By Henry Kyambalesa

While addressing a campaign rally recently at Mombo Basic School in Western Province to drum up support for the Movement for Multi-party Democracy (MMD) candidate in the forthcoming Luena parliamentary by-election, Vice-President George Kunda said the country’s opposition political parties were erratic because they had no vision or plan for the country.

As usual, he could not specifically state the MMD’s vision or plan for Zambia or Western Province.

Hon. Kunda also talked about “Vision 2030” at the rally. “Vision 2030” should be balanced with the needs of our generation because in the long run, to paraphrase the famous economist John Maynard Keynes, we are all going to be dead! For this reason, there is a need for Hon. Kunda to cite some of his political party’s short-term and medium-term projects and programs designed to strike a balance between the needs and expectations of the people in Luena constituency, and the needs and expectations of future generations.

There are a lot of important projects and programs which the MMD needs to work on in Western Province in order to improve the socio-economic well-being of residents. These projects and programs include the following:

(a) Improvement of the availability of safe and clean water in the province through boreholes, dams, water pipes, and protected shallow wells, and also provide for modern sewage facilities and both public and private conveniences.

(b) Completion of the 50 km road from Uwee to Mongu through Nangula, and upgrading and maintenance of the Limulunga-Ushaa-Lukulu Road.

(c) Construction of Kalongola Bridge on the Zambezi River and Liyoyelo Bridge on the Mongu-Kalabo Road, and maintenance of all other bridges throughout the province—including foot bridges.

(d) Allocation of adequate resources for upgrading and expansion of the Lewanika School of Nursing, and construction of a new District Hospital in Mongu district.

(e) Provision of incentives for the establishment of processing industries for cotton, timber, leather, mangoes, fish, tobacco, paprika, rice, cassava, and cashew nuts.

(f) Planning adequately for both the prevention and the containment of diseases like the Contagious Bovine Pleuro-Pneumonia (CBPP) disease (which recently hit the border area between Kazungula district in Southern Province and Sesheke district in Western Province) and effective control of the tse-tse fly in order to reduce the incidence of sleeping sickness—particularly in Kaoma and Shang’ombo districts.

(g) Improvement of the road infrastructure in the province through the construction and/or rehabilitation of the Mongu-Lusaka Road, Mongu-Senanga Road, Senanga-Sesheke Road, Katunda-Lukulu Road, Mongu-Lukulu Road, Senanga-Kalabo Road, Kalabo-Sikongo Road, and the Luampa-Machile Road. It is also important to provide for the rehabilitation of the Mulobezi railway line.

(h) Exploitation of waterfalls like the Sioma for hydro-electric power, and the sandy soils found in much of the Province for glass manufacturing. There is also a need to provide for the re-opening of Mulobezi Sawmills in order to boost economic activity and the creation of employment opportunities in the Province.

(i) Upgrading of resettlement schemes in the province by providing financial and material resources for constructing and/or rehabilitating boreholes, water wells, irrigation dams and canals, feeder roads, culverts, low-cost houses, clinics, basic schools, police posts, and other essential public services and facilities. Such schemes include the Kalumwange scheme.

(j) Elevation of the Namushakende and Nkeyeme sub-districts to full district status.

I have had an opportunity to skim through brief biographies of the five contestants in the Luena parliamentary by-elections—that is, Charles Milupi of the Alliance for Democracy and Development (ADD), Muyunda Illilonga of the United Party for National Development (UPND), Mwangala Maopu of the MMD, Mutakela Mutakela of the United National Integration? Party (UNIP), and Sikatala Musole of the United Liberal Party (ULP).

I wish to urge my cousins in Luena constituency to cross political party lines and elect Mr. Muyunda Ililonga to represent them in Parliament. I believe he will competently and impartially represent them in the National Assembly irrespective of their political alignments, tribal identities, religious convictions, and/or professional affiliations.

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The MMD says it is in the process of disciplining Kafulafuta member of Parliament George Mpombo and his Chilanga counterpart Ng’andu Magande following their refusal to exculpate themselves against charged levelled against them.

MMD deputy national secretary Chembe Nyangu said yesterday that there are no sacred cows in the party and that any member who abrogate the party’s constitution will be dealt with.

Mr Nyangu said the two MPs will soon be disciplined for their continued attack on the party leadership.
He said Mr Mpombo and Mr Magande should not think they are clever, adding that they will be dealt with like other members who have been punished in the past.

Mr Nyangu said in an interview in Lusaka yesterday that the two should not think they are smarter than the party leadership.

He said the MMD is a party of laws and that any member who goes against rules and regulations should resign as it is the most honourable thing to do.

“Almost everyday, they are in the newspapers insulting the top leadership as if there are not members of this party. I can assure you that they are no sacred cows in this party so they will be punished like any other ordinary member,” he said.

Mr Nyangu said the party had written to the two MPs to exculpate themselves but that they have not responded.

He said the 14-day period given to the two to exculpate themselves has elapsed and that the leadership is taking the next step of action in the disciplinary process.

Mr Nyangu said the disciplinary committee is following all steps in disciplining the two.

“We want to ensure that we follow all the steps in the process of instituting disciplinary action against Mr Mpombo and Mr Magande so that we do not lose out in this case in terms of technicalities,” Mr Nyangu said.

He said MMD members should not be swayed to follow the ways of Mr Mpombo and Mr Magande.

