THE MMD will soon meet the Catholic Church to resolve contentious issues which have brought unnecessary tension between the ruling party and the church, national secretary Richard Kachingwe said in Lusaka yesterday.

Major Kachingwe said in an interview in Lusaka yesterday that the current standoff between the ruling party and the Catholic Church is uncalled for and should be resolved amicably.

“The Catholic Church is entitled to its own opinion and we should not quarrel with them in the newspapers. It is important that as the ruling party, we engage them in dialogue.

“We are ready and willing to iron out whatever problems between us as long as the church is willing to listen to our grievances,” Maj Kachingwe said.

He said the MMD has resolved to dialogue with the Catholic Church to end the impasse so that both parties can concentrate on fostering economic development.

Maj Kachingwe said all party members have been advised to desist from commenting on matters concerning the Catholic Church until all issues are resolved.

He said the Catholic Church, like any other church, is Government’s partner in national development, hence the need for dialogue whenever differences bordering on national issues arise.

Maj Kachingwe said the MMD respects the opinion of the Catholic Church and its positive views on national development.

“It does not make sense to engage the Catholic Church in verbal war when most of the party members congregate in the same church.

“We want to leave the church out of politics so that they can concentrate on their charity work. We do not want to argue with them, especially in the media,” Maj Kachingwe said.

He said MMD members should stop talking about the Catholic Church because this will aggravate the situation.

Maj Kachingwe said the Catholic Church should also be ready to hear the MMD government’s grievances over priests like Father Frank Bwalya who have continued to attack and discredit government.

He said it is not the wish of the MMD to continue responding to insults and attacks from Fr. Bwalya and other priests.

Maj Kachingwe said individual Catholic priests should not use their positions to attack government but seek audience with it if they feel aggrieved.

He said the MMD does not want to fight the Catholic Church in the media over issues which can be resolved at a round table.

Maj Kachingwe said the MMD is not happy that Caritas Zambia, a Catholic non-governmental organisation,is allegedly engaged in active politics and it is incumbent upon the church to ensure that Caritas stops partisan activities.

Last week, Zambia Episcopal Conference president George Lungu released a pastoral letter addressed to all Catholic Parishes in Zambia, to be read out to parishioners on June 5.

In the letter, Reverend Lungu said among other issueson which the Catholic Church will remain non-partisan is politics.

He also said the church does not promote gay rights because homosexuality and lesbianism are seriously wrong and sinful acts which should not be tolerated.  Rev. Lungu also called for peace, forgiveness and reconciliation.

[Zambia Daily Mail]

Former High Commissioner to South Africa, Leslie Mbula has urged government to prioritise the Information Technology and Communication (ICT) sector.

Mr. Mbula noted that the sector is an important component of any country’s economic development.

He observed that the ICT sector will enhance Zambia’s social-economic development.

Mr. Mbula has also called on the country’s education system to embrace sciences and mathematics

[ MUVI ]

Four people have been convicted and sent to jail in connection with the Mansa riots.

Police spokesperson, Ndandula Siamana has said in Lusaka that of the 220 suspects arrested, 107 have appeared in court.
Ms. Siamana explained that the four people, who have been convicted, have been incarcerated for various jail sentences.

Those convicted are Frank Mukupa aged 57, Charles Kabangu aged 27, Jackson Kabo aged 32 and Vincent Mulenga aged 26, all of Mansa district.

Meanwhile, in Lusaka, a Rwandese national and his son were yesterday found dead in their shop in Chazanga area.
Ms. Siamana says Police suspect the two could have suffocated to death because a brazier was also found in the shop.
[ MUVI ]

Mbita Chitala has charged that the 20 year rule of the Movement for Multi party democracy MMD government is this year coming to an end.

Dr. Chitala, one of the brains behind the formation of the MMD says that it is clear that the MMD has no chance of returning power after the 2011 elections.

He says that the democratic tendencies in the MMD have been done away with because of the leadership being provided by party president Rupiah Banda.

Dr. Chitala has noted with regret that the MMD has adopted the UNIP strategy that is not tolerant in the way its leading the country.

He says that the MMD should not be confident that they will win this year s election in an easy way.

He recalls that the failure for the country to have a new constitution marked a vote of no confidence for the MMD.

Dr. Chitala, a former Libyan ambassador to Zambia, has further stated that the Patriotic Front would be a better government that the current one.

The former ambassador vowed to continue campaigning for the opposition Patriotic Front because he has studied their manifesto and agrees with what the opposition party stands for.

He said there is nothing sinister about him supporting the PF as he is only seeking to see a better Zambia just like the many suffering Zambians.

