Opposition Patriotic Front leader Michael Sata says the PF is ready to welcome any member of any political party to the party.

Mr. Sata says the party will consider any member who intends to join the opposition on their merit.

In an interview with QFM, Mr. Sata says even chief government spokesperson Lieutenant General Ronnie Shikapwasha and vice president George Kunda are welcome to join the opposition Patriotic Front if they decided to do so.

The PF Leader says it is for this reason that the party has no membership cards hence putting it on a strong position.

[QFM]

Songbird Muriel Mwamba releases new CD ‘Ubufi Bulabwela’

Zambia’s longstanding songbird and award winner, Muriel Mwamba, has released her first CD single entitled Ubufi Bulabwela ( a lie rebounds ).

The song is the first release from her forthcoming album, Lesa Alomfwa.

Muriel, who is based in the United States of America, will soon release four more tracks. The songs are avalaible for purchase on CD Baby and will shortly be available on Amazon, itunes, and Rhapsody on the internet.

The song Ubufi Bulabwela was written and produced by Muriel Mwamba and co-produced by fellow Zambian Angela Hayes, an inventor living in the UK. It has a pulsating Afro- rhumba beat sure to get a listener dancing all the away.

Zambia’s First Republican President Kenneth Kaunda has expressed concern over the increased number of election violence in Africa.

Dr. Kaunda said there is urgent need to address the situation because innocent lives were being lost as a result such conflicts.

He was speaking during the opening of the 10th meeting of the African Union Panel of the wise in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, yesterday.

This was contained in statement released to ZANIS by the Zambian Embassy in Ethiopia, First Secretary- Press Dorcas Chileshe.

Dr. Kaunda said the AU Panel of the wise needs to advise and counsel current African political leaders to adhere to the electoral code conduct during and after elections to avoid disputes because

He said there is also need for African political leaders to strive to promote peace on the continent as they go towards elections.

And AU Commissioner for Peace and Security, Ramtane Lamamra said the current conflicts in Africa were posing a serious threat to peace and stability in the continent.

Mr. Lamamra said the establishment of the Panel o of the Wise has raised hope to improve the effectiveness in conflict prevention and resolutions in Africa.

The aim of the meeting was to review the peace and security situation in Africa and exchanging views on how best to address various conflict situations on the African Continent.

ZANIS

President Rupiah Banda has described Patriotic Front ( PF ) leader Michael Sata as a hateful, vindictive and an ungrateful person since his youth.

And Banda has further described media reports suggesting that the MMD has lost popularity in Western Province, as false. He added that are being perpetrated by some hostile private media with a hidden agenda.

” Mr. Sata seems to take pleasure in dividing the Zambian people even on trivial matters that does not add value to their well being,” President Banda said.

The President was speaking to Journalists at Lusaka’ City Airport on route to Eastern Province where he had gone to attend the burial of Aliness, former Bank of Zambia Governor, Dr Jacob Mwanza’s elder sister.

He was reaction to media reports quoting Patriotic Front leader, Michael Sata suggesting that he will hunt down President Banda and second republican president Dr Frederick Chiluba, if voted in office.

The PF leader is reported in The Post Newspapers edition , yesterday, to have said once in power the PF government would promptly and firmly deal with plunderers.

Mr. Sata said the levels of corruption in the current administration were alarming and embarrassing and the PF government will speedily deal with ( President ) Rupiah Banda regime’s corruption.

The President said Dr Chiluba and others fought for the re-introduction of democracy in the country and did his part in national development in his term as president of Zambia.

Mr. Banda explained that Dr Chiluba’s government among many other developmental programmes, successfully implemented policies that included the liberalisation of the airwaves as evident by the number of privately owned Television and Radio stations across the country.

The President said it was Mr. Sata who actually victimized former president Kaunda despite Dr Chiluba being civil towards his predecessor Mr Banda also wondered why Dr. Kaunda’s son Col Panji Kaunda is in the front of campaigning for Mr. Sata.

He urged the church, particularly where Mr. Sata congregates to say if they approve of his divisive traits as he claims to be a staunch Christian.

President Banda stressed that Zambians are not interested in government persecuting former leaders on trivial matters.

And Mr. Banda said the purported lose of popularity of the MMD in Western Province is untrue as it is being projected in some quarters of the media.

He said Vice President George Kunda was recently in the Province to check on developmental programmes that his government is implementing and the number of people that welcomed him is testimony of the party’s popularity,.

Mr. Banda said government will continue developing the province and other parts of the country to ensure that Zambians live better lives.

Meanwhile, The President has described the death of Aliness Mwanza as a loss to the family as she aws a uniting factor of the family.

He said the late Aliness was closer to his family even before President Mwanawasa appointed him in his government.

The President was accompanied by First lady Thandiwe Banda and was seen off by Vice President George Kunda, Defense Minister Dr Kalombo Mwansa, Permanent Secretary in the Office of the Vice President, Davis Sampa and MMD National Secretary, Major Richard Kachingwe.