Mr Nyangu said party members should rally behind the leadership of President Banda as he will steer the economy in a positive direction.

He said there is need for the party to mobilise more members ahead of next year’s elections.

Meanwhile, parliamentary chief whip Vernon Mwaanga says it is indiscipline for Mr Mpombo to continue attacking President Banda through the media when he knows the communication channels that exist in the MMD.

Mr Mwaanga said Mr Mpombo’s outrageous and irresponsible utterances against Mr Banda and the MMD are unwarranted.

He charged that Mr Mpombo’s outbursts have a serious political consequence on his life.

“Mr Mpombo is a misguided political comedian who is hell-bent on committing political suicide by acting like a vuvuzela for enemies of the MMD,” Mr Mwaanga said.

Mr Mwaanga said the party constitution is clear on members that violate regulations.
[ Zambia Daily Mail ]

UNITED Party for National Development (UPND) president Hakainde Hichilema yesterday conceded that the pact formed last year with Patriotic Front (PF) leader Michael Sata is in a serious crisis.

And Luapula member of Parliament, Peter Machungwa has said Mr Sata and Mr Hichilema are being haunted by the wide age difference and ideological variances for their parties which are serious problems that can only be resolved temporarily.

Mr Hichilema, while describing the causes of divisions as minor, said he and Mr Sata should accept that the issue of blaming each other should be discussed.

In an interview in Lusaka, Mr Hichilema said the two political parties would call a crisis management committee meeting involving senior party members from both ends to resolve the problems and hoped the divisions would be mended urgently.

He said the problems faced by the pact were similar to the one faced by the MMD where Chilanga MP Peter Magande and former Defence minister George Mpombo had continued to criticise the Government.

Mr Hichilema described the divisions in the pact as minor and said it was still strong on the ground.

Meanwhile, Dr Machungwa said Mr Sata and Mr Hichilema lacked a common purpose resulting from the wide cultural and age differences.

He said the two leaders did not have anything in common to share.

Namwala United Party for National Development (UPND) Member of Parliament, Robbie Chizhyuka has said Mr Hichilema’s shifting positions show he is ill-prepared for the Republican presidency.

Major Chizhyuka said yesterday that Mr Hichilema’s insincerity on the political scene had confirmed the reason why Mr Sata had continued mocking him as a junior politician.

Mr Hichilema told a daily tabloid last weekend that he did not join active politics to become a president but to serve the people of Zambia.

And former PF secretary general Charles Chimumbwa has said the pact supporters who gathered to witness the launch should feel cheated by their two leaders whom he said had now left them in the cold following their failure to provide unity.

In an interview yesterday, Mr Chimumbwa said it had become clear that the two leaders were playing political tricks for their own gain without necessarily taking into consideration the feelings of their supporters.

Meanwhile, UPND youths plan to hold a consultative forum to discuss the future of the pact.

UPND national youth chairperson Joe Kalusa said in an interview yesterday the youths in the party, like their colleagues in PF, would be holding a consultative forum to discuss various issues that had been raised on the pact and to chart the way forward.

A PF youth leader was yesterday quoted on Radio Phoenix as saying his leadership was conducting a countrywide consultative forum with members to advise the national leadership whether the party should remain in the pact.

And the UPND in Southern Province has maintained that the pact in the area is intact and preparing for the 2011 general elections.

Provincial vice-chairperson John Chidyaka said there were no cracks in the pact except allegations that were only being perpetrated by the “enemies” of PF and UPND.

In Chingola, the UPND has made a desperate plea to its national leadership to ensure the party’s continued involvement in the pact.

District chairperson Raphael Chimupi said in an interview the grassroots members wanted their leaders to resolve any outstanding issues between the two parties.

Mr Chimupi said it was in his party’s best interest to continue in the pact with the PF and guarantee success in the coming elections.

But PF founder member Samson Zulu said in Lusaka yesterday the pact was falling apart because its leaders were more interested in going to State House than anything else.

Mr Zulu, who resigned from the PF after differing with its leader Michael Sata over the party’s convention, said the crumbling of the pact was a foregone conclusion.

He said Mr Sata and Mr Hichilema were both preoccupied with going to State House and had forgotten about important issues such as consulting their members before entering into a pact.
[ Times of Zambia ]

The Southern African Center for Constructive Resolution of Disputes (SACCORD) has condemned Copperbelt University (CBU) students for damaging vehicles and beating up some members of the public on Saturday evening after the institution experienced a power failure.

SACCORD Information Officer Obby Chibuluma said the violence by the CBU students was very unfortunate and should be condemned at all levels.

Mr. Chibuluma told ZANIS in an interview in Lusaka today that the students should have used the right channel to air their grievances.

He added that it was unfair that they ended up damaging vehicles and beating up some innocent members of the public.

Mr. Chibuluma said the students should have instead acted like professionals as expected of them every time they were aggrieved.

He said it was surprising that the students did not learn from their past mistakes when they have engaged themselves in violent activities and got arrested by the Zambia Police Service (ZPS).

He said SACCORD would continue discouraging any form of violence across the country as violence was not a solution to any problem.

Mr. Chibuluma added that what people needed to realise and understand was that any form of violence endangered the lives of people in the country.

On Saturday evening CBU student damaged vehicles and beat up members of the public after the institution experienced a power failure and two students were arrested by University security officers and were detained at Riverside police post.

ZANIS