PATRIOTIC Front (PF) president Michael Sata has imposed his son Mulenga to stand as Lusaka Central parliamentary candidate in the 2011 general elections, infuriating some hopefuls who believe they are better placed to contest the seat.

According to a PF member of the central committee (MCC), incumbent Lusaka Central member of Parliament (MP) Guy Scott has indicated that he would not re-contest the seat.

According to the MCC, this is in apparent admission of Dr Scott’s waning popularity after his party’s failure to live up to pre-election promises.

Following Dr Scott’s decision, interest is said to have been expressed by various PF members to contest the Lusaka Central seat, with Bauleni councillor Douglas Msiska being the front-runner.

“But in his usual dictatorial manner, our party president (Mr Sata) has disregarded Mr Msiska’s unquestionable calibre, claiming that he has no financial muscle to win Lusaka Central. So, he has imposed his son, Mulenga, who is busy campaigning even before the party chooses parliamentary candidates,” said the PF MCC.

Mr Msiska had earlier attempted to stand as Mayor of Lusaka after Robert Chikwelete completed his two terms but was blocked by MrSata because of his independent views on the running of PF.

The PF MCC wondered what was so special about Mulenga whose only tangible contribution to the PF was that he was MrSata’s son.

“We are not happy that president Sata is now extending his culture of appointments to parliamentary seats which are supposed to be decided by a majority vote of our central committee,” the MCC said.

He observed that the PF had given Mr Sata too much power which had made some members untouchable as they ignored the party constitution which was supposed to be the PF’s supreme document.

“If Mr Sata wants to turn the PF into a property of his family, friends and close associates, we are not ready to support his latest moves. If he thinks we are going to be forced out, he had better think again. We shall fight to the bitter end,” he said.

The member of the PF governing council regretted that some committed PF members who had supported the party since inception in 2001 have left in frustration because of MrSata’s penchant for sycophants who pledge blind loyalty to him alone.

“As you might have noticed in the papers this week, some senior members of our party who have become unpopular are exhibiting repulsive impunity and claiming that they are not answerable to MrSata, which is quite unfortunate for a government in-waiting,” he complained.

Another senior PF member wondered why Mr Sata was so interested in involving his children in the PF when the general trend around the world was that of popular revolutions against family political empires.

“If we are going to convince Zambians that we will bring real change when voted into power, we should not be seen to be exhibiting the very things that our friends in the Arab countries are fighting against. We have to be seen to be a democratic party that espouses democratic values,” he said.

[Zambia Daily Mail]

First Republican President Kenneth Kaunda’s son Panji, has maintained that he is still a member of the UPND despite his ‘illegal’ expulsion from the party following his declaration to support PF leader Micheal Sata .

He said he had seen nothing wrong in himself for being honest to his party to openly declare the candidate of his choice because he has the right to do so.

He said party members are free to decide for themselves any candidate they wanted to support even if they belonged to different political parties.

He said this during the North western Peoples Pact Forum at Solwezi show grounds. Colonel Panji Kaunda also said that he does not regret the death of the PF-UPND pact despite spearheading its formation.

Col. Kaunda, who is People’s Pact founder member, said it was a well known fact from the beginning that Mr Sata and Mr Hichilema cannot work together.

He added that the duo personalised issues that surrounded the pact saying as a result the two leaders had no time to call on each other to find ways of resolving wrangles that rocked their pact.

Col. Kaunda has since urged Zambians to uphold the peace the country has enjoyed since independence even as the nation goes to the polls for the sake of the young generation.

“Zambians must remain united and maintain this peace we have enjoyed since independence because young ones too needed to enjoy” he said.

But some unidentified people from the small crowd that attended the rally at the show grounds accused Col Kaunda of playing double standards.

The people were heard wondering why Col. Kaunda has resolved to support Mr Sata leaving his party President Mr Hichilema and accused him of being sponsored by the Patriotic Front to campaign on its behalf.

This was after Col. Kaunda told the gathering that he is still a UPND member but will this year support Mr Sata in the forth coming tripartite election.

And All peoples Congress Party (APC) in the North western province says it will not support United Party for National Development (UPND) leader Hakainde Hichilema in this years polls despite the two parties forming a pact.