[QFM]

By Miss Hannah

THE MMD has described Patriotic Front (PF) leader Michael Sata’s failure on Saturday to pay a courtesy on the Lozi King, the Litunga, in Western Province where he was holding campaign meetings as lack of respect for chiefs in the country.

Mr Sata, who held campaign meetings in Mongu on Saturday, angered the Barotse Royal Establishment (BRE) because of his failure to pay a courtesy call on the Litunga.

Several Mongu residents also expressed disappointment with Mr Sata’s behaviour to recognise the Litunga.

MMD spokesperson Dora Siliya said Mr Sata’s failure to respect significant role chiefs played signified that he would even forget about the traditional rulers if he came into power because he does not care for them.

In an interview yesterday, Ms Siliya said MMD was not surprised with Mr Sata’s actions to disrespect the Litunga and that such behaviour revealed he was a misplaced leader who should not be accorded national responsibilities.

She said chiefs played a critical role in promoting unity and peace in the country and that it was for this reason President Rupiah Banda and his MMD Government had continued to work closely with all traditional leaders.

“We are not surprised with Mr Sata’s behaviour because he has always been like that.
He cannot be entrusted with leadership responsibilities and now Zambians know what type of a leader Mr Sata can be,” said Ms Siliya.

She said Zambians should not take Mr Sata as a serious leader because he had shown that he could do nothing to improve the welfare of traditional leaders if elected as president.

After receiving condemnation for not paying a courtesy call on the Litunga, Mr Sata yesterday went and paid a courtesy call on Mukwae Mbwanjikana but this infuriated the people even more.And the people of senanga have described Mr Sata as a leader full of rhetoric.

The people spoken to after Mr Sata’s rally in Senanga yesterday said they were shocked that Mr Sata had nothing to talk about apart from making wild allegations which he would not substantiate.

This was after Mr Sata had alleged that the MMD had allegedly registered foreigners from Zimbabwe, Angola, Namibia and the Democratic Republic of Congo as voters in this year’s elections.

The people were also surprised that Mr Sata could lie to the people of Senanga that President Banda had been in office for 20 years when in actual fact the president had only been in office for the past two years.

In his speech, Mr Sata claimed that President Banda had allegedly failed to develop Western Province in the past 20 years he had been in office.

At the same rally, former Sports minister William Harrington who is eyeing Senanga Constituency on the PF ticket was booed when he tried to claim that he was capable of developing the area if elected.

And a former UPND official Nabiwa Imikendu who recently defected to the PF complained to the people for not responding to the PF slogan at the rally.

Earlier, before the rally, taxi drivers queued at Moto Moto Villa where Mr Sata was having lunch to be given money for 20 litres of fuel meant to go round Senanga and transport people to the rally.

[Times of Zambia]

The Drug-Enforcement Commission (DEC) has arrested a 41-year-old businessperson of Maramba Township in Livingstone for trafficking in more than 300 kilogrammes of cannabis.

DEC public relations manager John Nyawali said Mubita Kekelwa was arrested from his house as he was preparing to transport the contraband to Namibia.

DEC has also arrested a 23-year-old businessperson named as Kenneth Zuzi of Malota Township in Livingstone for trafficking in cannabis.

Mr Nyawali said Mr Zuzi was found with more than 200 balls of loose cannabis which he was selling and he was a major supplier of cannabis in the township.

Meanwhile, 500 kilogrammes of cannabis was seized in the last seven days country-wide and 95 people arrested in connection with the psychotropic substance.

Among those arrested was a 33-year-old Tanzanian national who was found with 22 rolls of Malawian gold, a type of cannabis well-known for its high potency.

Mr. Nyawali said Juma Hussein Shaban was arrested from Chililabombwe town centre after being trailed from Kasumbalesa border on his way to Namibia from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Others arrested were a grade nine pupil of Sesheke High School, who was found with an undisclosed quantities of cannabis.
[ Times of Zambia ]

The MMD in Lusaka has dispelled allegations that party spokesperson Dora Siliya insulted Catholic bishops in Mpika recently when she toured development projects in the district.

MMD provincial information and publicity secretary Greenock Lupambo said in a statement that allegations that MsSiliya insulted the clergy in Mpika are not correct.

Mr Lupambo said on the contrary, Ms Siliya said good things about the Catholics and how they are working closely with the government of the day.

“It is however surprising to learn from some sections of the media that she used abusive language. The truth is that she never uttered any abusive language. What she did was just to comment on homosexuality, a subject which is ungodly and against the Zambian laws,” he said.

“Why is it that out of 600 clergymen in the Catholic church, only seven of them are busy decampaigning the MMD government. If they continue they will just bring the name of the Catholic Church into disrepute,” he said.

