and has chosen to go. I am sorry that he has left at a time the party was considering adopting him as a candidate,” President Banda said.

And WALLEN SIMWAKA reports that the MMD in Eastern Province has described Mr Mangani as an egotistical, greedy and ungrateful person who has always wanted everything to himself.

MMD Eastern Province chairman Kennedy Zulu said Mr Mangani has been fighting President Banda for a long time now and that the party is happy that he has finally left the party

Mr Zulu said in an interview yesterday that the MMD in Eastern Province will always consider the resignation of Mr Mangani as good riddance.

“For the first time, the ruling party will breathe fresh air. Mr Mangani has been fighting the President and he has always wanted everything good for himself. He is a selfish, greedy and ungrateful man. The MMD in Eastern Province had sacrificed so much just for him but he has never appreciated. Time has come for us now to show him that he has never been a factor in Eastern Province and Chipata in particular,” Mr Zulu said.

Mr Zulu said when President Mwanawasa appointed President Banda as Vice-President, Mr Mangani was not happy because he (Mr Mangani) had wanted the position.

He said that Mr Mangani has always thought that he is better than President Banda and that is why he has always exhibited traits of insolence.

Meanwhile, YANDE SYAMPEYO reports that Southern Province MMD chairperson Edgar Keembe has said that Mr Mangani’s resignation from the party will have no impact on the MMD.

Mr Keembe said this is so because the party has gained ground and popularity in most parts of the country, describing Mr Mangani’s resignation as a “drop in the ocean”.

He said the MMD is bigger than any individual member adding that the party will remain intact.

[Zambia Daily Mail]

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

“…I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead”
(Philippians 3:13, NLT)

TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria

Are you determined to forget the past? I know many people don’t fully understand what that means. They wonder, “How can I forget something that’s happened to me?” But one definition of the word forget is to disregard intentionally or to overlook. In other words, you have to choose to disregard your past so that it doesn’t hold you back. That means the good and the bad. Sometimes our past victories keep us from rising higher as much as our past failures can. If we don’t let go of the old, we’ll never be able to embrace the new.

It doesn’t matter what’s happened in your past, it’s time to forget what lies behind and make the choice to look forward. Trust that God has a better future in store for you. Trust that He’s working behind the scenes on your behalf. Trust that He who promised is faithful — as you forget what lies behind and press forward, you’ll experience His power and blessing in a fresh, new way.

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father in heaven, I choose to forget the past today. I don’t want anything to hold me back from the good future You have prepared for me. I choose forgiveness and ask that You help me, by Your Spirit, to press forward in every area of my life. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

— Joel & Victoria Osteen