APC chairman for Solwezi central Nicholas Chaulembe said that the party in the region has however endorsed Patriotic Front (PF) President Micheal Sata as its prefered Presidential candidate for the forth coming 2011 polls.

Mr Chaulembe added that the newly established UPND/APC pact is unrecognized in the province because the UPND decided to form the alliance with APC on unfounded grounds following the death of the UPND-PF Pact.

Mr Chaulembe further called on opposition political parties in the country to unite and endorse one presidential candidate during this years tripartite elections in order to avoid splitting votes amongst themselves in fear of giving the ruling MMD a landslide victory.

ZANIS

United Party for National Development (UPND) Vice President for Political affairs Francis Zaza Simenda has appealed to Information and Broadcasting Minister Ronnie Shikapwasha to consider reopening Radio Lyambai in Mongu District of Western Province.

Mr. Simenda said the community radio station which had its broadcasting equipment confiscated on the 14th of January 2011 has left a vacuum in the area and beyond.

He told ZANIS in an interview in Mongu today that the situation in the district has now normalised for the community radion station to resume operations.
” There is now so much pressure from the community that the radio station gets back on air, ” he said.
Mr. Simenda said once reopened, the radio station will ensure that peace and harmony is promoted in the district and Province at large.

He further said that the closure of radio Lyambai has also affected the livelihood of it‘s workers as they rely on the station for their monthly income.

Mr. Simenda added that the local radio station was also being utilized by upcoming artists in promoting their music hence the need for the station to be opened.

Radio Lyambai has been off air from the 14th of February 2011 to date after a team of police officers broke into the station and confiscated its broadcasting equipment while on air.

The radio station has 10 employees and about 7 people on part times basis.

ZANIS

A 45- year- old businessman of Luanshya on the Copperbelt has been arrested by Police after he was caught by members of the public defiling a 14- year- old girl in his car.

Copperbelt Police Chief Dr Martin Malama confirmed the development to ZANIS in Kitwe yesterday.

Dr Malama said the incident occurred near the blind center in Luanshya where the named businessman was extracted from his car by alert members of the community.

The Police Chief said defilement was a serious criminal offence and commended members of the community for standing against defilement.

He also disclosed that the Police have recorded 40 cases of defilement in the province from January this year to date.

The National Restoration party (NAREP) has charged that the MMD government is playing double standards by threatening to revoke broadcasting licenses from Radio stations airing political campaign adverts.

This follows Chief government spokesperson Ronnie Shikapwasha’s statement suggesting that all radio stations playing campaign songs risk losing their licenses because the Electoral Commission of Zambia has not declared the commencement of political campaigns ahead of this year’s tripartite elections.

NAREP president Elias Chipimo Junior says government’s stance on political adverts is an attempt aimed at silencing people’s voices on various issues of national interest.

He has charged that the state media has faced extreme government interference adding that it is unfortunate that the Rupiah Banda led administration is issuing unnecessary threats against the platform that the opposition in the country is freely using.

Mr. Chipimo adds that it is pointless for government to issue such threats when the ruling party has its campaign adverts running on the same radio stations being threatened.

He explains that the threats by Lieutenant General Shikapwasha on the media are unacceptable as they are not backed by any law.

The opposition leader has since called on the media in the country to collectively reject such threats stating that the move by government is an infringement on the freedom of the press.

QFM

First republican president Kenneth Kaunda’s son Panji has said that Zambian people should give Patriotic front leader Michael Sata a chance to lead Zambia.

Col. Panji said that Zambia needs a change of government, and that change should be delivered by the Patriotic Front.

Col. Panji, a united party for national development member, said that it is impossible for his UPND party to win this year’s elections.

He said that the patriotic front has credible people that can run government effectively better than the current government, under the MMD.

Col. Panji believes that once the Patriotic Front is given enough votes to win this year’s elections, Zambians will see the change they desire.

Featuring on Monday Nite Live, Col. Panji further charged that the UPND was the one to blame for the demise of the PACT.

He stated that he does not regret the political position he has taken as he is speaking the people’s language.

He said that Zambians must work together to remove the MMD from the government as it has completely failed.

QFM