Mr. Lupambo said it has become apparent that the seven bishops are the only ones calling for change of Government, leaving everyone to wonder what makes them think that change is inevitable.

He has challenged the bishops calling for change of government to leave the pulpit and join the political arena.

Mr. Lupambo said the role of the clergy is to win back lost souls, not to call for change of government every Sunday.
[ Zambia Daily Mail ]

Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) member Nason Msoni has charged that revelations by former Ambassador Milton Phiri that President Banda is not qualified as Republican President should not be ignored.

Mr. Msoni says it is prudent for the MMD to seek for true and honest answers from President Banda who he says has several times admitted and stated that he was born in Zimbabwe.

The MMD member has added that what appears to be more serious is the allegation that both his parents hail from outside this country.

He says these allegations puts in danger the sovereignty and security of this country.

Mr. Msoni further says it is shocking that people who are not bonafide citizens of this country should cling to power and fight for the presidency of this country at all costs.

He has reiterated his call on the MMD to start searching for the alternative candidate adding that it is obvious that if anyone files an injunction against President Banda, it could complicate chances of the party in retaining power.

QFM

SOME civil society organisations have said it is shameful for Caritas Zambia, a Catholic Church organisation, to organise and help the Patriotic Front (PF) on the campaign trail in Western Province.

Leadership in Development executive director Moses Kalonde has challenged Mongu Caritas Zambia director, Nathaniel Mubukwanu to openly join active politics instead of using the organisation to champion his alleged political agenda.

He said in an interview in Lusaka yesterday that Caritas Zambia is contradicting its role by being partisan.

“If Caritas Zambia wants to get into active politics, they should just join politics and stop confusing people that the institution is a non-governmental organisation trying to help the needy,” Mr Kalonde said.

On Sunday, sources revealed that Caritas Zambia allegedly organised Mr Sata’s campaign meetings in the province.

Committee of Citizens executive director Gregory Chifire said it is sad for Caritas Zambia to side with the PF when it is supposed to help the needy.

Mr Chifire said Caritas Zambia management should resign because it has failed to be non-partisan.

Forum for Leadership Search executive director Edwin Lifwekelo said Caritas Zambia’s involvement with the PF confirms fears that the organisation wants to use the pulpit to champion its political agenda.

Mr Lifwekelo said Zambians should be wary of Caritas Zambia which has allegedly taken a dangerous stance of active politics.

And the House of Chiefs said it is sad that PF president Michael Sata failed to pay a courtesy call on the Litunga.

House of Chiefs chairperson chief Madzimawe said it is displeasing that Mr Sata failed to see the Litunga, especially if it is established that he did not even attempt to make an appointment to meet him.

“If the Barotse Royal Establishment has complained that he did not go before it to let it know of the reason he has gone to Western Province, then I think it is not right,” he said.

He said as political leaders step up their campaigns ahead of the forthcoming general elections, they should not overlook traditional leaders.

“Those vying for political office should humble themselves and be welcomed by traditional leaders of the areas in which they go to campaign,” Chief Madzimawe said.

Meanwhile, Western Province Minister, Richard Mwapela says people in the province have not forgotten that Mr Sata betrayed them over the Barotseland Agreement of 1964 when he served in Cabinet.

Mr Mwapela said from Mongu yesterday that MrSata and then Legal Affairs Minister Rodger Chongwe opposed the BA when the Barotse Royal Establishment (BRE) raised the issue during former President Frederick Chiluba’s reign.

“Mr Sata and Dr Chongwe were part of the ministerial committee which concluded that the Barotseland Agreement is stale and that the government should not recognise it. That statement is still fresh in the minds of the people of Western Province and he (Mr Sata) should know that the people of Western Province still remember that,” Mr Mwapela said.

He said MrSata allegedly wants to use the Barotseland Agreement to gain political mileage in the province but the people know his initial stance over the issue.

He, however, said MrSata’s alleged trick of attempting to use the agreement for political expedience will not work because the people know that he does not even recognise the BRE’s authority.

Mr Mwapela said it is unfortunate that the PF leader is counting on the agreement to garner support in the province when he initially opposed the BRE, which was the signatory to the agreement through Litunga Sir Mwanawina Lewanika.

He said the people of Western province should not be misled by Mr. Sata’s inconsistency on key national issues.

Mr Mwapela said before the 2006 general elections, MrSata promised to drop all charges against DrChiluba if voted into power.

He said the PF leader has now turned against Dr. Chiluba just because of the latter’s support for President Banda and his administration.

Mr Mwapela said the people who attended the PF leader’s rally at Blue Gums ground merely wanted to catch a glimpse of him and that he should not believe that they will vote for him.

He urged the people of Western Province to rally behind President Banda.

[Zambia Daily Mail]