ZANIS

By Daimone Siulapwa

A few days ago, someone posted a link to a story which was published a few years ago by one leading private newspaper in which it really tore Patriotic Front (PF) leader Michael Sata to pieces accusing him of being unfit to run for the office of President, and how that he is capable of doing anything to get to State House.

However, one or two persons were not impressed with the posting, arguing that why focus on the past. Rather, what the two wanted discussed are new issues, and most importantly for them, the past does not matter. All they are interested in is change.

Change really!
How that word has come to be loved in Zambia since 1991. In fact, the word change this year has been used (abused) much the same way it was in 1991 during the transition from one party to multi-party State. In fact, a few people are likening this year’s elections to the ones that happened in 1991.

If that be the case, then does it not make sense that the mistakes of 1991 are not repeated this time around. Or unless Zambians are such gullible that they do not learn from their mistakes. The mistakes of 1991 are well documented, but just for the record, we the people of Zambia kicked out Dr Kenneth Kaunda and his United National Independence Party (UNIP) believing that we were being led to a land of milk and honey. But as subsequent events proved, this land was more or less similar to the one in hell or a land forsaken by God.

Question is, are the majority of Zambians prepared to go back to go that path again? Let us hope not. And if that is our hope, then the first thing we should do is to ensure that leaders are made to account for their actions, whether they committed them in the past or the present.

Any leader who has presided over the affairs of this country should account for his actions, this is irrespective of any political party, be it the ruling Movement for Multi-Party Democracy (MMD), PF, UNIP, Liberal Progressive Party (ULP) and the United National Independence Party (UPND).

In any case, if we as individuals are made to account for our actions, be it at home or work, why should the same not be the case with politicians, who for most times, are the biggest liars. Like all elections, this year’s is about making choices as to which direction we want our country to go. In fact, it is about making choices for our children. What kind of a future are we bequeathing to our children, one without proper roads, hospitals, schools and employment? The choices are indeed ours to make.

Rightly so, the talk in this year’s elections should not only be about issues surrounding not only incumbents but those hoping to take their place, especially those that have been there before such as Michael Sata, Mbita Chitala, George Mpombo and Mike Mulongoti.

When an individual takes the initiative to run for public office, they must understand that they will be held accountable for their actions, whether they happened 10 or 20 years ago. Understandably, this has not been the case for Zambia in the past, the more reason why huge mistakes have been made. Had we taken time to scrutinize those that were running office in the 1991 elections, it is highly unlikely that the country would have found itself in a scenario such as that which was obtaining in 2001.
That is why those of us who were hurt with the happenings of public office between 1991 and 2001 should ensure that history does not repeat itself. We know what kind of promises were made to us, and how they lamentably failed to keep them without any shame whatsoever. KK had warned us about the people we were electing into office, but we ignored him to a point of insulting him by calling him all sorts of names. If he was not a Christian and Statesman that he is, he would today be laughing at us. But he is above such petty matters, and he can only wish us the best. And the best we can do is to not ignore his advice this time around. He has in the past warned us about certain leaders. And as such, let us not talk about change for the sake of it.

Should the PF be elected into office, will that be considered change? Is that the change that we can proudly talk about?

For some people, it hurts, but these are harsh facts that one has to live with.

Michael Sata, the PF leader was one of former President Dr Frederick Chiluba’s close confidante’s for close to 10 years and only fell out of favour when he was ignored as a presidential candidate for the MMD in 2001 in preference for Levy Mwanawasa.

And for the record, Mwanawasa resigned as republican president because Dr Chiluba was allegedly over-protecting the likes of Sata from prosecution for alleged corrupt practices.

The point simply is this, if the first 10 years under the MMD rule were so destructive, then Michael Chilufya Sata is part and parcel of that. He is the ink with which that 10 year history will be written. He served in very senior and influential positions including that of Minister of Local Government and Housing, Labour and Social Security, Health and Without Portfolio, effectively making him number three in the country.

Some people like calling him man of action, who performed exceptionally well in the positions that he served. Indeed man of action!

Where was he when council houses were being sold for peanuts thereby effectively killing our local government system? Where was he when our mines were being sold to Anglo-American and Binani only for these mines to either close or be put on liquidation?

Where was he when our health system was getting destroyed with the so-called health reforms that only succeeded in ushering a culture of transferring patients (politicians) to Morningside Hospital in South Africa? Where was he when the co-operative movement was being destroyed thereby effectively killing our peasant farmers who are responsible for feeding this nation? Where was he when this discriminatory Constitution was being enacted? Where was he when a law was being introduced in Parliament by then Minister of Legal Affairs Roger Chongwe to deny former UNIP leaders like Grey Zulu their dues thereby effectively rendering them destitute? Where was he when the Presidential Slush Fund was being introduced?

If indeed you want to pretend ignorant, assistance will be duly rendered. Michael Chilufya Sata was a Cabinet Minister, a senor one for that matter.

So, returning such a man to government with all his other weaknesses is what is called Change?

God help this poor country!
Broken promises made by politicians have become an expected outcome after they are elected. This must change.

Accountability is a term which some politicians like using but hardly want practiced on them. That said, we shall make them account for their actions, whether those in the past, present or future in this year’s elections.